Make-up Brands

Makeup, or better put, the cosmetic industry, is rich in history. One walk down the supermarket cosmetic aisle, reveals an assortment of eyeshadows, lipsticks, nail polish, you name it. The range is wide and the selection plentiful. It is common to see people of all ages simply plucking these works of art of the shelves and into their carts without a care in the world. But do you really know what went into making that lipstick line? The chemistry behind that eyeshadow? It’s extensive, and the brands associated are billion-dollar industries not by sheer chance or luck.

Makeup has been used for over 6,000 years. In the early days, coal was rubbed on eyes to give a shadow effect. Flowers were also brushed against the skin to create a range of subtle hues. The Japanese were especially good at this, using safflower petals to color their lips. Moving west, Cleopatra used carmine beetles and ants to make lipstick, which sounds atrocious, but she was as beautiful as they came, so no judgment here.

Nowadays makeup is a chemistry game, mixing and matching a host of chemicals to arrive at those perfect combinations. With lipstick for example, the three key ingredients are carnauba, candelilla and beeswax. The wax is melted, and oil is applied to keep the mixture from drying out. Once each makeup brand applies their matte or glossy look, the whole mixture is then transferred to a steel tank where it is promptly cooled.

Eyeshadow, nail polish, rouge, the chemical game is front and center and some companies do it much, much better than others. One of those companies is Charlotte Tilbury. Dubbed the perfect combination of “ultra-luxe glamour and high-performance ingredients,” Charlotte is the go-to brand for glamour, glamour, and even more glamour. Makeup artists worldwide are avid users and recommend the brand to their clients who in turn post for days on social media. Another excellent player in the makeup world is MAC. Likely the first brand to really capitalize on the entertainment scene, MAC provides the makeup world’s widest range of shades (of any company), hands down. The technology, like Tilbury, is also considered cutting-edge and their lipstick selection specifically is world-renowned.

If you haven’t heard of Nars by now you truly are living under a rock. Always on trend, Nars is a company that launches new products regularly and frequently. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is for all those “under-eye warriors” that are seeking a chic way to cover problem spots and stand out all at the same time. And lastly, an absolute titan in the cosmetic world – La Mer. You’ve likely seen them at malls in your neighborhood, kiosks within the mall with sharp looking young women and men drawing you in for samplings, mini-facials, extremely hands-on as it pertains to trying the product and fantastic on the sales side. La Mer is famous for its moisturizers that are second to none (although many have tried to replicate them).