I like Diet Coke. I do not care that Taylor Swift likes it too, that according to her, it "just gets me and my lifestyle." I also enjoy Tim Horton's coffee, and have the same reaction to their celebrity spokesperson Justin Bieber. The same goes for Adidas sneakers and musician Bad Bunny, Logitech computer accessories and singer Lizzo, and even the occasional McDonald's chicken nugget and the Korean boy band BTS. To be clear I have nothing against any of these people. It's just that, for me at least, their endorsement doesn't make the product any more or less desirable. I confess that I do have a George Foreman Grill, not because of him, but because it makes a wicked grilled cheese sandwich.
My feelings aside, celebrity endorsements are obviously effective in some way. Someone way smarter than me has done the math and decided that the name and exposure that comes with that association is worth it in sales or good will or just plain reflected light. That's why Nespresso paid George Clooney $40 million, Pepsi paid Beyonce $50 million and Adidas paid David Beckham $160 million.
In some of these cases part of the cache is that the star in question actually uses the product. Bobby Flay might actually cook with Sardel pans, Roger Federer probably wears a Rolex watch, and Michael Jordan prefers Nike sneakers. In other cases, not so much. It's not that Sofia Vergara couldn't shop at WalMart, but far more likely you'll find her at Bergdorf Goodman.
The one area where the star's name might actually indicate that they are more than just a paid shill is makeup. Celebrities do have very particular tastes and needs in the stuff that they out on their faces on a daily basis, whether it is for a talk show, a movie roll or just appearing in public. And so it's not surprising that every year another crop of custom eyeshadow, foundation and concealer gets released under a celebrity name that purports to be their special blend. Just this year alone has seen Scarlett Johansson's The Outset, Gwen Stefani's GXVE (pronounced "give") and Alicia Keys' Keys Soulcare. Even guys are getting in on the act: singer John Legend announced plans a for a new line of skin care products, as yet unnamed.
In each case the beauty and skin care products associated with the star are based on some purported aesthetic that defines them, though they all start to sound the same. "Clean," "Natural" and "representing my own beauty standards" are buzz words and phrases that appear over and over. If you take away the identifying packaging I would venture only the most die-hard fans would be able to differentiate between blushes from Drew Barrymore, Rihanna and Selena Gomez and their respective Flower Pot, Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty lines of products.
That said, a new line came out this past week that has an aesthetic even I understand. I know its color palette, its tones, even its scents, and am a big fan of its namesake. If the goal of makeup is to make the wearer more attractive to others, than this one will certainly make an impression on a wide swath of the population. And why would even I notice a new makeup line? Because L.A.-based beauty brand HipDot just released the Girl Scout Cookie Collection.
Themed to your favorite edibles, the collection features "two deliciously scented eyeshadow palettes, three creamy lipsticks, two custom-designed eye brushes, and a collector's box for Girl Scout Cookie enthusiasts and beauty lovers alike." The Thin Mints palette is in tones of nudes, browns, and taupes, while the Coconut Caramel palette is in tones of tones of purples, black and gray. And the trio of lipsticks come in Lemon, Coconut Caramel, and Thin Mints flavors and scents. No need any more to dab a bit of Do-si-Dos cream behind your ears.
It turns out this type of "celebrity" endorsement is not an outlier. Also this year e.l.f. Cosmetics collaborated with Dunkin' to make a donut inspired set of products including Lip Glaze, while Glamlite has the Guilty Eats collection with five different palettes themed around Hershey Kiss flavors. While none of this might be as sophisticated as Chanel No5, it will certainly hit a certain demographic. And now when your date says you look good enough to eat, they're not kidding.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford doesn't endorse anything. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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