By Cee Brown, Associate Editor

Other than an ironic Halloween costume, the target audience for pop culture tie-ins usually top out at age 12, just before most are allowed to use makeup. From Dick Tracy decoder rings in cereal boxes to Lion King figurines in fast food Happy Meals bags, kids have always enjoyed pop culture tie-ins — correction: always EXPECT pop culture tie-ins.

Now we don’t have to let go of our childhood favorites anymore; we can be grown up and still have fun doing it.

Love Harry Potter? What would be better than a set of makeup brushes in the shape of magic wands? How about an eyeshadow palette in the colors found in the Beauty and the Beast movie — better yet, express your inner Captain Jack Sparrow by using the Pirates of the Caribbean eyeshadow collection.

San Diego Comic Con was the backdrop for the debut of facial mud masks in the Sonic the Hedgehog blue hue. If you thought that sci-fi conventions only sold comic books, autographs, and Star Trek figurines, it’s time to get tickets to the next one. (Speaking of Star Trek: in 2016, MAC Cosmetics had a great makeup collection to remind you of all the great characters, from Seven–of–Nine to the green-skinned Orion girl.)

Themed makeup is usually available for a limited time at major stores. But there is a slew of beauty products being created in Japan and South Korea, like Snoopy-themed skincare, that can only be found in the USA via Amazon or eBay.

(Pictured right: K–Beauty company, Its Skin marked its 10th anniversary by collaborating with Sesame Street to produce facial masks, serums, lip balms, hand creams and other items. Display at the It’s Skin booth at the 2017 International Beauty Show.)

Celebrity Beauty: who still remembers that the White Diamonds fragrance was by great Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor? And Pat worked for iconic supermodel Naomi Sims’ beauty line. That trend of stars being involved in the beauty industry continues with Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angela Bassett, famous social media personalities and others. Have you seen the products by Mariah Carey and Rihanna?

Kids don’t have to have all the fun.

About Cee Brown, Associate Editor

Associate Editor who believes in Pat Collins’ motto: “beauty is not only skin-deep; it’s skin-smart!”. Cee’s “Beauty on the Geek” posts look at the industry trends from a variety of angles.