I have not used the blogging platform for about two years, for personal reasons. One, I was getting a job and did not want a digital footprint in that sand. Two, though I think tumblr during my college days was invaluable in learning about social justice, privilege, critical thinking, etc., I can't deny the fact that, as with every form of social media, one contributes to a discourse consciously, and is rewarded with reblogs and likes.
And of course, "the aesthetic." The opalescent pastel aesthetic of the cool kids that typified much of site.
The past two years it was mermaids.
And now it's unicorns?
The mermaid trend was reflected in makeup, hair ornaments, makeup, music videos, and dress. I understood the mermaid trend, as mermaids are 1/2 human, and perhaps have a standardized iconography and style one can mimic.
The unicorn thing is sinister.
What is it? Rainbows? Holographics? But unicorns are horses with horns on their heads. A quick google search shows they are white horses, in fact, with pastel (mostly lavender) hair, and rainbow horns. They are associated with magic and sparkles.
If we were going to go far back in internetland, there was a coveted shade of Clarins nail polish with the nickname Unicorn Pee. It was not in reference to any color scheme, but rather a humorous comment on the elusive nature of this product.
So if we were to reduce, if we were to collect all the unicorn makeup in the world and set it on a pan to boil at high heat, what would be left?
From my observations of all the recent releases, including Tarte and Wet n' Wild (with Colourpop coming in soon), in can be reduced to the following:
- blues
- pinks
- purples
- rainbows
- pastels
- sparkles
- unicorn horns
Also illustrated in the following (sans horns):
Let me take a breath. Aside from the way "unicorn horns" have been integrated into lines- which is, to sell makeup brushes that look like horns, everything else has been done already. Those are not themes. Those are colors.
So why is it sinister?
Because even when "mermaid" was a trend, not every single brand was playing along. Now they are. And it is a shame because these are repeated colors and aesthetics. And brands lose their identity. And the market will be bloated with unicorns until- and I suspect this will be soon- it will move onto the next "thing."
When I think of unicorns, I don't think of makeup. Mermaids, on the other hands, were sirens. Were women. Unicorns are horses. They are associated with maidens, sort of, but the Ophelia-looking kind. Not a girl bedecked in glowsticks and glitter. I don't know. At the end of the day, all a company has to do is slap a buzzword onto a product to reel people in. I guess the whole unicorn thing is just so blatantly transparent. They're not even trying anymore.
Take Wet n' Wild. This is one of their upcoming "unicorn" products (referring to center compact) :
And this was one of their highlighters from last summer:
To me, this illustrates the fact that these are not new products, not completely. None of these companies are doing anything really new. Even the make-believe in yourself palette from Tarte was not entirely convincing, though it was a step in a different direction. The quality was a bit dubious for me, especially for that crucial matte shade.
To wrap up, I think companies are severely limiting themselves with following such particular trends, especially with something as inane as unicorns. It is almost like the phenomenon with the "Minions." There's really no basis for their popularity, but because they are ubiquitous as a result of keen marketing tactics, people accept them.
And hey, maybe that means in the near future, we'll see Minions be the new unicorns. I do enjoy wearing yellow and spouting gibberish, after all.
It never stops to amaze me how the women fell for all that sh*t as if they were dumb or childish. I love makeup but My little ponny, Disney, mermaids have nothing to do with grown ass woman's makeup. It feels as if all of us have some mental problem so we buy what ever they serve us. I even bought a palette from TF that looks as if made for children under the age of 10. And I feel many of us are not educated enough to see what does for example unicorn represents in psychology. I feel a lot of mysoginy is present in the industry and 80% of the buyers just don't care or are not educated. So I agree with the next trend -wearing yellow and talking gibberish. Nice blog btw.
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