It’s pretty much impossible not to have picked up on the unicorn beauty trend. Far more aggressive than the gentle mythical beings after which they’re named, this trend encompasses a range of makeup items from pastels to iridescent items, to anything even subtly unicorn horn-shaped. Despite their massive rise in popularity, there’s not much about this emphasis on these cosmic cosmetics that’s actually new. Brands have been winning at unicorn beauty for a while now — it’s just been going by a different name. Here, three reasons it’s appealing so strongly to Millennials, despite not being a new category (it’s simply iridescent/pastel products, which have existed for decades).
The Silicon Valley Startup Siren Song
For every Glossier (a veritable unicorn in startup parlance), there are tons of aspiring ones. For Millennials, it’s far more enticing to work for a new, nimble company, which boasts unlimited vacation days and a fully-stocked kitchen, than being seduced by a large corporation’s job security and benefits, a dramatic contrast to Generation X.
The Nostalgia Factor
Another driving factor of unicorn beauty’s ubiquity in 2017 is the sheer, fun, Lisa Frank-ness of it all. Millennials love things that remind them of their childhood, and unicorn beauty products are the lens through which this generation is reminded of their inner child’s favorite unicorn and pastel-adorned colorful school supplies.
Simple Marketing
Chalk it up to a classic case of marketing. Putting a new, improved spin on highlighters (also called strobers and luminizers, yet more of the same thing) and calling them a name inspired by a mythical creature, then referring to it as a trend has upped sales, in this instance. We see this time and time again in the hair space (ecaille highlights, babylights, and sombre are super similar) and unicorn beauty is a way of bringing that same idea into the makeup arena.
As we mentioned above, this concept isn’t new, but some brands—big and small—are doing unicorn beauty well. Here, are some of our favorites.
- MAC Pigment in Frozen White is a phenomenal inner-corner highlight that pairs well with a creamy, nude lip.
- Estée Lauder Pure Color Love Lipstick comes in glitter-spiked shades for the perfect grown-up twist on unicorn beauty.
- L’Oréal Colour Riche La Lip Palette in Plum boasts a range of violet-tinged shades with a creamy, iridescent lavender to layer on top to make any lip look a little more magical.
- Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator is a product that was brought back to retail after a decade of being out of production and proved to be a best-selling success.
- Milk Makeup Holographic Stick in Supernova is most prismatic of the stick highlighters on the market.
- Glossier Haloscope is similar to Milk’s offering, but features a solid-oil core to moisturize while it imparts a long-lasting highlighting effect.
- Tarte has a line of makeup brushes with handles that look like unicorn horns, featuring brush hair in a bevy of hues.
- Nails Inc’s Sparkle Like A Unicorn Nail Polish Duo Kit is perfect if you’d rather relegate the shimmer to your digits. The gleamy set of polishes comes in a gold glitter and white iridescent duo.
- Wet ‘N Wild Rainbow Highlighter is a good blend of pastels and iridescence.
