Sheer shimmery shades soften spring cosmetics collections

Drug Store News, Jan 20, 2003 by Molly Prior

Taking their cue from the feminine, whimsical looks on the runway, sheer and delicate pastels, along with some more vibrant hues--all with a touch of shimmer--make up the manufacturers' spring color palettes.

While some segments have performed better than others, the overall category finished the 12week period ended Nov. 3 down 0.5 percent in units to 69.9 million items sold in drug, according to Information Resources Inc. Fortunately, innovations in delivery and formula in the lip and eye segments have pushed sales up nicely over the year in those segments. Lipstick sales ramped up 9.2 percent to $437.9 million, helped in large part by the success of Maybelline Wet Shine lipstick and Cover Girl Outlast. Eye makeup sales increased a respectable 3.8 percent to $387 million, thanks in part to L'Oreal Wear Infinite duo and Revlon ColorStay shadows.

Cosmetics suppliers are banking that a co or palette featuring candy-colored hues will appeal to mature women and teens. But will these softer, romantic looks have enough muscle to accelerate cosmetics sales in drug stores?

The trick to jump-starting sales for retailers may be to put the fun back into shopping for color cosmetics. A lot of the time, women, as Allure magazine editor-in-chief Linda Wells reminds, want to be tempted by color, texture and creativity.

"The focus on femininity through elegant, pastel shades and gauzy, textured fabrics served as inspiration" for Cover Girl's new Pixie Magic, a collection of delicate shades blended with sparkle and shimmer, explained Anne Martin, vice president of global cosmetics marketing for Procter & Gamble. "Cover Girl translated this trend to cosmetics by developing shades that are sheer and delicate, with fun sparkle and shimmer finishes," targeted to a wide consumer audience "from working women to teens getting ready for the prom." GlossSlicks Lip Wind, with a touch of shimmer and a vanilla scent, is the newest addition to the spring line-up.

Cover Girl also is working to educate women on product benefits, which could help--from a merchandising rather than a new product standpoint--bring some growth back to certain facial cosmetics segments.

Almay is taking inspiration from pastoral scenes with its spring Elements in Bloom offering of stackable colors, such as pinks, blues, pure whites and lavenders. Almay One Coat lipcolor and Shimmering Gloss duo will retail for $6.75, and Almay beyond Powder Eye-shadow will retail for $4.25. To complement the pastel eye shades, Almay also will include Amazing Liquid I-Line in a silvery blue called bluebell for $6.75.

Revlon is packing a bit more punch into its spring color palette with Passion Punch juicy fruit tones in tangerine, melon, strawberry and peach. The line includes limited edition pro ducts such as Revlon Brush-on lip gloss, retailing for $6.50; Revlon Eye Sheen, a cream to powder finish, for $5.50; and Revlon Lip & Cheek Jam for $7.50. The entire Passion Punch collection hits shelves in March.

L'Oreal looked to the rainbow to capture its look for spring. Its Rainbow Chic collection features textures ranging from creams and powders to gloss and shimmer. On-the-Loose Shimmering Powders for eye in hues such as bit o' blue, green piece, sun drops and sparkling mint can be offset y dark dramatic lashes. Its new Glam Shine Sparkling Lip Gloss, which marries high gloss with prismatic pearls, illustrates the latest trend in lip of effect-type color. Four new colors of L'Oreal Shock Proof nail enamel complete the new color collection.

Maybelline's spring color collection, Fairy Pretty, inspired by playful prints on the runway, creates a colorful, clean and luminous look for spring with influential hues, such as white, green, red and coral. New product introductions include Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds Liquid gloss and Wet Shine Diamonds nail color f or suggested retail prices of $4.10 and $6.75, respectively.