Bailey Cosmetics launches today on the Shopping Channel (www.theshoppingchannel.com) with a five-piece kit for $99.
Brian Bailey wants to give the ladies a break.
"It's hard for women," says the Toronto-based fashion designer and Project Runway Canada mentor. "They're expected to roll out of bed each day to walk the dog, feed the kids, dress and look fabulous before heading out the door for a full day at work. I see them struggle with it all and I thought, you know, I can help."
The lending hand comes in the form of his new makeup line, Bailey Cosmetics. Launching today on the Shopping Channel, Bailey's five-piece kit promises to ease a woman's daily routine by offering put-together polish in less than five minutes.
Bailey's "five easy pieces" include foundation, concealer, powder blush, eyebrow pencil and lip gloss, all of which are paraben-free and wrapped up in sleek, environmentally friendly packaging. The set sells for $99 during the first month (the price jumps to $129 in May).
"It's about making it simple," Bailey says. "There's so much choice out there. No wonder women often feel confused about how to look their best."
Kathy McKeil, a marketing expert and a friend of Bailey's who helped develop the line, calls it an extension of the designer's effortless and elegant clothes.
"It's very wearable makeup designed for real women," she says.
The all-Canadian line took two years to create. It was developed with the collaboration of makeup artist Maryellen Howe and formulated by cosmetic developer Gerald Poirier.
"We took time in developing the formula," says Poirier, a cosmetics industry veteran. "We wanted to simplify the palette and make it as earthy as possible while at the same time creating a highly efficient product that all women can use."
The result is a line that is additive- and perfume-free and boasts a neutral colour range designed to accommodate the broad multicultural spectrum of Canadian complexions.
"It's about celebrating everyone's natural beauty," says Howe, who also designed the line's corresponding collection of luxe goat-hair brushes that help the makeup impart a healthy, natural glow.
"I don't like the approach that makeup is camouflage. For me, makeup is about embracing the fabulous features that you have," she adds.
A veteran of Canada's fashion industry, Bailey says that the public is often sold on fashion as an art of illusion, while in fact it should be about creating a sense of everyday personal style.
"Runway is one thing and reality is another," says the designer, whose creations are sold through his eponymous retail stores and through the Shopping Channel, a medium he likes for its immediacy and reach.
"The reality is that women want to feel confident about themselves, their clothes and their makeup. They want to feel in control and not overwhelmed," says Bailey.
"Having dressed them for so many years, I think I know what they want."