After delivering beauty lines based on Polly Pocket dolls and sitcoms Friends and Clueless, retailer Hot Topic is again capitalizing on the irresistible ‘90s nostalgia with its new Blockbuster Eyeshadow Palette.
Inspired by the eponymous video rental chain that was very popular during the ‘90s, Hot Topic’s Blockbuster Eyeshadow Palette features 12 striking matte shades named after Blockbuster’s genre-categorized aisles: New Releases, Adventure, Classics, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Fantasy, Cartoon, Horror, Action, and Television.
As seen in the photos, the shades come in blue, yellow, green, white, black, and neutral hues, and the makeup kit itself features a generous-sized mirror. The eyeshadow palette is also enclosed in a rectangular case that looks very similar to the actual Blockbuster rental tape.
Though the quality of Hot Topic’s Blockbuster Eyeshadow Palette is not as high as its counterparts from MAC or other upscale cosmetic brands in terms of the level of pigment and blend-ability, the former is perfect for those who love collecting quirky makeup items to display and probably use once in a while. After all, the prices of Hot Topic beauty products are usually on the affordable end.
The officially-licensed, cruelty-free Blockbuster Eyeshadow Palette is now available on the Hot Topic website for only $13.52 (20% off), which is interestingly equivalent to the price of a few video rentals plus the inevitable late fees at Blockbuster back in the day.
Founded in 1985, Blockbuster started to lose significant revenue during the late 2000s due to poor leadership and competition from Netflix’s mail-order service, Redbox automated kiosks, and video-on-demand service. It filed for bankruptcy protection in 2010, sold its 1700 stores to Dish Network in 2011, and closed its last 300 company-owned stores in 2014. Today, only one franchised Blockbuster store remains open, and it’s located in Bend, Oregon.