Pop culture partnerships have made me excited about makeup again

Beauty and pop culture have merged like never before in recent years, and as a result my love for makeup has been reinvigorated.

Though we’ve always seen this crossover, fan culture has powered a whole new appetite for these partnerships. Places like TikTok and Reddit allow fan communities to connect in a more widespread and powerful way, meaning more demand for these keepsakes. Just look at the Wicked films. Their merch infiltrated just about every commercial category, going as far as making glittery variations of my favourite Robinson’s squash.

This in mind, I’m really pleased that this partnership approach seems to have found the beauty community. For years now, I’ve opened press releases about new celebrity beauty brands that have made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

“I just couldn’t find what I was looking for so I designed this skincare myself,” claims a Hollywood actor, naturally having no credentials in skincare.

The thing is, I can understand wanting to be part of this industry. It’s so much fun! But I’d have more respect for them if they said “I wanted to invest in this because it seems lucrative” rather than making out that a cleanser, toner and moisturiser had been so hard to come by.

If you’ve read my Substack page before, you’ll know that I love celebrity culture. I’ve got an Aupen bag that Taylor Swift wore on one of her first dates with Travis, and my first fancy perfume was Thierry Mugler’s Angel because I read that Britney Spears wore it. I am quite literally the prime candidate for all of this hysteria. But I don’t need a whole brand from most of these people. I just want something of theirs that I can buy and feel extra special when I use it.

That’s why this new wave of beauty and pop culture partnerships is making me happy, and here are three launches from the past few weeks that felt like matches made in heaven.

Lisa Eldridge x Marilyn Monroe

When Lisa Eldridge announced her partnership with the Marilyn Monroe estate, it was makeup that felt meaningful. She’s created a capsule collection of makeup, inspired by Marilyn’s signature looks, and boxed in relaxed, soft photographs of Marilyn that were taken by Sam Shaw.

This partnership was particularly inspiring to me because it reminded me how important it is to be yourself. For years, Lisa has told us how much she loves vintage makeup. She collects it. She made a beautiful video over 10 years ago now about Marilyn Monroe and her makeup artist, and has continuously referenced and remembered the great artists that came before her. Marilyn’s estate knew this and approached Lisa to create this collection in honour of her 100^th birthday.

At the time of writing, Marilyn’s birthday has been a hot topic. A TikTok video I shared has got people back and forth in the comments, wondering whether using Marilyn’s likeness is the right thing to do. But I think the context here is crucial. This isn’t someone who has simply thrown a red lip together and splashed a name over something. This is a true expert who has put thought and care into honouring a legacy. She was approached as a result of a sincere and continuous fascination with Marilyn. It made for a beautiful collection.

Lisa has always seemed different to the rest of the beauty industry. She’s a gentle voice in a landscape that often rewards those that shout the loudest. If you scroll your TikTok right now you’ll see endless shock value videos, desperate to grab your attention and keep it. Lisa, on the other hand, is magnetic in her calmness.

Haim x Ilia Beauty

This one popped up on my Instagram last week, completely unexpectedly, and instantly felt like a perfect match.

I love the Haim sisters so much. Women In Music Part III is one of my all-time favourite albums, and in general they just seem so warm and friendly. From what I know and see of them, I think they’re a real force for good.

Having kept up with them for years, I know that their makeup aesthetic is very minimal and clean. They tend to favour soft waves and a fresh face, which is why this partnership with Ilia actually feels so perfect. Ilia serve to merge makeup with skincare, creating sophisticated formulas that look great but ultimately feel comfortable on your skin. Given they blend makeup, skincare and SPF, I think the tagline of the skin tint being the ‘ultimate trio’ is just the perfect nod to these three sisters.

Being really honest with you, I’ve used Ilia things before but they’re not a brand I would automatically gravitate towards. But it just goes to show how powerful these placements are, because now I want to try everything and get to know their story. You can show me all the influencer content you want, but if the Haim sisters say this is good, it’s going in my basket.

Chappell Roan x Viva Glam

This partnership feels unbelievably perfect and I am so delighted for Chappell Roan.

In case you’re unfamiliar, Viva Glam is a franchise within MAC Cosmetics wherein lipstick proceeds go to charity. Over the years just about everyone has had their own Viva Glam lipstick, from Rihanna to Elton John and Pamela Anderson.

What I love about this is that Chappell, a girl from a small town who felt a little afraid of being herself, probably wore these lipsticks growing up. She will have had MAC things; it’s a given, we all did. But Viva Glam specifically works to champion the very communities that she has dedicated her art to, and now she gets to be the face of it. It’s a touching full circle moment.

Keep in mind, I’m 36. When I was growing up, MAC was the place to get your makeup from, and the be-all and end-all in cool makeup. These days, people have endless choice. There are so many great brands and lots of indie colour brands. Though MAC is still a powerhouse, there’s no denying they have much more competition now.

I love the idea that younger fans of Chappell’s will be curious enough to research this partnership, and investigate the long-standing support that MAC have shown the LGBTQIA+ community. I want them to scour the internet and remember that MAC had Ru Paul as the first face of Viva Glam, a man in drag with legs akimbo. I want them to read about the many diverse charities that the MAC AIDS Fund has supported, and how it feeds into local communities all over the world. The internet is so quick to jump on this girl, and it winds me up because I think she’s spreading so much light.

Rather than go to the rigmarole of coming up with a whole new set of products, these are unions between experts and creatives, working together to make something lovely. That’s when it feels cool. It’s less wasteful. It all feels a bit more like fun again.

I’d love to know if there’s a partnership that always rang true to you, or made you feel differently about a beauty brand for the better. And in the meantime, I know I’ve just moaned about pointless celebrity brands, but if Zendaya or Hayley Williams want to launch one they can take my money in a heartbeat.