Cool Job Alert: A MAC Beauty Product Developer Tells Us What it Takes to Dream Up the Eyeshadows That Every Single Girl Wears
1/13Even if you weren't born with Zendaya-like waves or Kendall Jenner's mile-long legs, you can still break into the beauty industry without being a model — or having to stomp around in heels all day (unless you really want to!). But with so many paths to choose from, it could be a little nerve-racking to find your niche. For inspo, TeenVogue got the chance to talk to Nicole Sokol of MAC Cosmetics, who has a hand in creating the very eyeshadow shades and formulas that are probably swept across your lids right now. Nicole gives us all the details on a day in the life as a senior product manager for the brand and all the amazing reasons why you should seriously consider getting into the field too — as if experimenting with beauty products on a daily basis wasn’t reason enough.
Plus, Nicole gives us an exclusive sneak peek into MAC's upcoming eyeshadow launches for fall, which include every gorgeous color you need for the perfect smoky eye, pretty neutrals drenched in shimmer, and eye-catching packaging. What are you waiting for? Dive in for a behind-the-scenes look of the making of one of your all-time favorite products from the coolest beauty brand in the world.
2/13You get to play with beauty products all day.
“I’ve been obsessed with beauty since I was a young girl and I always knew I wanted to get into the beauty industry. My mom was a hairstylist and our basement was almost like a makeshift beauty parlor with those special sinks that they use in actual salons. I grew up watching my mom give our family and friends perms, and she was very much into makeup, too. She had this big, beautiful vanity and was always experimenting with new ways to push the envelope. Her signature move was always fake lashes! She encouraged me to experiment with my own makeup from an early age, so I always knew I somehow wanted to work in beauty one day. But you don't necessarily need to be exposed to beauty products from the get-go like I was. School, internships, and the right connections will take you really far. It wasn’t until I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and started taking classes in their cosmetics and fragrance marketing program that I realized there was a business side of makeup that could still be creative, too. Beauty product development fused those two interests together, and after several internships at fragrance companies getting hands-on experience, I was hooked.”
3/13Every day is something different.
“There’s never really a ‘typical’ day as a beauty product developer. It’s a really creative environment, and you’re not usually stuck behind a desk from 9 to 5. The best part about being a beauty product developer is that you get the chance to be creative every day. I’m especially inspired with the amazing women I get to work with — whether they’re chemists in Canada where MAC was first established back in the ‘80s, or the other members of the development team in New York, or people I meet while traveling to Asia, we all work together to bounce ideas off one another. MAC’s eyeshadows are particularly fun because it’s so iconic. It’s one of the first products that launched with the brand, and it was always very important to the founders from the beginning to have a huge array of shades, a breadth of textures, and constantly keep up with new technology to make them better with every collection.”
4/13You see the exact science behind each product.
“And it’s that very technology that seriously sets MAC apart from other brands. The traditional MAC pressed powder eye shadows are made with a special combo of talc, pigments, binders, and pearls if we want it to have a shimmer. But the biggest influence — and something the consumer doesn't really think about — is how they’re pressed and jet milled. The ingredients are super finely pulverized and pressed into a pan. The force of how soft or hard it’s pressed decides the color payoff. We adjust the pressure for every single different shade in our portfolio to get gorgeous, wearable hues like this MAC Eye Shadow in Mythology (top)."
From top swatch: MAC Extreme Dimension Eye Shadow in Amorous Alloy ($20); MAC Eye Shadow in Mythology ($16)
5/13You help invent the next big thing.
“Since the creation of the original eyeshadow, we’ve invented tons of new lines that incorporate the latest technology to have different textures, last longer, and look more saturated. The Extra Dimension Eye Shadow is one of my faves and it’s a hybrid shadow that’s extra-smooth like a cream, but blends like a liquid and looks like a powder. These type of shadows are called slurries, which is an industry term for a semi-liquid mixture. These have a wetting agent and a mold is created with a special design that shapes the design you see when you open up the packaging for the first time. The wetting agent is vacuumed out, and this process makes it super creamy and dense, as you can tell when you compare it to the traditional eye shadow (below, in Deep Truth)."
From top swatch: MAC Extreme Dimension Eye Shadow in Lunar ($20); MAC Eye Shadow in Deep Truth ($16)
6/13You get a sneak peek at the coolest technology.
“Then there’s also MAC Dazzleshadows, which were meant to be limited edition but consumers were so obsessed we kept it on shelves for longer. We’re not too influenced by sales numbers, but if a product like the Dazzleshadows have an overwhelmingly positive response by the consumer we obviously take note. This particular slurry formula is very different from a traditional pressed powder. The base is able to hold a larger amount of pearls in several different sizes so you get this intense sparkle and shine that looks great on everyone. The creamy color release is amazing — these swatches are what you get with a single swipe!”
From top swatch: MAC Dazzleshadow in Last Dance ($20); MAC Dazzleshadow in Say it Isn’t So ($20); MAC Dazzleshadow in Let’s Roll ($20); MAC Dazzleshadow in Let’s Boogie ($20)
7/13You work with exciting people.
“Product developers work with the creative teams that dream up the designs that go on top of the powder —sometimes it’s a logo, a cool shape, or interesting imprint like the Extra Dimensions shadows. They have a strong influence on what the packaging and aesthetics looks like, while the product development and research and development (R&D) teams work together from the shadow’s functional standpoint. We’re constantly testing out the shadows and send it to hundreds of MAC makeup artists around the world to get their feedback as well. We’ll make several adjutants depending on their feedback about how they feel about the formula. Then we share it with the marketing team so they can figure out their angle on how to sell it.”
8/13You find inspiration in unexpected places.
“A couple of times a year we have an event called a Color Jam. The product development team in New York heads to Canada to meet with the developers and chemists there and we brainstorm which shades will be the next big thing. We create vision boards that include Pantone swatches, fabrics, and tearsheets from magazines — they’re like a Pinterest board come to life."
9/13You get to travel.
“At MAC we have something called an I-task force, which is a brainstorming meeting we have once a month with all the members of the team. We bring our ideas, fabrics, magazine pages — anything that's inspiring us lately — and talk about what’s trending around the world. I went to Shanghai for the first time last year for my job and it was an incredible experience. I got to talk to makeup artists there in roundtable discussions and they gave us feedback on what their consumers are looking for. In Asia, makeup can be quite doll-like with an emphasis on bright eyes, loads of lashes, and ombré lips, so it’s great to see how their approach to beauty is different from ours and what kind of formulas and colors will sell globally.”
10/13You learn to think outside the box.
“Another cool part about the job is the amount of testing each shadow goes through before it finally reaches shelves. It can take about one-and-a-half years to create a shadow if it’s something we’ve done before and we’re just improving on the formula or adding new shades. For a truly new concept, it can take up to three years. We want the consumer to have a great experience with each product, so we perform experiments like 'harsh transiting testing' where we drop a shadow from a mini rollercoaster and see if or how it breaks so we can improve the formula. One of the most disappointing things could be dropping your brand-new shadow at home and have it break into a million pieces! If we claim a shadow is long-lasting or waterproof, we have panelists who literally test the shadows in different climates and note what’s left on the lid over time to prove its claim.”
11/13You learn tons of makeup tricks.
“Working with makeup artists around the world has definitely taught me a lot! I’m obsessed with the MAC Pro Longer Paint Pots, and one of my favorite tips I’ve learned along the way is to first swipe on a wash of neutral color powder eyeshadow all over your lid before you apply on a paint pot shade. This way you can really see the true color payoff. I also love that you can use the eyeshadows as brow fillers. My go-to is MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Omega, which is a muted taupe color, and I use an angled tip brush to apply it on my brows for a really natural look.”
12/13You set the trends.
“I’m so excited about these new colors! They haven’t launched in stores yet, but we got to see them backstage during fall 2015 Fashion Week. This is our Into the Well collection, which have no fillers or binders — ingredients that are typically contained in a lot of pressed powders. They’re pure pigment so they have an intense color release. These are also really cool in the sense that they’re both wet and dry formulas. Swipe them on dry, or use the center of the shadow, which contains a shallow well to insert a droplet of water, and apply it as a cream. I’d recommend using a synthetic brush if you’re using it wet to get the best results. Be on the lookout for them around December.”
13/13You get to wear new shades before anyone else.
“These shadows have never been seen before, and they’re so new that the names haven’t even been finalized yet. We’re very excited because I think these colors are going to be perfect for holiday parties. They’re high pearl content powder formulas, which are like pressed pigments on steroids. The second they touch your lids you have an instantaneous, saturated wash of color. The shimmer content works really beautifully to add a touch of sparkle to your LBDs — the cobalt shade is unreal! You'll get to see them in person around December or January.”
