As 1980s beauty trends resurface, illustrator Lisa Frank gets into the makeup business

By Deanna Utroske

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Cosmetics

As 1980s beauty trends resurface, illustrator Lisa Frank gets into the makeup business
Just wait long enough, and everything comes back in to style. Lisa Frank never left, but she’s now planning to launch a collection of color cosmetics, tools, and accessories expected to appeal to women who loved her line of school supplies decades ago in elementary school.

The brand, a collaboration between Lisa Frank and Glamour Dolls Makeup, is in the midst of a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. With over one month left to go, the campaign has accrued more than twice the $30,000 goal in pledged funding.

The look

Lisa Frank launched her eponymous company in 1979. Her signature illustrations of brightly hued cartoon animals, ranging from snow-white bears with blue eyes to rainbow-spotted puppies and from to dancing bunnies to unicorns, were featured on lunch boxes, folders, and a full spectrum of school supplies in the 1980s and 1990s.

She continues to lead the company today. And according to the Lisa Frank Official Facebook page the company’s objective is to combine fun and art: “Our mission here at Lisa Frank, Inc. is to strive to create quality products that enable children to exercise their imaginations and creativity.”

The lineup

The brand’s debut cruelty-free vegan beauty product collection will comprise a blush brush featuring Lisa Frank’s familiar unicorns, a gold-tone ferrule, and white bristles tipped in pink as well as a lip balm, a matte mousse, a liquid liner, a unicorn lippie, a highlighter powder, and a vegan leather makeup bag, according to the Lisa Frank Makeup Collaboration Kickstarter page.

The blush brush already exists, is pictured on the crowdfunding site, and available for sale on the Glamour Dolls ecommerce site for $4.99. All other items in the debut collection will be created in collaboration with funders. So, the campaign is interactive asking consumers to weigh in on product names and shades. And the Glamour Dolls team is encouraging funders to spread the word too “by [using] this campaign to reminisce about your youth, reach out to a childhood friend who loved Lisa Frank, send the video to your family and talk about buying Trapper Keepers.”​   

The logic

From the Kickstarter page it looks as if the collection will be made by a contract manufacturer—“ the same factories as many expensive brands”​—and available only in a limited edition.

It’s meant to be “colorful, fun, high-quality, inexpensive makeup for adults,” ​explains Frank on the crowdfunding site.

As the early funding numbers suggest, collections like this sell with fans looking to reminisce and pass on their own childhood passions to a new generation.

Related topics Brand Innovation Color Cosmetics

Related news

Related products

Ultimate Antimicrobial Solution for BPC

Ultimate Antimicrobial Solution for BPC

Content provided by Acme-Hardesty Company | 11-Oct-2023 | White Paper

Sharomix™ EG10, a versatile broad-spectrum antimicrobial liquid blend for preserving personal care products, ensures safety at usage levels ranging from...

Acme-Hardesty Expands Product Line into Canada

Acme-Hardesty Expands Product Line into Canada

Content provided by Acme-Hardesty Company | 07-Jul-2023 | Product Brochure

Acme-Hardesty’s latest expansion into Canada includes Resplanta®, Botaneco®, and BYK from our partners Sharon Personal Care and Eckart Effect Pigments...