- Boots UK is on a mission to help the nation ‘feel good as new’ this summer with over 500 beauty brands
- The UK’s leading beauty retailer has teamed up with Laura Whitmore on a video series that sees her speak to Boots experts to get the lowdown on prepping for post-lockdown life
- As customers prepare to get back out there this summer, sales of self-selection cosmetics have increased by 145% at Boots, with demand for fragrance, lip and brow products also at a high
- Trends include: brow pencil (up 239%), tanning (up 158%), fragrance (up 482%)
Boots UK has teamed up with TV presenter Laura Whitmore on a new ‘feel good’ project, to help empower the nation to feel prepared and reassured about going out again this Summer.
In a short film with the UK’s leading beauty retailer, Laura speaks to Boots Trend Specialist Grace Vernon, Boots Beauty Specialist Yasemin Sanli and celebrity hair stylist George Northwood to get the lowdown on the looks we should all be trying this Summer, as they reveal the go-to trends that are here to stay.
Now with more beauty brands than anywhere else on the high street, Boots has been busy transforming its beauty halls over the last 12 months – with the launch of over 54 new beauty brands including Drunk Elephant, Anastasia Beverly Hills and UOMA. The leading beauty retailer is now home to more than 500 beauty brands.
Grace Vernon, Boots Trend Specialist, shares insight on upcoming trends: “A key beauty look that we can expect to see more of this summer is soft, glowy, textured make-up as people really want to show off the amazing skin they managed to get through lockdown. Brown eyeliner is a hot trend as well, inspired by Rachel from Friends.”
Speaking about what she missed during lockdown, Laura said: “When prepping for a night out, my favourite part is getting the girls over, having a catch up and getting ready together, we all end up sharing make-up tips – I missed this a lot throughout lockdown.”
As the nation prepares to get ready to get back out there this Summer, Boots has seen a 145% increase in self-selection cosmetics[1] – with mascara proving to be the best-selling product. Surprisingly premium lip products have seen the biggest growth in sales with an increase of 1,200%[2] YOY as customers turn to pops of colour to add some extra positivity into their lives.
Laura also revealed that husband Iain Stirling is happy to do his bit to help her get ready, “I have been doing a bit of tanning,” she said. “Sometimes you need a bit of help with the back bits, so you have to get your other half to help, but we’ve all been there. That’s what love is.” And Laura isn’t the only one turning to tanning as life returns to normal, with Boots reporting a 158% growth in tanning sales[3].
The glam presenter’s new go-to when it comes to make-up for a night out is all about the brows, she says: “There’s always a new fad, and the moment it’s all about the brows, the bushy brows, and Boots has some great brands like Fenty and Anastasia Beverley Hills for brow products. I’m new to that because I never really cared about the brows before and now, I’ve learned they frame the face, so that’s my new beauty hack – start with the brows. Forget everything else and start with your brows.”
Yasemin Sanli, Boots Beauty Specialist, comments: “We have been wearing masks for a while now and brows have become a central focal point to our looks. The trend is set to continue throughout the summer, everyone is after a bushy, brush-up brow. As a result, we’ve seen sales for brow pencils increase by 239%[4], and brow gels have also become increasingly popular with sales up by 188%[5] over lockdown.
“We’ve also seen fragrances flying off the shelves with sales significantly increasing by 482%[6]– so we know customers are excited to get back out there again.”
As Laura prepares to jet off to Mallorca later this month for the new series of Love Island, she shares the importance of SPF in her make-up choices.
She said: “My favourite product of the moment is something that’s got SPF in it because it gets really hot. A lot of foundations I use have an SPF in them to protect me from the sun. I think good skin is really important, especially under camera lights and if you’re outside under natural sunlight, so something that makes the skin look dewy – but not sweaty is great.”
Boots has the biggest beauty brands and best advice you could need, with over 600 in-store brand-neutral Boots Beauty Specialists on hand to help you feel great as you prepare to get out there again this summer. Visit your local Boots or Boots.com to find out more.
[1]Bases on sales data 02.05.2021-29.05.2021 compared to the same period in 2020
[2] Based on sales data 08.06.2021-08.06.2020
[3] Based on sales data 10.05.2021-07.06.2021 when compared to the same period in 2020
[4] Based on sales data 08.06.2021-08.06.2020
[5] Bases on sales data 08.06.2021-08.06.2020
[6] Based on Boots sales data from 1st April – 15th May 2021 compared to the same period in 2020