19/99 Beauty

19/99 Beauty launched in 2020 from Toronto, founded by Diti Katona (founding partner & Chief Creative Officer of Concrete Design, the agency behind the brand identity for Bite Beauty, Beautyblender, and Pai), Simone Otis (a veteran makeup artist), and Camille Katona (Diti's daughter and the brand's operator). The launch debuted just two products — the Precision Colour Pencil ($26) and High-Shine Gloss ($24) — and immediately found a cult editorial following because it positioned itself against the youth-obsessed beauty industry: women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond, and a 'Retaliation Age' philosophy that beauty has no expiration date.

The Precision Colour Pencil remains the brand's signature — a chubby multi-use pencil for eyes, lips, and cheeks in editorial shades named after Hungarian words (Voros, Barna, Neutra, Lustro). The Pinceau de Maquillage brushes, Hydrating Lip Treatment, and Tinted Lip Treatment round out the range. Premium pricing, retail at Liberty London, Holt Renfrew, Detox Market, Moda Operandi, and a deliberately small SKU count make 19/99 the editor's-favorite Canadian indie of the post-2020 wave — most often compared to Westman Atelier and Merit but with a more painterly, less polished aesthetic.