In times of turmoil, Beauty can be a balm.

When Leonard Lauder coined the term ‘Lipstick Index’ in the early 2000s to describe a surge in lipstick sales during times of economic recession, I was halfway through high school and desperate to finally head to college. When I eventually enrolled in the fall of 2003 I imagined I’d join the work force as scheduled in the summer of 2007, ringing in the start of the Rest of my Life. Spoiler: things didn’t quite go as planned. For ‘millennials’ of my cohort, economic recession has coloured every contour of our adult lives, drying up jobs and pushing us into unexpected precariousness. We’ve been told that in order to achieve the same markers of success as some of our parents, we should eat less avocado toast and go on fewer vacations. The logic, I suppose, is that fewer small indulgences will eventually compound into a down payment on a permanent roof over our heads. The instinct for small indulgences observed by Lauder crossed my mind two weeks ago as I stood in line waiting for Sephora’s grand return to Hong Kong. As the turmoil of a monumental summer raged on across the city, a few hundred (mostly) young people stood waiting to welcome Fenty Beauty, Sunday Riley and Drunk Elephant to the Hong Kong retail mix, and to experience a sprinkling of the Sephora magic that has made the brand so resilient in other markets across the world.
The brand did not disappoint. Beauty can be fun and dynamic, helping us express ourselves and connect with each other. In the rare cases where Beauty reaches its full potential, it can also be deeply empowering. In Beauty we can access a sense of control; skin types, hair textures and colour matches we can own. The Sephora ifc retail experience seems to fundamentally understand that. Trial stations are brightly lit and placed with confidence at the entrance of the store for passersby to see. The space is dotted with hashtags (#Skingoals for best-of-the-best skincare edit) and other signposts encouraging fans to pick up seasonal picks and curated collections. On opening day, beauty advisors grinned and moved across the floor to offer advice and assistance, despite the massive crowds. Ambient screens turned the space into a playground; a community meeting place where Beauty is both the glue and the agenda. I was particularly struck by the Fenty Beauty display, proudly showing the full spectrum of foundation shades without compromise, rising to the mood of the larger occasion (ILY, Rihanna).
As I left with my bag of swag, I kept thinking about what an odd time it is to open a new, youthful retail brand in Hong Kong, with the city’s young people in particular focused on more pressing matters. Sephora has a unique take on Beauty, one that doesn’t shy away from tension. Beauty is a mirror on society, and as Lauder’s Index originally set out to prove, it’s also a life raft during difficult times. The summer of 2019 will shape Hong Kong and the city’s youth forever, like the demonstrations and direct actions I took part in back in 2008. Sure, Sephora came in with a bang, but the question moving forward is do they have the energy to keep up with the young people of Hong Kong?
