Sephora set the tone for this week's makeup conversation by unveiling a new exclusive partnership with Makeup by Mario, a move that instantly pushed the brand to the front of retail and social buzz. The collaboration landed just as shoppers began circling Labor Day deals, giving Mario Dedivanovic's line an outsized share of attention across both digital chatter and in-store promotion.
Rare Beauty kept pace as a recurring headline name across Ulta and Sephora channels, its staying power less about a single announcement than its constant presence in beauty community discussion. Fenty Beauty rode the same wave, surfacing repeatedly in resale threads and Labor Day shopping talk as buyers hunted for bundles. Ulta, meanwhile, handed Milk Makeup a spotlight by featuring founder Dianna Ruth in its 2026 MUSE Accelerator programming, folding the brand into a fresh news cycle without any product launch attached. Tarte Cosmetics stayed visible through brush and gift-set chatter on shopping forums, while NYX Professional Makeup rode similar resale and deal-hunting conversations to remain part of the mix. NARS Cosmetics closed out the pack by threading through Ulta's community discussions around its recent beauty-break promotions.
Taken together, the week's makeup narrative was driven less by product news across the board and more by retailer muscle — Sephora and Ulta effectively decided which brands stayed loudest, from Mario's fresh partnership down to Rare Beauty and Fenty's steady shopper pull.
| # | Name | Score | 24h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | Makeup by Mario | 91.8 | +0% |
| 2 | R | Rare Beauty | 89.7 | +0% |
| 3 | F | Fenty Beauty | 87.9 | +0% |
| 4 | M | Milk Makeup | 85.8 | +0% |
| 5 | T | Tarte Cosmetics | 83.6 | +0% |
| 6 | N | NYX Professional Makeup | 81.3 | +0% |
| 7 | N | NARS Cosmetics | 79.4 | +0% |