PB Approved: M2U: The “Big Apple” of Our Eye
New York City is synonymous with sparkling lights, bold fashion and colors, art, passion, and exuberance and life in a bustle of traffic and people. M2U presents NYC in a compact, through color blocked glittering eyeshadow palettes, charmingly creative eye crayons, and shining metallic lip gloss and luminizers. M2U NYC, or Makeup2U, is a cosmetics company based in NYC headed by a team with 20+ years of experience working for prominent cosmetic companies like Estee Lauder and E.L.F Cosmetics. Not only is M2U vegan, cruelty free, and paraben free, but M2U NYC is literally almost free! This may be an exaggeration, but not by much since they have achieved cutting out the middleman. Amy Granger, an MIT graduate, began questioning the high price tag of beauty and realized that the markups came from marketing costs due to the use of big name celebrities on expensive photo shoots in exotic locations. Granger sought to bring transparency to this secret in the cosmetics world to pass on the benefit to the consumer and educate them on the fact that cosmetics, even sustainable cosmetics, did not have to be expensive to be of high quality. Armed with knowledge gained from surveying 400 consumers from Generation Z, or Zoomers, she marched forth to wage war on exorbitant mark ups by cutting out the middleman, and marketing via social networking and WOM. The makeup comes from them to you with all the speed and style of NYC.
Generation Z
Gen Z is a powerhouse of a collective who value connection, accessibility, creativity, and collaboration. They also demand transparency and inclusivity. With this generation as their ultimate muse, M2U sought their opinion before putting pen to paper for a prototype. Not only did M2U dip into this generation for inspiration, but included them in the creative process itself, molding everything around their unique needs, values, and desires through collaboration and connection. This is reflected through dialogue on their website and social media that is familiar, fun, casual, and interactive. In fact, on many brand sites, there is often a tab for the consumer to read about the CEO of the company and the team, but there is no such tab on M2U's website, because the team is YOU. The vibe is that of friends at a casual get together sharing makeup ideas and looks that suit any skin tone. This collaborative spirit is emphasized through M2U’s commissioning of art students around NYC to create artwork for the cover of products. Just like friends, they are open and honest, as M2U values transparency in the supply chain by uncovering markups and showcasing sustainable measures. Consumers are encouraged to share their opinion of products and are actually listened to. This community of influence is one we see on visual social networking sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube, where makeup gurus have exploded in a colorful powder puff of popularity over the past few years. Generation Z communicate through images, and makeup is a visual medium that provides an artistic way to express oneself.
Gen Z is not only the muse, but the artist, the influencer and the influenced wrapped into one palette of power, positivity, and possibility.
The Trial
Upon receiving M2U products, I was immediately captivated with the packaging especially on the Lady Liberty Eyeshadow Palette. In collaboration with a local art student in NYC, the package shows a funfetti of shapes and images with a smiling statue of liberty holding a swirled vanilla ice cream cone surrounded by cherries and churros. The colored eyeshadows in the palette are appropriately named Confetti, Cherry, Liberty, Vanilla, Waffle, and Ice Cream Cone. As a Generation Z member myself, I was even more excited to see that the ingredients are vegan, paraben free and cruelty free and would be perfect for my sensitive skin. The Electric Blue and Burgundy Eye Crayons add a childlike whimsy that evoke images of playing beauty parlor at a young age with my sisters while we painted bold eyeshadow looks messily on each other's eyelids (and maybe everywhere because we definitely weren’t precise!) These crayons underscore the artistic element of makeup with an endless wealth of creative possibilities. The Metallic Liquid Lip in Empire State is a glittering bright red in a sleek tube with textured dewdrops on a metallic gold top that signal hydration and shine. The last product, Moisturizing Lipstick in Born with Shine, has a more classic look in a white tube.
Despite my constant binge watching of bold and creative tutorials, I consider myself to be a simple makeup person as I rarely wear lipstick or eyeshadow. I love a natural look, so I was a little bit skeptical about trying brightly colored products. Fortunately, M2U has M4me, in that it includes neutralized shades as well as bright and bold ones, so I could do me, but also experiment. I started my trial with the Lady Liberty Eyeshadow Palette, dipping into Confetti and Cherry for a peachy look (video tutorial at the end of the article!) I was surprised that the product felt creamy rather than powdery and the color payoff was amazing with only one swipe needed. The eyeshadow also didn’t leave excess powder on my cheek which is a pet peeve of mine and one of the reasons I don’t normally use eyeshadow. The color lasted throughout the day. To top off my look, I applied the Born with Shine lipstick which has a perfectly pointed tip for easy application. Again, the color was strong and extremely long lasting. I even opened the bottom of the tube to find a circular jar of product which I used as cream blush though I am sure it could also be used as gloss. I then experimented with a bolder look with the beautifully seafoam colored Liberty, my personal favorite. I then used the Electric Blue eye crayon as a deeper shade in my crease. This blended perfectly and I think I can speak for all with dry skin when I say that a cream eyeshadow is very much appreciated. This would have also worked as an eyeliner.
In case you think M2U is only for Generation Z, my mother, a Boomer, really appreciated using the large crayon as an eyeliner claiming it helped her to see and use the product much better than the smaller tip she is accustomed to. I left her to her own devices playing happily in front of the mirror. Finally, the Metallic Liquid Lip taught me a valuable lesson in exfoliation, lip preparation, and moisturization. As a lipstick beginner, I applied the product right to my lips which resulted in an unattractive patchy, dry look. I realized that any makeup guru would know that lip preparation is a necessity and I should have exfoliated and moisturized before applying. So, take 2 involved me taking off my botched attempt to try again with exfoliated lips. The lipstick was extremely difficult to take off which was a good sign for lipstick lovers who hate when product transfers onto their straw while drinking or comes off while eating. After applying for a second time with a top coat of lip gloss, the lipstick went on beautifully in a bright red apple color that’s perfect for a “Taylor Swift Red Lip Look.”
Spring Peachy Makeup Tutorial
M2U has their own Youtube channel where they feature makeup tutorials, so they already have uploaded their own peach inspired look, however I wanted to include my own Spring look as well. View the tutorial below!
Article by Tessa Swantek, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Victoria Durant, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
