As the cosmetics world goes global, how will it affect individual nations’ ideas of beauty? Now that anyone with internet access can check out the latest catwalk trends and advertising campaigns in international fashion magazines, will make-up trends become homogenised? Will a Mad Men-inspired red lip catch on in China, as it has in New York and London? Will women from Mumbai turn their backs on Bollywood glamour in favour of “the new nude”? Here, industry insiders from major cities around the world report from the front lines of beauty today.
London
“Catwalk trends take time to trickle down, but when key celebrities wear a look, it can have an instant influence,” says make-up artist Cassie Lomas – and the celebrity does not have to be UK-based. “The statement lips we saw on Angelina Jolie at the Oscars is a trend that London girls are sporting,” says Lomas, who credits the Kate Middleton effect as well: when the Duchess of Cambridge wore a particular Bourjois nail polish (Rose Lounge), sales soared. “It is still their bestseller,” says Lomas, who is also a consultant for the brand. But the influence of New York shouldn’t be underestimated, says Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK. “You can’t get away without having a manicure and tidy nails any more, and that’s the influence of the US.”