A Makeup Brand For Women From 19 To 99 Throws Rules Out The Window

Growing up, little girls and young women are fed fashion and beauty “rules” to follow: Don’t wear red lipstick if you have red hair. Bold eyes with bold lips is a no-no.

And as we get older, the rules get more aggressive as we get older. No colorful makeup after a certain age. Definitely no shimmer. Less is best.

Luckily, 19/99 Beauty is here to call B.S. on those silly rules. The brand’s founders, Camille Katona and Stephanie Spence, have created an inclusive beauty brand that invites women of all ages to play with blue eyeshadow, bright pink lipstick, even red eyeliner.

19/99 started as Katona’s graduate school thesis project, and her research showed that women were tired of being pigeonholed into any particular behavior based on their age (can I get an amen). And they’ve created a brand that truly makes all women feel welcome. What a delight it is to see lines on model’s faces!

The vibe is cool without being exclusive, and age-inclusive without being patronizing or frumpy. Most importantly, the products are high-quality and earth friendly right down to the packaging.

True story: I tried the limited edition Precision Color Pencil in Zold recently when visiting Ventura, CA. The product went on so smoothly and lasted all day without smudging, which with my oily eyelids is saying something. And while shopping at Buffalo Exchange, one of the 20-something workers asked me, “Are you wearing green eyeliner?” When I said yes she said, “I am obsessed with you.” I’ll take it!

With all the adversity women face, why make makeup a rule-following, stressful endeavor? Katona and Spence are here to reinforce the idea that makeup should be fun, and that it’s for everyone, no matter how old you are.

I caught up with Katona to ask more about how she and Spence met, which products she recommends trying first, and an exciting new launch!

How did the two of you meet? What is each of your experience in the makeup industry?

“We’ve been working together in beauty for over 10 years. We both love fashion and have always used makeup as an accessory. We fell into the industry through our first job at Bite Beauty where we met. I was in charge of Bite’s Instagram right when the app launched, and we opened Bite’s first Lip Lab in Soho in 2013. Stephanie went onto execute Bite’s Lip Lab store roll out while I continued to work on Bite’s content and digital strategy.

We then worked with a Shanghai based brand, Red Earth, launching them in the North American market at retailers like Target, Urban Outfitters, Revolve and Madewell. From Bite we learned how product was made, about colour through working with customers customizing shades of lipstick, and beauty retail through working with Sephora as an exclusive retailer partner. With Red Earth, we learned about global supply chains, and what it takes to launch a brand in the North American market.”

Why did you decide to build a brand for all ages?

“19/99 Beauty started as my post-graduate thesis project. The brand aims to change the prevailing youth-focused narrative of our culture by challenging the current beauty norms surrounding a woman’s age.

We were working with many women older than us that we did not see represented by brands, anywhere. We were also being targeted with ads for eye creams and anti-age products in our twenties and saw an opportunity to change this flaw-focussed narrative in beauty. Age does not dictate who you are, your tastes or your preferences, and definitely not how you feel about beauty. Makeup should be enjoyed, no matter what age.

Approaching beauty this way seems very smart. Why exclude a large and affluent population of older women? I’m curious if you can share any market research that supported the benefits of targeting all ages?

“1 in 4 Americans is a woman over 40. That statistic was enough of a starting point for us!”

Can you share any reactions from customers who might appreciate your age inclusivity?

“When we launched our Wasser Precision Colour Pencil, a bright blue, we photographed the shade on both young and older women. We received emails from women in their 70s saying they used to wear blue and hadn’t in years, but our imagery inspired them to try again. It is so exciting for us to receive messages like this because our overall goal is for people to feel empowered to express themselves any way they want, regardless of age.”

How did you decide to focus on all ages rather than a particular generation like Gen X for example?

“Through our research, we realized that people don’t want to be pigeon-hold into age-appropriate behaviors. In the digital age we are all connected, and as we age we don’t fall out of touch with trend and culture in the way that our grandparents generation did. Beauty is universal, and there is no reason products that are enjoyed by a 20 year old can’t be enjoyed by an 80 year old—especially when it comes to color cosmetics. We dream of a generation of grandmas in blue eyeliner and we really feel that this is where things are headed—the idea that you don’t need to change who you are, or how you present yourself, as you age.”

Which of your products would you recommend as an entrée into your offerings?

“A Precision Colour Pencil, Precision Highlight Pencil, and our Lash Tint Mascara! The pencils are very versatile, and can be used on the eyes, lips or cheeks as eyeliner, lipliner, lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, or even contour. We suggest picking a universal shade like Neutra to start, and wear as a lip colour, eyeshadow, and draw a couple lines on the cheeks and blend with finger tips for blush. The Precision Highlight Pencil is a great tool for bringing light to the eyes—use on inner corners of eyes, along lower lash line and on brow bone. Our Lash Tint Mascara has been a best-seller since we launched it – it’s a super subtle daily mascara that creates the appearance of freshly tinted lashes.

Older women are sometimes advised not to wear bright colors when it comes to make up. What do you think about that?

“We strongly disagree with this notion. We don’t believe in rules when it comes to beauty (and same for fashion). It’s rules like these that have made beauty become so prescriptive, and that is something we are trying to break down by creating easy-to-use, multi-use tools that allow you to define beauty on your own terms. For some, that might be blue eyeliner and a bold orange-red lip and for others an understated makeup look can give you all the confidence in the world.”

I have green eyes, can I still wear your awesome green eyeliner?

“Absolutely! Stephanie has red hair and has been told not to wear red lipstick—we strongly disagree. Someone made these stupid rules, and at the end of the day it’s just makeup, if you don’t like it you can wash it off.”

Any exciting upcoming developments or launches you’d like to share? Anything else we should know?

“We are about to launch Cream Highlight and Contour Sticks. They are super intuitive tools for creating shadow and light on the face, and accentuating the features you want. They are super creamy and blend-able, making them friendly for textured, mature skin.”