Lounge
People want make up products that multitask: MAC's Romero Jennings
Summary
Romero Jennings, director of makeup artistry at MAC, discusses all things make up
Over the past five decades, New York-based Romero Jennings has seen the way people consume and view make up. He moved to New York from Jamaica at the age of 6. When he joined cosmetic company MAC as a make-up artist in the 1990s, he let his past and current heritage shape his aesthetic.
Today, Jennings is the director of make-up artistry at MAC. In an interview with Lounge, Jennings talks about the changes in the industry, the trends and why diversity cannot be ignored today in the make-up industry. Edited excerpts:
What does the beauty consumer want today?
To perform! They want the product to wash the dishes, sweep the floors, vacuum, and take care of the baby (laughs), consumers want the product to do everything, they have to perform.
This is also why we reformulate certain classics too. They also want products with good-for-you ingredients. They no longer just want coverage, but also hydration, plumping and protection.
All genders want products that overachieve. A lot of this stems from K-beauty, they sort of set standards and now the entire world is looking at them. It’s important to evolve and innovate.
What was it like being a makeup artist in the ’90s?
It was exciting. It was a time when glowy, glossy skin was not the norm. It was about being matte. If you looked matte, it meant that you had elevated status, because you weren't shiny, and you weren't working. It's different today. Many brands didn’t have the shade range (for base or other makeup like lipsticks) like MAC, like the Ruby Woo was and is iconic. It's as relevant now as it was then, that's because we created a shade that had a pigment load that could work for light, medium or deep skin. Because of that, we had different consumers and continue to have diversity. Other brands weren't thinking that way. Even for MAC to hire someone that looked like me was a big deal, because there wasn’t representation of people of colour back then in the beauty space.
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How has your work evolved?
MAC is 40; I turn 60 this year. I feel the most relevant right now in my career than I ever did. I did the cover for Vogue last year with a 92-year-old model, she said it was her last shoot but she's continuing to work. Things like this inspire me. And also because of social media, and analytics, I feel that I have the power to continue to hone my craft, innovate using new products and elevate my work. I am always wanting to learn. The brand also has the pulse of pop culture, it helps me to know what's coming. It helps me create trends and design looks for shows. Combining these tools with the brand history helps create and bring back trends. Like nineties nudes, or the soft goth trend. Bringing back the trends, in a digestible way for consumers is great. It’s important to look back on make up and combine it with innovation.
But the best training I have had is when I worked behind the counter for 10 years in the 90s. I started at the first freestanding store for MAC in New York City. We had so many celebrities and supermodels come in. Being in that space helped me learn about skin tone, texture, what colours to use and more.
In addition to social media, what influences product curation today?
Street trends. If you go to a New York coffee shop and see your barista wearing glitter eyeshadow at 6am in the morning, or just a red lip with false lashes and skincare, that is a trend. I feel inspiration comes from everywhere.
Our trend expert, Cat Quinn, also helps identify those trends. We also do backstage at New York, Milan, Paris and London fashion weeks, and there are Tokyo, India and other fashion weeks. We look at runway trends and find out the biggest ones, and then make them digestible for the consumer, that's so important.
What is the difference between the consumer in the east vs the west?
I have lived in Japan for five years. I feel in the West, many people want to get their money's worth. It means, if I do something, I want you to see it. The east is more about, I want to do it, but I don't want you to now. The West is more in your face and that's slowly changing, people want to be more discreet, less overpowering. So it’s bridging the east and the west. India too has become this futuristic world, and it’s growing; the quick growth sets India aside from the rest of the world.
What’s blurring the boundaries between skincare and makeup?
Who has time now? Life is speeding up and it's getting busier. So a product needs to multitask, this stems from busy lives. You're taking a look from day to play, so make up needs to stay and perform. Being more digital is also affecting things.
Because of covid and Zoom calls, many people really saw themselves for the first time in reverse. So people are more in tune to feel they need to change, they need to fix something or conceal.
Easy makeup tips for those always on the go?
First, take care of your skin. Wash your brushes! My eighty-something mom washes her brushes once a week and has great skin. If you have straight lashes, use a lash curler before applying mascara to open the eyes. Blush is key, because if you do nothing else, do skincare, throw on some blush and some kind of lip treatment, if you need to be ready in two minutes. Blush will make you look awake, you look healthy, so blush is back.
Differences and similarities between runway and celebrity makeup?
Today, models have their own personality. Earlier, models would adapt the look. But now, many models are influencers, so they have the same concerns and needs as celebrities. They don't want you to change them, they want you to enhance. So even when doing a show, they ask to implement specific things in makeup as per their brand. Now the model has become the celebrity. So those lines are becoming more blurred.
Dhara Vora Sabhnani is a Mumbai-based writer.
