Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-14
NARS has officially launched its Fall 2026 collection featuring buildable liquid eyeshadows and velvet-matte lip liners, aligning with the season's "Simple+" trend of glossy lips and "tired girl" eyes. Meanwhile, Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale is driving significant consumer engagement with 50% discounts on top brands, while Ulta executives report resilient demand for color cosmetics despite broader market shifts. In Japan, September sees a surge in new releases from drugstore giants like Canmake and Cezanne, focusing on warm, nuanced autumn shades.
Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-14
Top developments
NARS Drops Fall 2026 Liquid Eyeshadows and Velvet Lip Liners
NARS released its Fall 2026 makeup collection on September 13, 2026, introducing a new line of buildable liquid eyeshadows with sparkle finishes and a velvet-matte Lip Liner range. The collection features versatile shades in pink, brown, berry, and red, catering to the current demand for deep berry tints and sculptural lash looks. This launch reinforces the trend of emphasizing natural skin with "almost-bare" finishes while adding strategic pops of color.
Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale Drives Demand for Top Brands
Ulta Beauty’s annual "21 Days of Beauty" sale, currently active in mid-September 2026, offers up to 50% discounts on major brands including IT Cosmetics, Nioxin, MAC, and Amika. Beauty writers note that high-value items are selling out quickly, with specific recommendations for hair care and skincare bundles. This event serves as a critical driver for Q4 color cosmetics volume, leveraging the retailer's broad price range and loyalty program to maintain consumer spending resilience.
Japanese Drugstore Giants Launch September "Mukabake" Cosmetics
In Japan, Canmake and Cezanne launched new September 2026 products focused on achieving "mukabake" (a trendy look that appears effortless but polished). Key releases include Cezanne’s "Highlight Pencil," "Lasting Stay Lip Color," and "Lighting Up Eye Shadow 04 Baked Brown," alongside Canmake’s new blush and brow products. These items are generating buzz as affordable options for achieving the autumn "nuance color" trend, which favors beige, brown, and nude pinks mixed with mauve and lavender.
Fall 2026 Trends Shift to "Tired Girl" Eyes and Moody Lips
Celebrity makeup artists highlight a shift away from heavy coverage toward "tired girl" eyes and limited mascara use, paired with moody lip colors. This "Simple+" aesthetic emphasizes glowing skin and glossy lips, moving beyond the clean girl aesthetic. The trend supports the sales growth seen in lip treatments and liners, which are outperforming other makeup categories in both prestige and mass channels.
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Local view
Korea: Olive Young Rankings Highlight Blush and Cushion Dominance As of early September 2026, Olive Young’s top-selling blush rankings are led by Lilybyred Love Beam Cheek Bomb and Rom&nd Better Than Cheek. The retailer’s September "Olive Young Sale" featured approximately 34,000 beauty and wellness items, with a strong focus on makeup and skincare for tourists and locals alike. Data indicates that while Medihill maintains its lead in sheet masks, makeup categories like cushion foundations and sun care are seeing intense competition and rapid turnover of best-sellers.
Japan: AppBrew Reports Rise in "Neo-Texture" Lips The LIPS app (operated by AppBrew) reports that the September monthly trend award highlights a surge in interest for "neo-texture" and "mute color" lip products. The platform notes that autumn cosmetics are heavily focused on lips, with consumers seeking matte and semi-matte finishes that offer protection and volume. This aligns with broader Japanese media coverage of "plump" lip trends from brands like Exia, which launched lip treatments designed to address adult lip concerns.
Context & numbers
- Ulta Performance: Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steel reported resilient consumer beauty spending at a Barclays conference on September 14, 2026, citing the company's broad price range and loyalty program as key drivers. The company is also eyeing growth in fragrance and wellness segments following its exit from Target partnerships.
- Category Growth: According to Circana data referenced in recent industry analyses, makeup was the softest-performing category in Q1 2026, but lip treatments and liners delivered growth in both dollars and units. Blush and bronzer also posted solid gains, with blush growing by 11% and bronzers by 23% in Europe.
- Sale Volumes: Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale offers up to 50% off, while Olive Young’s recent sale featured ~34,000 SKUs, indicating high inventory turnover expectations for the fall season.
On the radar
- Sephora Holiday Prep: With Sephora’s holiday sale calendar confirmed for late November, brands are finalizing gift sets and limited-edition palettes for the upcoming Q4 rush.
- K-Beauty IP Collaborations: Following the success of Hello Kitty editions at Olive Young, more character IP collaborations are expected to launch in October, targeting the "home spa" and segmented self-care market.
- Charlotte Tilbury Mystery Box: Charlotte Tilbury is teasing its iconic mystery box contents, which include the new Magic Cream supercharged with Recoverstem™ Peptide, potentially driving early holiday sales.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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