Is it time to sound the death knell for nail art, one of the blockbuster beauty trends of the past handful of years? Maybe — but with an asterisk. According to a new report, detailed by Fashionista, the nail art trend is on the decline. Nail color sales are down, while eye and lip color sales are on the up, up, up. The report indicates a shift in trends, which is a rather common fact of the beauty industry and our culture. It appears as though eyes and lips will become the focal point while bedazzled, textured, talon-shaped, blacklit, and color-painted nails are taking a backseat.
NPD Group's report revealed some interesting stats. Nail polish sales decreased by 10 percent in 2014, despite experiencing intense growth, likely due to the nail art rage, from 2009 through 2012. That's four years of increases! You had a good run, nail polish/nail art. You have no reason to be ashamed of what can be viewed as an inevitable downturn.
While nail color sales are trending downward, sales are rising for eye and lip color. Eye shadow sales increased 9 percent in 2014, while lip color unit shifting increased 13 percent in 2014, topping out at $417 million in sales.
I pretty much live for lip gloss, so the figures makes total sense to me. I only rock out-there nails for things like weddings or events, instead opting for a basic mani on a weekly basis, due to efficiency, practicality, and my preference for a clean, streamlined look that hides chips, which translates to lots of Essie Mademoiselle.
Another category that experienced major upticks in 2014? This won't shock anyone — brow products! Makeup for your brows enjoyed unprecedented growth, with a 34 percent increase. Bold brows were the trend of 2014 and consumers responded by shelling out cash for products catering to our desire to look like Cara Delevingne.
And now for our last crucial stat? Eye color products raked in a whopping $1.1 billion (with a "b") in the U.S. last year.
So there you have it. These are the trends… which, by nature, change often. So while nail art and corresponding nail color sales may slump in 2015, everyone loves a comeback, especially the beauty industry. So don't expect nail polish to go the way of the dinosaur any time soon. As if!
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