Jason Wu Is Launching a Luxury Makeup Brand at Target — and We Tried It

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Jason Wu is re-entering the beauty chat with his own makeup brand. A decade after his wildly successful mass-market fashion collaboration with Target, the Taiwanese-Canadian designer is returning to the retailer to launch a namesake line of luxurious, but affordable, products.

The brand will launch with a 25-product lineup that includes an extensive range of nudes.

"This beauty collection is the opposite of the contoured look," Wu tells InStyle over the phone. "It’s about products that are multipurpose and revealing beauty versus covering a lot up. I’ve always believed in less is more, and I love that the collection really encompasses every shade of nude under the spectrum. It’s inclusive for every face and skin tone and doesn’t represent just one type of beauty."

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The designer's makeup collection is a natural progression after the launch of his Eau de Parfum in 2017. But this time, Wu teamed up with beauty industry legend, Toni Ko, founder of NYX Cosmetics and Bespoke Beauty Brands incubator, to develop the products.

"When I met Toni last year, I fell in love with her and she’s obviously legendary in the industry," Wu shares. "To be able to work with her on a project like this seemed like a match made in heaven. I’ve done collaborations before, but I needed someone who is best in class, not just in sourcing, but in the A to Z's of the beauty industry."

The collection's nude tones were also chosen with "less is more" makeup in mind. Wu was inspired by the idea of creating looks that "look like you just put on a little something" rather than going through hours getting ready. Nude is also a part of Wu's brand DNA, which is why the shades extend to the products' packaging, too.

Some of the products are a direct reference to Wu's runway collections. Take the Jason the Freckled Boy ($14), a liquid liner to dab on sunless spots, which reminds the designer of his most recent spring collection, where the models wore faux freckles.

Wu says the Stay In Line lip liner pencils ($10) are another standout because they provide a great base layer for the lips. "The colors are really pigmented, but they’re all beautiful, natural shades and draw really well," the designer adds.

He also calls out the Honey Fluff ($12) lipstick and Hot Fluff ($12) lipstick, which is designed to also be used on the eyes and cheeks for a soft, monochromatic look.

The rest of the collection includes two nine-pan eyeshadow palettes, lip gloss, highlighter, brow gel, and a number of skin prep products such as pimple patches, and an overnight lip mask.

In addition to creating clean formulas that follow the Target Clean guidelines and cater to a wide range of skin tones, Wu says it was important to launch a brand with affordable price points (everything in the collection is under $25) in order to make his brand accessible to everyone.

"The natural place for me to go is prestige and there are a lot of makeup brands that do that already," he says. "If we’re going to be an innovative, modern American brand, we need to have a concept that is different from what others have done before. So the idea to price a prestige brand at a mass market level was perfect because why not bring elevated beauty products to everybody instead of a select group of people?"

VIDEO: Everything You Need To Know About Applying Makeup For Your Eye Shape

Everything You Need To Know About Applying Makeup For Your Eye Shape

It's half the battle when it comes to nailing your look.

After getting the details on the collection from Wu himself, I put some of the products to the test.

My makeup routine has been almost non-existent since transitioning to working from home during COVID-19, but Wu caught my attention when he mentioned how his products are perfect for quick and easy pre-Zoom makeup looks.

I did a soft, rosy look using three of the collection's products in under 10 minutes. The shades in the Desert Rose eyeshadow palette are all gorgeous and deliver impressive color payoff in a single swipe of an eyeshadow brush.

I swiped the Hot Fluff lipstick onto my cheeks straight from the bullet and then tapped it into my skin. Finally, the Honey Fluff lip stain is as lightweight as chocolate mousse and didn't sink into my dry cracky lips. (Cold weather and face masks are not a winning combo!)

Jason Wu Beauty is launching exclusively at Target, but it's not a collaboration with the retailer, and the line will eventually be sold at other stores, too. Before that happens, you can shop Jason Wu Beauty beginning Jan. 17 at target.com and jasonwubeauty.com.