While it might seem like there’s a beauty product for everything, Lisa Sugar, the founder and president of global media brand POPSUGAR, learned that isn’t the case. Who was delivering that news? None other than POPSUGAR’s audience of 100 million. Sugar funneled their feedback into Beauty By POPSUGAR, a new makeup line that blends POPSUGAR’s crowdsourcing with Sugar’s passion for beauty. The line of 18 products is hitting beautybypopsugar.com, ULTA shelves, and ulta.comon March 11. Sugar gives us the scoop.
Courtesy of Beauty by POPSUGARBeauty by POPSUGAR Twilight Eye Palette, $42
Why did you decide to launch Beauty by POPSUGAR? I’ve always been a beauty junkie. My bathroom is crowded with products I am testing so I can share my favorite finds with our Must Have—POPSUGAR’s subscription box—customers, and indulging in the best in beauty is one of my favorite things about my job. Beauty is also one of POPSUGAR’s biggest verticals, and the huge audience is super engaged. We knew we wanted to get into licensing, and I was most excited about beauty being the first category to venture into. I met with many wonderful people in the business, but as soon as I met Pamela and Cathy at Bona Fide, I knew this was the right team to create the line. It’s been over 18 months in the making, and we can’t wait to get the product in stores! Combining the experience from Bona Fide and Ulta Beauty’s info with POPSUGAR’s audience data and insights, we’ve been creating something really special!
How does the line embody POPSUGAR? POPSUGAR is positive, purposeful, and playful, and so is the makeup line. I say I want POPSUGAR to help make people’s lives happy and easier. I want the beauty products to do the same. We want to create products that you can’t live without, that become your new best friend.
Courtesy of Beauty by POPSUGARLisa Sugar
What makes Beauty by POPSUGAR a game changer for the beauty world? The most unique aspect of our line is how we tuned into our audience for information about what they want from their products. They had a clear voice in shaping the products. We wanted to create products that do more and have multiple functions so that you can also carry less in your bags. That, combined with cruelty-free, healthy ingredients, and beautiful bright packaging makes us POP.
How was the line inspired by 100 million beauty junkies? We surveyed them! We literally reached out to our audience and asked them a ton of questions about their beauty habits, what they wanted, wished for, loved, and didn’t like. We took that data and as we were creating what we thought would be an ideal assortment, we then did focus groups with our edit team across all our offices. We also reached out on social and took all the comments regarding products they love and the products they seek into mind. The conversation is absolutely a two-way one, and our audience has strong opinions about beauty. It is a topic they are very passionate about—as are we!
Courtesy of Beauty by POPSUGARBeauty by POPSUGAR Thick & Thin Mascara, $25
What is your personal beauty philosophy, and how did that impact the line? I’m all for whatever makes people happy. Some like minimal looks while others go bold every damn day, and that’s awesome too. I wanted the line to appeal to everyone, so I wanted practical, everyday products that do more than one thing while also including products that are unique in their formula and fun to play with. Personally, my daily approach is wearable and pretty natural. I like to wear tinted moisturizer, mascara, and a touch of eyeshadow. I am also addicted to lip balms. I have at least three on me at all times. They are all tucked into various coat pockets and purses. When we launched the line, I said to our team that I wanted as many lip options as possible.
Why was it important to you for the line to work for a range of skin types and colors? Inclusion is a cornerstone of POPSUGAR across the board, from our content to our staff and now to our makeup line. POPSUGAR is for everyone. I often say it’s the party everyone is invited to! The more the merrier. We want people who engage with us to feel welcome and to know that we are thinking of them, and the same is definitely true with our makeup. It’s a continued focus as we launch and learn from our current products, and those we already know we want to add more of to include even more range.
Courtesy of Beauty by POPSUGARBeauty by POPSUGAR Be Cosmic Crystal Liquid Lip, $24
Why did you make ingredients a focus of the line? Health and wellness is important to me and to the POPSUGAR audience. Our products are enriched with energizing and beneficial ingredients and, of course, they are cruelty-free. As an animal lover with two dogs, that is personally important to me. Our motto is “no bad stuff,” and that guided us when we worked on the products. We made sure there are no parabens or mineral oils or other ingredients that can harm the skin.
What are a few of your favorite ingredients that you spotlight? Some of my favorite ingredients are white hibiscus flower extract, which is rich in antioxidants, and Kukui seed oil, a deep moisturizer that helps to nourish the skin. I am a big fan of Hawaii from vacations when I was a kid and now taking my girls there. I told our team when launching the line that it would be incredible if we can include items from dream paradise places like Hawaii—and they did!
Courtesy of Beauty by POPSUGARBeauty by POPSUGAR Be Smooth Sugar Lip Scrub, $22
Why did you decide to use packaging with empowering messages? Supporting and inspiring women is in POPSUGAR’s DNA, and it was central to my mission when I founded the company. Including empowering messages on our packaging is an extension of that philosophy. Nothing is as chic and beautiful as confidence and joy.
How does the line simplify a woman’s beauty routine? Our products go on without fuss and they stay put all day. I wanted many products that could do more than one thing which is why we have SPF in our tinted moisturizers and most of our balms, a brow product that does three things, and most products that build so you can bring the same eyeshadow to work in the morning and pump it up with more layers for nighttime. Hopefully you carry less products that do more, making the routine easier every day. Our products are easily buildable and blendable. You don’t need to be Picasso or need your own personal glam squad to look great. These products are made for women to play with, to enjoy, and to experiment with.
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