Most of our introductions to the world of makeup and skin care involved watching our moms, grandmothers and other maternal figures using their own cosmetics. And for the past 65 years — since Mary Kay Ash first founded her eponymous beauty brand, Mary Kay — many of us associate those early primping memories with its nostalgic pink branding.
But Mary Kay is ready for its next era. On Sept. 1, the brand unveiled “Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared,” its largest-ever global consumer-facing campaign. Through bold imagery and cheekily inclusive slogans (“Beauty is not a solo act”), it welcomes a new generation to Mary Kay’s beauty party.
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
“If you take a step back and think about it, Mary Kay is the OG girl’s girl beauty brand,” the company’s Chief Brand and Scientific Officer Dr. Lucy Gildea told Fashionista. “I don’t react negatively when people say, ‘Oh, I thought my grandma used to use that,’ or ‘This is for grandma.’ Well, you know what? People may not realize that their grandmother was cool. She had it all figured out.”
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
During New York Fashion Week, Mary Kay brought the campaign to life with an activation in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district. Featuring the world’s largest beauty table — a sprawling vanity lining 9th Avenue — the event invited fashion week showgoers and New Yorkers of all generations to swipe on the brand’s Shimmer Eye Shadow Sticks, score gifted products, participate in a meaningful give-back effort and, of course, take advantage of content creation opportunities. (Mirrors abounded!)
Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and her daughter Gigi Powers were also in attendance to underscore both the event’s ties to NYFW and its celebration of intergenerational beauty.
“We’re celebrating what I call the reintroduction of Mary Kay to the world,” Dr. Gildea said at the event. “We’ve always known that beauty is more meaningful when it’s a shared connection.” Underscoring the “girl’s girl” ethos, the event also included a letter-writing station in partnership with Womankind, a New York City-based organization that has supported and empowered survivors of gender-based violence since 1982.
In addition to this initiative, Mary Kay gives back through Pink Changing Lives Program, a philanthropic effort to improve the lives of women and their families. The program has donated $234 million globally through monetary and in-kind donations since 1996. “This is about having everyone see the breadth of what we are as a brand,” Dr. Gildea explained. “At our core, we’re about giving back, we’re about women, we’re about community, we’re about supporting, and we’re an amazing beauty brand with great products.”
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
“Every time you buy a product at Mary Kay, you’re supporting a woman entrepreneur,” Dr. Gildea added. “This is just the start of this movement for the world to see our relevance and the fact that we can touch lives in so many different ways.”
Many legacy fashion and beauty companies have histories they’d rather shy away from, but it’s the complete opposite for Mary Kay, Dr. Gildea emphasized: “We are a brand that didn’t have to change who we are. We are at the core, the same Mary Kay that we’ve always been and we’re able to showcase those values.”
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Long before the girl boss era, “Mary Kay [the person] was just a trailblazer and a transformational founder. She built more than a beauty brand. She built a community and this community was built on helping any person realize their dream, whatever that dream may be.”
Ahead, see (and shop!) some longtime Mary Kay favorites and exciting new releases worth trying (and, of course, sharing).
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Timewise Antioxidant Moisturizer, $34, available here
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Unlimited Lip Gloss in Tawny Nude, $20, available here
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Unlimited Lip Gloss in Nude Blush, $20, available here
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Great Heights Mascara, $18, available here
Mary Kay® Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, $22, available here
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Shimmer Eye Shadow Stick in Golden Sunrise, $20, available here
Mary Kay® Matte Eye Shadow Stick in Lunar Rose, $20, available here
Photo: Courtesy of Mary Kay
Mary Kay® Supreme Hydrating Lipstick in Black Cherry Spice, $22, available here
Mary Kay® Waterproof Lip Liner in Mauve Nude, $16, available here
Mary Kay® Hydrating Cream Mask, $24, available here