OnlyOnAOL: How Kylie Jenner tweaked the face of beauty in 2015

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Kylie Jenner's Lip Kit Breaks The Internet
Kylie Jenner's Lip Kit Breaks The Internet


BY DONNA FREYDKIN

Kylie Jenner is 18. And you can credit her (or blame her, whatever the case may be) with changing the face of the beauty biz in 2015.

Why, you ask? Her three-product launch of the #LipKitbyKylie sold out in minutes. And Jenner isn't an established beauty brand -- she hyped the collection herself, teased her fans with photos of it, and finally, released it online on her own schedule.

"Now there can be sleeper products, or a micro-economy for beauty that didn't exist before," says celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles, who works with Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Alba, Jessica Chastain and Chrissy Teigen. "There's a way for these small brands to get traction in non-traditional ways, and something can happen like wildfire, like Kylie's lip kit. It sells out in seconds. It hypes up people's desire for something.

Stiles herself isn't immune -- she chased down Pat McGrath's Gold 001 launch, another cult sellout. "I was in a meeting, an important one, and I kept trying to get it," says Stiles. "We all have that button in us. When something is hard to get, we want it so badly."

And it's tough to predict any of 2016's hottest launches, something that Stiles tries to do with her own web site, Reed Clarke.

"Pat's whole thing was under the radar. There were rumblings. She launched one thing. A month later, she launched another thing," says Stiles. "For someone like me, a super beauty-hunter, it's super-exciting. I love the thrill of the chase."

A look back at stuff everyone loved in 2015. Full confession: We went online to buy one of these. And we got shut out. The #LipKitbyKylie, created by Kylie Jenner, sold out. And thus it remains.

Pat McGrath's Phantom 002 kit, her second launch, sold out instantly. And thus it remains.

There's Tom Ford's lipstick in Drake, which remains unavailable online. We did track one down in Manhattan.

Urban Decay Naked Vault II, which too sold out instantly. And thus it remains. If you can figure out how to score one, let us know.

The ungettable product isn't that new, actually. Back in the '90s, Chanel's Vamp nail polish was so elusive that even Madonna had trouble scoring a bottle. A national shortage ensued.

"There may be hot micro-trends. Things happen so fast and then stop," says Stiles. "It's like with the Chanel Vamp nail polish, you want it but you can't get it. That was through traditional press."

As for Stiles, we wanted her to perhaps predict what we'll see on red carpets come awards season, which kicks off in January.

"It depends on the client, the dress, the personality. I love a bold matte lip for the red carpet. I don't mean the super-dry longwear kind, but a very velvety matte lipstick is the ultimate in chic and beauty," says Stiles. "You can work in a wide variety of colors."

Below, a few of our favorite celeb looks, created by Stiles:

More red-carpet razzmatazz:
OnlyOnAOL: How to Garner Jen's grace and glamour
OnlyOnAOL: Beyonce's makeup artist reveals her go-to beauty picks
OnlyOnAOL: Whoah, Anna! Kendrick was pitch perfect at the AMAs

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