‘Heavy Makeup’ Helps Break Stereotypes with Metal Makeup Tutorials

Finnish people are metalheads. Now this passion has taken a new form as this spring’s makeup tutorials are served as metal music with K-Citymarket’s Heavy Makeup songs. Featuring four fierce female vocalists, the Heavy Makeup campaign wants to combat stereotypical portrayals in makeup marketing.

For decades, advertising has promoted stereotypical portrayals of women. Even in Finland, a country that tops global rankings in gender equality. Because of this, K-Citymarket, the biggest supermarket chain in Finland, launched Heavy Makeup, a new type of beauty portfolio centred around women’s empowerment and Finland’s favourite music genre.

"Metal belongs not only to the ears, but also to the eyes - like metal culture, makeup is a way to express oneself boldly and break boundaries," said Tiina Linna, K-Citymarket's cosmetics product group manager.

At the core of the campaign are four unique heavy metal songs, each representing their own beauty routine and metal sub genre, from glam and hyperpop to power and even death metal. The songs feature strong female lead singers who put their unique fingerprints on each song and work as a soundtrack for uniquely Finnish #GetReadyWithMetal beauty tutorials.

“So much emotion our microphones needed therapy”

“It became apparent really quickly that we aren’t making ad music, but the best heavy metal possible with some of the most interesting artists around”, said Music supervisor Leo Niemi.

As the songs were the lifeline of the campaign, no shortcuts were made in production and the artists representing different sub genres were invited to the legendary Sonic Pump studio in Helsinki, which has housed legendary Finnish metal bands like Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, and Amorphis.

“The songs have strong melodies, screaming, growling – and so much emotion that our microphones needed therapy after the recording sessions”

The campaign’s concept comes from TBWA\Helsinki, where the project has been a labour of love for many.

“With Heavy Makeup we really elevated the level of audio and music craft”, said chief creative officer Alex Pineda, “from the custom album and single cover art to the roadie amp boxes used in PR packages, we turned every stone to make sure we nailed a disruptive execution.”

From power metal eyes to death metal skin exfoliation

In the power metal song "Voittajan katse" (The Gaze of a Winner) by Sara Strömmer from the band Shereign, a stunning smoky eye makeup is created, with the main focus on the eyeliner and plenty of volumizing mascara. The main colour of the look is clearly stated in the chorus: "Black, just black / that's the colour of my soul."

In 'Wash Away the Darkness', a song inspired by 80s hair metal, created by a prominent Finnish metal frontman, working under the pseudonym Damien, the lyrics talk about cleansing – in practice, the nightly cleansing and care of the body and facial skin. "You and I, we’re gonna have a revelation, ‘cause tonight, we will perform exfoliation," as sung in the song.

In the song 'Seize the Crown' by Susanna Alexandra, the lead singer of Cyan Kicks, the lyrics talk about the natural crown of a person: the hair. The energetic hyperpop song describes, among other things, styling the hair with the words "Taming fire with my touch, my style / Slick and sharp, I form the line."

In the song 'Hehkun' (I Glow) by Katariina Sorsa and Tuuli Paju from the band IKINÄ, facial skin care is described in a harsh death metal style. Through exfoliation and moisturizing, the chorus is reached, singing: "Glowing with Lumene / this skin is light / I shine when I go / anyone can see the colours in my aura."

The songs can be listened to on Spotify, YouTube, and on the campaign page k-ruoka.fi/heavymeikki.​