the beauty brew series: the curious case of kylie cosmetics
chapter #1
“Her whole brand is just beautiful gowns, great lighting and high budget photoshoots. I’m sure the formulas are great but what is it about KC that makes it so… unrelatable?” — A harsh but fair question I asked on my Instagram story after scrolling past the umpteenth collection drop from the 26-year-old socialite-turned-businesswoman.
Allow me to set the scene: YouTube beauty tutorials (see: It’s My RaeRae, Sonjdra Deluxe and Jackie Aina circa 2015), halo-effect eyebrows, shimmery cheekbone highlight and plump, matte lips were the in things. Hitting the streets like [bleep] in the 80's for almost every beauty devout teen who craved the Jenner Pout, the all-iconic Lip Kits made their debut in 2014. Overseen by mother Kris, the then 17-year-old set sights on building an empire spurred up by the hot gossip around her mysteriously ‘new’ pout. After almost a decade, can we suspect that this ‘empire’ is crumbling or put plainly, did it ever really grow…?
In an era where viral beauty phenomenons (a topic we’ll touch on in chapter #2 of this series) are virtually at every turn and scroll, it does beg the question as to why Kylie Cosmetics is still waiting on its big moment post-launch. Yes, Rome wasn’t built in a day and perhaps the brand’s time in the FYP spotlight is yet to come but in a sea of Huda Beauty Easy Bake Powders, Hourglass Vanish Concealers, Saie Dew Blushes and much more, it’s fair to say to say that KC’s line up of ‘blah’ beauty blends into the background — no pun intended.
There’s no denying that the She-E-O (gosh, what an old phrase) is proud of her ventures: Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Skin, Kylie Swim and now, khy. Though, the jazz music stops when you realise that as personal as they appear, they all lack so much personality. There’s a massive disconnect between the brand/s and the consumer. Let’s state facts:
- Nene Leakes single-handedly put white refrigerators out of business.
- Lipstick lasts longer, but gloss is more fun. Word to SVW.
- People buy into people.
…And that’s hard to do if one’s brand feels like an extension of an already far-removed and seemingly bland personal brand.
In true Leo fashion, Kylie’s beauty brainchild is obviously all about her. Thus, the name. Is that a ‘bad’ thing? Of course not — Pat McGrath Labs and Fenty Beauty don’t have two heads. However, where things can get tricky is when a self-titled brand lies solely on the celebrity of the founder to carry it forward, without forming a separate brand identity and story. For example, Pat McGrath Labs is to intergalactic motherships as Fenty Beauty is to being an unapologetic savage. Kylie Cosmetics is to… *awkward blank*.
Perhaps personal branding is the flaw here which trickles into her business ventures? Kylie Cosmetics could arguably be viewed as the Big Mummy to *some* new school brands but in actuality, it’s very small fish in what is a saturated-and-growing market.
How do I put this… politely? Kylie Cosmetics is like the Accessorize of the beauty industry — still standing but you can’t seem to work out how.
You can scroll through any FYP filled with countless GRWMs from the ‘I-have-five-minutes-to-leave’ videos to lengthy, detailed tutorials (or as long as your attention span will afford you) and not one will feature a Kylie Cosmetics product. I’m sat here thinking about the brand’s star products and can only pinpoint the duo Lip Kits from KC’s debut back when Pharrell dropped ‘Happy’. That’s not…fetch. With another collection here and a reformulation there, I think we can agree that Madame Ky keeps trying to make fetch happen and for lack of a better phrase… it’s just not giving!
Taking a girl-next-door or girl-down-the-Rhode approach to her brand, Hailey Bieber’s beauty powerhouse has successfully beaten the nepo baby allegations. It’s likeable, personable and coveted. If you’re anything like me with 101 lip products, for some reason you’re willing to make room in the inn for just one more from Rhode. For comparison sake, Hailey is also the face of her self-titled brand. The difference? Vogue-style GRWMs extend an invitation into her world, her experience with her products that you don’t just want to admire through the screen but share. This invitation feels personal and intimate — a strategic effort that’s great for business.
We, as a beauty collective, are far past the point of accepting well-lit photoshoots and premium campaigns as a pressed-powder passport into our make up bags. We already have our heroes and go-to favourites, that bond has already been formed. In order for us to curate a budding beauty tie with a brand that’s been around for as long as Kylie Cosmetics has, there needs to be some sort of reciprocity or keenness to connect with consumers and creators. What would prompt us to make the switch from something tried and trusted to a brand we don’t necessarily distrust but simply no nothing about, bar the name?
See you in the next one!
P x
