This year was full of exciting moments in beauty and plenty of groundbreaking firsts for the industry. Gigi Hadid entered the makeup-peddling game, collaborating on a 30-piece range for Maybelline. (And later sparked a debate concerning female body hair, but we digress.) Kim Kardashian and Chanel reentered the fragrance game, both after years-long hiatuses (guess who met with more success). Allure vowed to stop using the term “anti-aging”; CoverGirl signed its oldest CoverGirl yet. Pat McGrath Labs finally launched a house line (and became one of the most googled beauty brands of the year); Victoria’s Secret tried to get in on the action by, ahem, imitating McGrath’s packaging. And then there was Fenty Beauty.
OK, we’ll stop spoiling the surprise. Click through the slideshow above for, in our opinion, the most memorable beauty moments of the past 12 months. If you have any to add (or combat), sound off in the comments below.
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Biggest Beauty Moments 2017
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Rihanna Releases Fenty Beauty, the Most Inclusive Beauty Range Ever
To the surprise of no one, Rihanna's much-anticipated Fenty Beauty makeup collection became an overnight hit, thanks in no small part to its inclusive shade range and accessibility (the line, now available at Sephoras worldwide, features a whopping 40 shades of foundation alone). Since Fenty Beauty's release, other market-savvy brands have made efforts to step up their shade diversity, most notably Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics (see: the brand's newly-released 30-shade Skin Concealer range). Rih, always leading by example.
Image: @fentybeauty
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Pat McGrath Launches a Permanent Line
After seven sold-out limited-edition collections, Pat McGrath Labs finally launched a full, permanent collection on September 16, at 12 a.m. EST. But you already knew that.
Image: @patmcgrathlabs
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Glossier Gets Everyone Talking
In 2017, thousands of millennial pink bubble wrap pouches made their way to homes across America, Canada, the UK and, for a brief moment, Paris. The year saw the release of cult brand Glossier's first face powder, sunscreen, perfume and, most notably, its first foray into body care. As (if not more) impressive as the product line itself was the accompanying campaign, full of nude models of all races and sizes — including curve model Paloma Elsesser and former WNBA champ and Olympic gold medalist Swin Sash Canal, who was very pregnant at the time of the shoot. Elsesser et. al. showcased their glowing skin; Glossier showcased its love of diversity — and knack for getting everyone talking.
Image: @glossier
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L'Oréal Paris Shuts Down the Champs-Élysées for a Diversity-Championing Runway Show
This past Paris Fashion Week, beauty megabrand L'Oréal Paris shook things up by hosting its own makeup-centric show on the Champs-Élysées. The beauty giant enlisted everyone from Irina Shayk, Liya Kebede and Doutzen Kroes to plus-size model Iskra Lawrence and acting legends Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren to walk. A host of French designers — including #TribeCouture leader Olivier Rousteing — provided the clothes.
Image: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images for L'Oréal
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Aaliyah for MAC Finally Gets the OK
Back in 2015, Aaliyah stan Jennifer Risinger started a Change.org petition (backed by Aaliyah’s brother and estate) calling for a MAC x Aaliyah line. On August 24, MAC finally confirmed a collection is in the works: “Aaliyah is truly one in a million — an unstoppable icon whose groundbreaking work in R&B music and film inspires us all,” wrote the brand in an Instagram post. “Today we join her countless fans in celebrating her with the announcement of the MAC Aaliyah collection. You made it happen! Stay tuned in 2018.”
Image: @maccosmetics
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A Newly Bald Cara Delevingne Challenges Society to Reexamine Its Definition of Beauty
Back in May, model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne shore off all her hair for an upcoming role. Needless to say, Delevingne's new — albeit professionally motivated — 'do attracted loads of media attention, not all of it friendly. Undaunted, Delevingne seized control of the narrative, posting a barefaced paparazzi snap of herself on Instagram, along with the caption: “Its (sic) exhausting to be told what beauty should look like. I am tired of society defining beauty for us. Strip away the clothes, wipe off the make up, cut off the hair. Remove all the material possessions. Who are we? How are we defining beauty? What do we see as beautiful?” And just like that, the come-as-you-are beauty movement got a new champion.
Image: @caradelevingne
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69-Year-Old Maye Musk Becomes a CoverGirl
This September, 69-year-old Maye Musk — IMG signee, one-time Beyoncé video girl and mother to Elon — became the oldest CoverGirl ambassador in the company's history. (She's the face of the brand's Simply Ageless collection.) It’s telling that, in 2017, a model can achieve her biggest career get — a contract with a global beauty brand — at age 69.
Image: @covergirl
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Kim Kardashian Sells $10 Million Worth of Perfume in One Day
2017 was the year Kim Kardashian West launched her own beauty brand, KKW Beauty, and under it a line of contour kits, liquid lipsticks and highlighters, along with a "healing" fragrance collection. The latter casually netted $10 million within the first 24 hours. (Although, we should note, this is somewhat par for the course in the Kardashian household: KKW Beauty's first contour kit drop brought in $13.5 million in sales in a matter of minutes; Kylie Cosmetics' birthday collection, which launched in August, racked up $10 million in sales in one day.) And all without traditional marketing. Not bad for a girl with no talent.
Image: @kkwfragrance
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Scrunchies Make a Comeback
At cult brand Mansur Gavriel's Fall 2017 presentation, turtleneck knits came paired with outsize (but not overly fluffy) scrunchies made from luxe vintage Italian fabric. And thus an unlikely trend was reborn. Even Bumble and bumble global artistic director Laurent Philippon, who created the show’s hair look, had to admit the hair ties looked chic: “When I heard scrunchie, I was like, ‘Ahhhhhhh!’ It is my nightmare,” Philippon told the Cut backstage. “But actually no, it’s done in a very cool way.” (Shop our fave scrunchies here.)
Image: @mansurgavriel
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Gigi Hadid Releases Her First Cosmetics Line (With Maybelline)
Back in October, Gigi Hadid, Maybelline spokesmodel since 2015, announced that she and the beauty brand would be taking their relationship to the next level with a collaborative limited-edition 30-piece makeup collection dubbed #GigixMaybelline. The line's star product, an all-in-one "Jetsetter" palette that promises to keep you looking selfie-ready whilst traveling, sold out within 90 minutes of its U.K. release. (That said, it's now available on Ulta for $12 off the original price.) Whether or not the palette is a must-have, we couldn't not acknowledge Hadid's first foray into the production side of the beauty world.
Image: @gigihadid
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L'Oréal U.K. Hires, Then Fires Transgender Model Munroe Bergdorf
In late August, model, DJ and activist Munroe Bergorf became the first out trangender woman to feature in a L’Oréal campaign in the U.K. However, within the week, L'Oréal had severed ties with Bergorf due to an anti-racist Facebook post wherein she made comments L'Oréal felt were "at odds with [its] values" (in that she pointed out the existence of institutionalized racism, and held that "white people, yes all white people" were accountable). But for a moment there, L'Oréal U.K.'s YoursTruly True Match campaign was truly inclusive.
Image: @munroebergdorf
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Huda Kattan Lands a Major Investment
Less than a week ago, vlogger and influencer Huda Kattan's four-year-old eponymous makeup brand, Huda Beauty, got a serious influx of cash from private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners (which, in the past, has invested in makeup brands like Smashbox and It Cosmetics, now owned by Estée Lauder and L'Oréal, respectively). Not only is Kattan the first beauty influencer to land this type of a deal, she's also the first to have built a successful, independent makeup company without relying on the traditional channels. She's a testament to the power of influencer marketing, particularly in the beauty space.
Image: @hudabeauty
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Lupita Nyong'o Drags 'Grazia' Magazine for Photoshopping Her Hair
When Grazia U.K.'s November frontwoman, Lupita Nyong'o, noticed her hair had been altered beyond recognition on the aforementioned cover, she took to Instagram in protest. The Oscar winner posted an image of the original, unedited photos and the final cover side-by-side, along with the caption: "I am disappointed that Grazia U.K. invited me to be on their cover and then edited out and smoothed my hair to fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like. Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women’s complexion, hair style and texture." Nyong'o ended the post with the caption "#dtmh," don't touch my hair. Grazia U.K. vehemently apologized, as did photographer An Le, who, it turns out, was behind the would-be chop.
Image: @lupitanyongo
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Victoria's Secret Rips off Pat McGrath
Two weeks ago, lingerie giant Victoria's Secret drew the ire of the internet when it released an "ornament" version of its Bombshell fragrance. As knockoff watchdog @diet_prada quickly pointed out that the fragrance's sequin-filled metallic sleeve bears a none-too-subtle resemblance to makeup legend Pat McGrath's signature packaging. Between its decision to air Ming Xi's runway fall, its "ill-advised 'tribal' runway looks," its fashion show's sorry TV ratings and this overt act of plagiarism, 2017 was not the lingerie retailer's year.
Image: @diet_prada
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Beyoncé Cements the Rapunzel Hair Trend
Sure, the Spring 2018 runways were filled with chest-grazing hair looks, but is a trend really a trend until Queen Bey co-signs it? The mother-of-three did just that when she showed up at Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian's opulent New Orleans wedding sporting a calf-length pony (and whipped her Rapunzel hair back and forth for the 'gram).
Image: @beyonce
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Petrol and Pink Hair Reign
Rose quartz — aka lavender-tinged pink — hair had a moment at New York Fashion Week Spring 2018 (on Stella Lucia, at Alexander Wang). Two weeks later in Milan, hairstylist Sam McKnight made the case for petrol — as in dark blue-green —combovers at Fendi. These, along with that Kim Kardashian-beloved silver-blonde, were the hair colors that defined 2017.
Image: @kaiagerber
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Gigi Hadid's 'Underarm Hair' Sparks Controversy
According to a recent study, nearly one in four women ages 16 to 25 have stopped shaving their underarms. And yet, when Love posted an Advent calendar mini-movie showing Gigi Hadid with what appeared to be armpit stubble (but was actually just lint from the jacket she was wearing on set), viewers were quick to offer their (often ignorant) opinions. ("You lost me with those hairy pits girl! #no," wrote one commenter.) The fact that a few inches of suspected stubble can still spark such debate sheds light on the fact that, sadly, certain outdated, gendered beauty rules continue to hold sway.
Image: @thelovemagazine
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'Allure' Declares It Will No Longer Use the Term 'Anti-Aging'
Septuagenarian Helen Mirren stunned on Allure's September issue. Inside its pages, editor-in-chief Michelle Lee announced that the beauty bible would no longer use the term "anti-aging," which "subtly reinforc[es] the message that aging is a condition we need to battle — think antianxiety meds, antivirus software, or antifungal spray." Allure's ultimate goal is to reinforce the message that beauty is not just for the young. (And the crowd went wild.)
Image: @allure
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Brows Get Real Weird
This was the year of exceedingly hard to replicate eyebrow trends like barbed wire brows and feather brows. (Fun fact: Finnish makeup artist Stella Sironen actually posted her "feather brow look” as a joke — little did she know it would go viral.) Those looking for something a little more wearable, try dyed or brushed-up brows.
Image: @allure
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Kylie Cosmetics Hits the Road
In 2017, Kylie Jenner and her direct-to-consumer beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics — which experts predict will reach $1 billion in retail sales by 2020 — continued to reinvent the retail wheel. In addition to hosting a series of pop-up shops (one last February in Soho, seven more this November at various Topshops throughout the country), Jenner introduced The Kylie Truck this month, which will roll around L.A. parking and selling Lip Kits, Kylighters, eye palettes, highlighters and official Kylie Jenner merch to adoring fans. (Be sure to check the Kylie Truck Instagram account for details of its whereabouts — even celebrity-backed-stores-on-wheels are not immune to the scourge that is L.A. traffic.)
Image: @kyliecosmetics
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Gucci Bloom, Chanel's Gabrielle and Tom Ford's Fucking Fabulous Make Their Debut
It was a good year for perfume lovers. Calvin Klein's Obsession returned. Chanel launched Gabrielle, its first major fragrance since 2002's Chance. (In the campaign video, Kristen Stewart dances to Beyoncé.) Tom Ford also debuted a new scent, dubbed Fucking Fabulous, because Tom Ford. Not to be outdone, Gucci's Alessandro Michele launched his first women's scent for the label, a pretty floral blend of jasmine and tuberose named Gucci Bloom. The dreamy, beautifully styled campaign starred Gucci muses Dakota Johnson, Hari Nef and Petra Collins. What can we say besides #gardenpartygoals?
Image: Gucci
