NEW YORK — While they may not be long-lost cousins, the Ford sisters of Benefit Cosmetics and Ford Motor Co. have teamed up for a cosmetics launch.
The beauty brand — founded 30 years ago by the Ford twins Jean and Jane, and now majority-owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — will introduce in March an eye shadow trio called Curve Hugger. The item’s packaging is emblazoned with a picture of the Ford Fusion, a midsize car the automaker launched at the end of last year.
“They’re both accessories,” Jean Ford said of the car and the compact. “Women buy cars now instead of just men. Gals are known for what they drive; it’s an accoutrement. Motors and makeup — it’s the perfect fit.”
The limited-edition Curve Hugger compact, a palette of three shimmering, nude shades for $22, has a mirror shaped like a typical windshield-mounted rearview mirror.
According to Ford Motor, women make or influence 85 percent of vehicle purchases, and so far about half of Ford Fusion’s sales have been to women.
A Ford Fusion tag line and the fordvehicles.com Web site address will be featured on Curve Hugger, whose graphics are a result of Jean Ford’s desire for glitz. “I said we needed the grill work — really sparkly headlights,” she said of design discussions with the car company. “The palette implies speed; sexy, curvy, girly.”
Curve Hugger will be carried chain-wide at LVMH-owned Sephora USA, at sephora.com, at Benefit’s freestanding boutiques and at benefit.com. “In addition to having this partnership with Ford [Motor Co.], we decided also to co-brand with Sephora,” noted Julie Bell, vice president of marketing for Benefit.
As part of the initiative, Benefit plans to give away a Ford Fusion, and will launch fusionandbenefit.com to conduct the sweepstakes and provide product information on the car and the compact.
Benefit will support Curve Hugger with print ads in the April issues of Shop, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. The visual will be a two-page spread prominently featuring the car — in red — a rearview mirror and the eye palette.
Industry sources estimate that Curve Hugger, which is expected to be on the market for about four months, could garner $500,000 in retail sales.