FIRST PERSON
Beauty editor Megan Bedford reveals all that’s timely and trending right now.
As a passionate consumer and writer of all things beauty-related, there’s no place better to be (figuratively) nestled, than between the pages of MiNDFOOD’s beauty section.
So I’m thrilled to be on board as beauty editor at a title that has long treated the topic with respect, much more than just a frivolous indulgence.
I’ve spent over 20 years in media and quite a number of those writing about the huge number of people, products and treatments that make up the beauty industry, but I feel there’s never been a more interesting time to be a beauty consumer as right now. There are more options recognising the requirements and desires of every single person regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or lifestyle than ever before. No one should ever feel obliged to engage with makeup or skincare or fragrance or aesthetic treatments, but if you want to, you should be met with items to suit.
In the past 18 months in particular, there’s been a spectacular increase in both the speed of development and number of products landing on shelves each month, and the interest and enthusiasm of consumers, open to throwing ourselves into a multi-step skin routine, trying the latest foundation or high-tech serum, or even adopting a collagen powder into our diets.
I’ll endeavour to put the most interesting and worthy in front of you. I’ll continue to acknowledge the joy that picking up the latest red lipstick can put a spring in your step. I’ll flag new approaches – and the science that underpins them – that upgrade your routine from what was previously available. And I’ll explore any other interesting developments in the world of beauty that are worth your consideration each month. One contemporary talking point is the sheer number of new celebrity beauty lines and whether there’s merit in the new wave. Well-known figures, mainly – but not confined to – people from the entertainment industry, are launching brands every month. A couple of decades ago it was fragrance lines that held the allure for A-listers. Then it was a coveted spokesperson role – landing a multi-year, multinational contract as the face of a well-known skincare or foundation brand was a true sign you’d made it.
But it seems stars are no longer content with being the ‘face of something’, they want the control that comes with owning, or having a large stake in their own companies. We’ve had Rihanna, Drew Barrymore and Victoria Beckham; and trademarks filed indicate Kanye West, Serena Williams, Gwen Stefani and Cardi B among others will add to the list.
“PHARELL’S VEGAN COLLECTION IS ADORNED SIMPLY WITH BRAILLE.”
Jennifer Lopez, (JLo Beauty), Alicia Keys (Keys Soulcare) and Pharell Williams (Humanrace) are the latest to push new skincare lines. Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop and Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Skin have both become more accessible with their arrival at Mecca.
There are intriguing elements – Pharell’s vegan, genderless, refillable, three-product collection with grass-green packaging adorned simply with braille; and Key’s self-care skincare whose lead product is a sage and oatmilk candle to light while you meditate – but whether they are successful remains to be seen. I did enjoy the way the pandemic has been a great leveler when it comes to promotion. Selena Gomez did her own makeup with her iPhone duct-taped to her bathroom mirror to demonstrate her products, Pharrell spoke to journalists via Zoom from his kitchen and Lopez personally jumped into the comments section of her Instagram to denounce anyone suggesting that Botox was responsible for her flawless complexion. (Lopez insists she’s never had any Botox or fillers.)
My feeling is that most of us will find relying on a celebrity for beauty advice less appealing than taking tips from the doctors, dermatologists, skin experts and makeup artists also seeing success with their own product lines.
In New Zealand, an approach that arguably also resonates more, is the number of locally owned brands with their considered formulations and premium aesthetic continuing to gain new interest here and internationally. The appeal I believe springs not only from our reputation for using natural botanical ingredients from our precious clean, green environment, but using those ingredients in innovative, proveneffective formulations.
I’m talking about the likes of Snowberry, Evolu, Karen Murrell and Emma Lewisham. And on a smaller level, but with plenty of promise, is Jessie Gurunathan’s new brand, Two Birds Beauty, with its careful consideration of how its face oil ingredients are sourced to improve the health of skin. You can read more about her brand in my story about the rise of new oil-based skincare options on Page 74, or in our interview online at mindfood.com.