Let’s rewind about 2 years ago to when the pandemic just started and schools were starting to close. That March was the start of the lockdown and a time that changed everything, including the makeup industry. The makeup industry is one that thrives on people going out. The majority of people do not wear makeup to sit in their homes or not see anyone, so since there is no demand for makeup, no one buys it. Like many other industries, the makeup industry took a huge hit, but as restrictions started to lift and people tried to go out more, the industry saw a rise. 

Just because there was a rise didn’t mean that things would go back to normal; people still had to wear masks while going out. Now that most people had the lower half of their face covered there was now a bigger focus on eye makeup and a smaller focus on products such as lipstick or lip gloss. With these fluctuating trends, brands had to quickly adjust and produce products that were more suited for their customers’ needs. But these big box companies were not the only ones who had to change their direction; another huge side of the makeup industry is the influencer side. For a lot of people, being an influencer is a full-time career, so they must learn to adjust based on what their followers want to see. With everyone rushing to meet the new beauty needs, a number of things became staples in people’s makeup routines, even though the mask mandate is getting lifted. 

Now things like fake lashes, heavy eyeliner, and done-up eyebrows are part of people’s daily routines. A lot of the prior trends that had to do with matte lipstick and over-lining your lips became less prominent. Now people are turning towards things like lip oils and lip masks that enhance your natural beauty on the lower half of your face while defining the top. Although the pandemic is nearly over these pandemic “trends” are still very much in play. 

These ideas tie into my previous article about the rapid consumerism of the makeup industry. The pandemic brought a new side of makeup and with it, a lot of different trends that people felt the need to keep up with. This kind of “FOMO,” or fear of missing out, causes people to rapidly buy in order to try to keep up with trends. Now that we are so close to the end of the pandemic, will the trends shift again, and will people have the same impulsive need to purchase? All signs point to yes.