Breaking down the meaning of “Professional Makeup”

I have been seeing lots of brands using the term “Pro makeup” in their marketing. This is a term overused in marketing by anyone and everyone to make people take notice of their line.

Let’s dive into some fun facts!

One thing that sets apart a line that can truly be considered a “pro” line is when multiple pros ACTUALLY use and recommend the product, not just on themselves, but in their kit, on paid jobs where they are hired to do makeup, in magazines, tv, on set, and more.

First things first, the average consumer would be shocked at how hard it is to be considered a pro line. A number of consumer brands that advertise they are the official brand of a particular show on tv or on the runway will many times still have artists behind the scenes use their own products because the line that is advertising does not live up to the quality needed to carry out the job. Just look at footage behind the scenes when the cameras scroll by. Many times you will see products on the counters that do not belong to the brand that have their names taped up and hidden. Those products are the real “pro” products that do a lot of the work.

Pro makeup doesn’t just mean it looks good in person or in a selfie. It means it holds up to all lighting situations from the controlled studio light to the harsh paparazzi lights on the red carpet just as much as it does on a regular day.

Pro quality makeup doesn’t just mean the colors are pretty or has good coverage. It means the pigmentation looks like you expect it too. It means that you can use a lot less vs building up more and more to get the desired look. Many times pro foundation/concealers can be sheered out by using a product to cut the pigmentation (like an oil or moisturizer) because it is just that good. This is different than putting on layers of a product that isn’t as pigmented to get some coverage.

Pro makeup lines also have multiple shades to cover a big range. Lines that carry under a dozen foundation shades (for example), most of them in the range from light to medium, can not be considered a pro line. A pro could not show up to a job with only these colors. The lines needs to be able to cater to as many realistic shade ranges as possible. The amount of foundation formulations a line carries does not matter if the line doesn’t carry enough shades to come close to providing a color for all who would need to use it.

Pro quality isn’t something that will call it quits when the first raindrop or teardrop hits the face. It needs to withstand temperatures and situations that pro artists find their clients in. Longevity is key.

Also, it isn’t usually the brands themselves that call themselves a “pro” line until they get enough of a reputation from pros using it and recommending it in the field. Not to mention, most pro lines are inspired by people who worked in the pro industry or field who decided to bring something that was missing to the market, not developed by a factory that then passed on as “pro”.

Bottom line, “pro quality” makeup lines need to have pros using the products in a wide capacity, on high level jobs, to truly be able to use that lingo in their marketing. In truth, you can use whatever you like but just make sure your decision isn’t based off of marketing hype.

#proudtoofferproqualitymakeup#usewhattheprosuse