When it comes to an everyday makeup routine, of course, it depends on what’s important to you, but most people can settle for a foundation, concealer, lip product, mascara, face powder, bronzer, blush and setting powder. This is a more extensive list that comes from the popularity of makeup on YouTube and celebrity makeup artists posting their processes on social media. With social media increasing the average consumer’s awareness of makeup, the industry has seen an uptick in types of products. We’ve gone from pressed face powders of different colors that can be used for whatever you need, to smaller containers of products specifically labelled blush, bronzer, contour, etc. This isn’t necessarily a problem because it’s not a gatekept secret that a makeup artist can use a blush as eyeshadow and a face powder as contour, but someone who is new to makeup may fall for the hyper-specific names and tales of different formulas made for different things.
A more specific formula, in theory, limits how a product can be used, and therefore, gives the brand a chance to sell you something else as well. When in reality, an eye shadow primer and face primer might do similar things, if not the exact same thing, for both parts of your face. This convinces consumers that they need to spend more money on two things that are formulated almost identically, and keeps new artists from the fact that their eyeshadow palette can double as a blush, bronzer face palette if they have the right shades.