We’ve seen the future of beauty shopping, and it came to Los Angeles from Canada. For five days in October, a blank canvas of retail space on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles’ West Hollywood neighbourhood was transformed into an art gallery installation with the various sub-lines of Toronto-based Nudestix. The whole collection was organized into separate sections showcasing the classic and new product collections for face, cheeks, eyes and lips. There are also a few one-and-done multitasking items that will fit into the smaller handbags trending now.
In addition to offering Nudestix fans a one-of-a-kind pop-up experience fusing live and e-commerce elements, there was a masterclass with instruction on how to use the older and newer products together effectively as well as a pre-opening session where journalists and influencers got to schmooze with mother–daughter founders Jenny and Taylor Frankel (who, frankly, look like sisters; the third co-founder, sister Ally, is currently studying medicine in Ireland). The Frankels clearly relished the opportunity to discuss the origins of the company, the new Nudeskin skin care collection (best suited for young women just learning to pull together a skin care routine), and where they predict Nudestix will head in the next few years.
While Jenny mentioned the line was originally conceived for millennials on the go, the current marketing posters displayed in the shop showed the minimalist philosophy also appeals to members of Gen X (her generation), baby boomers and members of the LGBTQ community.
‘This pop-up is perfectly designed for post-COVID times,’ mused Taylor Frankel. ‘Shoppers can view their favourites, see our new multi-tasking sticks and skin care collections in person, and then try things on using our virtual try-on app and purchase the products online. Of course, we have make-up artists and salespeople on hand to assist if there are questions. While we originally had this scheduled for 48 hours, we realized putting this together was such a big effort that we decided to stretch it out to the middle of the week.’
Jenny, who worked as a product developer for MAC and co-founded the successful make-up brand Cover FX, told Lucire Rouge that she was inspired to go the entrepreneurial route back in 2014 when her daughters commented there were no products that truly fit the lifestyle of people in their age group and, on a later occasion after a shopping trip, noticed that packaging waste from their purchases filled an entire office-sized wastebasket. While the entire product line itself is vegan and made from responsibly sourced components, the packaging—smart-looking black tins—was reusable and recyclable. There was a deposit box at the pop-up where customers could turn in their tins and in exchange (for five or more tins), they would be awarded a new lip pencil.
‘We’re truly a multi-generational line, and a multi-generational company,’ affirms Jenny. ‘We can all agree beauty should be minimalist, convenient, cruelty-free and fun even with the glamorous shades we added this year.’
The recycling programme and the virtual try-on feature can be enjoyed internationally at the Nudestix website, along with details about the new Nudeskin line and clever how-tos.