September 2018 was the month the post-Fenty market officially turned a year old, and the prestige beauty industry could finally take stock of how much had changed since September 8, 2017. The shade-range conversation was permanently reframed. Three new prestige brands had launched on inclusivity-first platforms in the year that followed. Glossier had matured into a real makeup brand with a coherent line. Drunk Elephant had crossed the threshold from cult to mainstream prestige. And the entire year’s worth of editorial conversation about minimalism, active ingredients, and value had landed in a different place than where 2017 had started. The shows of NYFW Spring 2019 ran from September 6 through 13. The fall launches landed. The bathroom counter rebuilt itself for fall again. The year was hitting its stride.
Fenty’s first birthday and the structural shift
Fenty Beauty‘s first anniversary on September 8 was marked with a quiet relaunch of the original Pro Filt’r foundation in an additional ten shades, bringing the range to fifty. The brand had spent the year delivering on the promise of the launch — fifty shades, regular small-collection drops, consistent product quality. The structural shift in the prestige market was now permanent. Every prestige foundation brand had publicly expanded its shade range. Several smaller brands had launched on inclusivity-first platforms (Cover FX‘s expanded line, Becca‘s expanded shade range under Estée Lauder ownership). The conversation had matured. The work was being done. Fenty had set the bar and the industry was paying it.
NYFW Spring 2019 backstage
The NYFW Spring 2019 shows ran September 6–13, and the backstage beauty looks were the quietest we had reviewed in several seasons. Calvin Klein 205W39NYC’s fourth Raf Simons collection used minimal makeup — a gentle wash of foundation, a barely-there brow, no eye makeup at all in many cases. Marc Jacobs‘s spring 2019 backstage was the same — clean skin, single liner if any. Tom Ford was the only major American show that committed to a fully-painted look. The takeaway was unambiguous: the no-makeup makeup conversation that had been gathering since the Royal Wedding had effectively become the editorial default. The makeup-as-canvas philosophy had won the spring 2019 cycle.
The Drunk Elephant fall restocks
Drunk Elephant spent the fall building back inventory after a difficult summer of sell-outs across the line. The C-Firma Day Serum had been on backorder for two months. The Protini Polypeptide Cream had been on backorder for three. By the second week of September every product was back in stock, and the brand had effectively become Sephora’s most-recommended skincare line of the year. The conversation about whether the prestige price point was justified had been settled in the affirmative — the products did the work. We restocked C-Firma and Protini and added the brand’s new Lala Retro Whipped Cream — a ceramide-rich nighttime moisturizer — to the rotation.
The fall fragrance launches
The fall fragrance launches landed in the second week of September with the usual mix of clear winners and skips. Diptyque‘s Eau Capitale (which we had loved since its September 2017 launch) had earned a permanent slot. Byredo‘s new Mister Marvelous men’s fragrance had been getting unisex traction in the editorial press. Le Labo‘s Bergamote 22 had been in our summer rotation and was rotating off; the new fall composition we had bought to replace it was Le Labo’s Santal 33 (the brand’s flagship), which we had owned previously and were committing to again for fall. The fragrance shift was the right kind of pleasure.
The active-ingredient routine refines further
By the end of September the skincare routine had stabilized into the most refined version we had run all year. Morning: Drunk Elephant C-Firma, Tatcha‘s The Water Cream as moisturizer, EltaMD UV Clear SPF. Evening alternated between T.L.C. Framboos (glycolic), a low-percentage retinol, and a bakuchiol serum. Once a week: Drunk Elephant‘s T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial. The routine cost roughly $400 a year if you average across the products. The skin had visibly improved through the year. The active-ingredient era had matured into something genuinely worth the investment, and the brands that had done the technical work were now reaping the consumer trust.
Closing
By the last week of September the bathroom counter was the most refined it had ever been — five skincare products, three SPFs, a single tinted moisturizer, the Mothership III still on rotation, the Lash Slick + Lidstar combination, a Pat McGrath gloss for evenings, the Stunna for events. October will bring the Allure Best of Beauty, the holiday gift sets landing, and the post-Fenty year-end conversation. We will see you on the first Tuesday of October, and on the third Tuesday for the fall fashion roundup.