The Next Best Thing

As a professional makeup artist for over twenty years, I have seen many changes in the beauty industry throughout my career. When I started my makeup training in the early ’90s, products were not half as sophisticated or as accessible as they are now. It’s hard to believe there was a time without a MAC counter in Ireland, and I still remember the giddy excitement I felt visiting one of their London stores and finally getting my hands on some of their hero products - the iconic Face and Body foundation and every supermodel’s favourite, Spice Lip Liner. Over the years I have watched products and brands evolve and multiply. I have seen our needs become much greater. Or have they? Maybe that’s what we have been led to believe? The product choice in department stores has always been overwhelming to the makeup novice. With so much to choose from, where do you start? And who do you believe? But now products are available on so many platforms, it often feels there is no escape. We have access at our fingertips 24/7. Even brands we can’t purchase in Ireland are available online - brands we can’t test, sample or feel before we buy. We are reliant on reviews, online swatches, influencers and makeup tutorials. The perpetual production of online content inevitably brings with it a host of new products to try. Even as a professional it can feel quite overwhelming. I want it all but do I need it all? Don’t get me wrong, I adore new products. Growing as an artist and mastering new trends and techniques keeps your work fresh and relevant. And that is heavily reliant on new and improved products and formulas. And without change, we wouldn’t have the inclusivity and shade range we have with brands like Fenty and Nars. MAC has always been a leader when it comes to shade range for all skin tones so it’s heartening to see brands expanding their shade selections or being formed to fill the gap.

I love to try new products. I want to deliver the best results so it’s only natural to look for the next best thing.

However, what age, experience and wasting money have taught me is that the next best thing isn’t always exactly that. There was a time I felt pressure to have all the latest launches in my kit, it was expected and still is to a certain degree but I now have the confidence and experience to explain why I don’t need it, why I don’t like it or how I have something else in my kit that does exactly the same thing.

I am a firm believer in staple products, the tried and tested, never-let-you-down products; the core of every makeup kit. Those iconic Mac products I bought over 20 years ago are still a much-loved staple in my kit. Why? Because they work. They are money well spent. Face and Body Foundation makes skin look like your skin only better - what is not to love about that? A product I buy ten times over and reach for on every job is a much better investment than a product I buy once and only half use. I am more than happy to have spent €70 on Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo Highlighter( Moodlight) as I have used it to death and I love the results.

Spending €70 of your hard-earned cash on a product that delivers, feels like a good investment but nobody wants to spend €70 on a product that doesn’t live up to the hype. Sensible beauty isn’t about being cheap and it doesn’t have to be boring. You can still have luxury but you want to know your money was well spent. Why buy the latest highlighter or foundation if you’re still working your way through another one? Instead, work your way towards the end and then ask yourself if it lived up to your expectations, or if it’s time to start your research into your next best thing.

I’m not suggesting you should continue to use a product you dislike but you don’t need to have an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ approach to your entire makeup bag. Some of the old reliables are like old friends. They are solid. We form a relationship with them. It’s fun to hang out with the new cool kids on the block and they can often become long term friends too but we all have that one friend who, even if we haven’t seen them for a while, we know we will pick up right where we left off. In the constant chase for the latest and greatest, we can often forget about our previous, successful purchases or indeed the half-used products sitting in our drawers abandoned for the next best thing. This restricted and slower pace of life has made us reevaluate our needs and become more prudent with our purchases. And there has never been a time when revisiting old friends has sounded more appealing!

Ailbhe Lynch, May 2020.