Do You Know the Full Names of These Fashion and Beauty Acronyms?

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Do You Know the Full Names of These Fashion and Beauty Acronyms?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

A, B, C, D, E, F, G... Won't you take this quiz with me? While you might've been learning the alphabet as a child, you've since graduated to acronyms as you got older. In the beauty and fashion world, you'll find tons of abbreviations meant to make life easier. How many of them do you know?

In the beauty and fashion industry, life is moving at a fast pace. From all the designers, brands, and products, no one has time to enunciate through every single name. With that came the birth of their acronyms. Fashion designers with three names were quickly shortened to three letters. Makeup products were shortened to two letters because who knows whether its blemish balm, blemish base, or beauty balm? There are hundreds and hundreds of acronyms swimming around the beauty industry. How many of them can you recognize?

Will your OOTD consist of an LBD and OTK boots? Just make sure you don't have VPL! Now that NYFW has happened, will you be headed to the mall for the latest items from CK or are you planning to shop at Sephora for the latest YSL product? 

If you're saying these words in your head as you read these sentences, you're ready for this quiz! Only a beauty and fashion expert would recognize all these acronyms. Are you ready to hit the runway or will you be left stumbling along the catwalk?

Let's find out!

The designer label YSL is named after which famous French person?
Yakumi Sino Lai
Yo So Lo
Yvonne Sunny Lore
Yves Saint Laurent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yves Saint Laurent was a French fashion designer whose real name is Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. His YSL brand now outlives him, but it's as fashionable as ever.

The CK line stands for which fashion designer?
Clark Kent
Color Kool
Calvin Klein
Coors Koosh
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CK or Calvin Klein is the line named after an American fashion designer. His real name is Calvin Richard Klein.

In clothes, what does RTW mean?
Repair to wear
Ruined totally washed
Ready to wear
Reuse to warranty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

RTW means ready to wear. It's the term used when you're buying ready-made clothes off the rack.

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What does the BB in BB cream stand for?
Blemish balm
Beauty balm
Both of the above
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

BB cream is the term used for both blemish balm and beauty balm creams, shortened as BB. The term depends on where you are in the world, as the same product is termed differently when the BB acronym is spelled out.

What does the label DKNY stand for?
Do Kay New York
Darn Kreme New York
Donna Karan New York
Drop Kick New York
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Donna Karan New York became famous in the '80s for establishing the Seven Easy Pieces philosophy wherein 7 interchangeable items in a woman's collection could dress her up from day to night. However, the fashion house encountered controversy when they used a photo from the Humans of New York social media collection without permission back in 2013, which has already been settled.

Social media fashionistas always display what they wore with the hashtag OOTD. What does that mean?
Ordinary out there dude
Orang or the red
Oat or the date
Outfit of the day
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your OOTD or outfit of the day could consists of fashionably chic getups or simple casuals. Whatever it may be, people like presenting them online with this hashtag.

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It's considered a no-no for a woman to display VPL. What does that mean?
Variable plate let
Violet plum line
Visible panty line
Volatile party lover
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

VPL means visible panty line. Apparently, you can't have traceable VPL when you're wearing tight-fitting dresses.

Every woman is advised to have at least one LBD in their wardrobe. What is that?
Little black dress
Long bottom dress
Little blue denim
Low back drop
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The LBD or little black dress is very handy for emergency fashion moments. It's nice to have something reliable yet classy in your closet.

Your LV bag would be more fashionable if you knew what LV stood for. Do you?
Little Vag
Lucky Voom
Louis Vuitton
Lordie Vitton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Would you believe that the LV or Louis Vuitton fashion house was established in 1854? Mr. LV started with bags and leather goods in Paris.

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Another fashion no-no is to have VBL when you don your top. What is this?
Very brave line
Viable book lover
Visible bra line
Voice brand line
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

VBL or visible bra line is when you wear a top and the wires or straps of your bra are very obvious underneath tight-fitting tops. That's why wireless seamless bras are now available on the market.

Online chroniclers of fashion goings-on are termed as FABB. What does it mean?
Fashion and berry balls
Fashion and brain bogs
Fashion and beauty bums
Fashion and beauty bloggers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To be a FABB or fashion and beauty blogger is kinda like having a viable career these days. Some are now paid or incentivized to cover fashion and beauty events.

CND is a leading player in the nail industry, but what does it mean?
Corporate New Door
Canvas Nail Decor
Creative Nail Design
Chic New Digs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CND or Creative Nail Design is known for their nail polish and nail product lines. They're particularly known for their Shellac manicures.

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When in the Big Apple, make sure you attend NYFW. Do you know what that is?
New York For Work
New York Fashion Week
New York Favorite Work
New York Fast Wave
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

NYFW stands for New York Fashion Week. It's a must-see for fashionistas when in town.

After BB cream, there's CC cream. What does CC mean?
Color-correcting
Color control
Complexion correction
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

CC cream could mean color-correcting cream, or color control cream. In some countries, it's known as complexion correction cream, but they all work the same way.

Designer label JPG refers to whom?
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Peter George
June Pie Givenchy
Jerry Perry Glam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jean Paul Gaultier, or JPG for short, is a Parisian designer. But his line is known worldwide.

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MAC is a makeup line that started in Canada. What does it stand for?
Make And Cook
More Areas Covered
Makeup Art Cosmetics
Makeup Angle Corners
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Makeup Art Cosmetics was born because a stylist and photographer wanted to use makeup that would actually appear beautifully when photographed. Yep, not all make-up is good in front of a camera, but MAC solved that dilemma!

You have a lotta SWAG after attending a fashion event. What's a SWAG?
Some wonderful assets go
Sheer weather and grace
Stuff we all get
Summary worth all grabs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

SWAG actually means stuff we all get. It's usually that goodie bag they hand to you when attending a product launch, a fashion show, or any similar fashion event.

That pencil you use for your eye is termed as EL or E/L. What does it mean?
Everyday look
Eyeliner
Enemy line
Elite look
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

EL or E/L simply means eyeliner. For guys, they wanted to term this as guyliner, but that hasn't caught on yet...

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In a fashion line-up, A/W stands for which collection released in a specific season?
Autumn/Winter Collection
Animal/Wool Collection
Androgynous/Woman Collection
All/Women Collection
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Autumn/Winter Collection is shortened as A/W in some fashion magazines. Now you know!

e.l.f. Cosmetics basically target these three parts of you, as typified in their acronym.
Ears, legs, face
Eyes, lips, face
Eyes, legs, feet
Ears, lips, feet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

e.l.f. means eyes lips face. That's the brand, and that's their target spots.

The simple D&G label is actually an intricate partnership. What does it stand for?
Drake & George
Duke & Goldsmith
Drew & Gem
Dolce & Gabbana
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

D&G stands for Dolce & Gabbana. It's named after two designers who met up in Milan: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

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Dapper dudes leaf through GQ magazine to see the latest in men's fashion. What did GQ originally mean?
Great Quota
Good Qualm
Gentlemen’s Quarterly
Guard Que
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

GQ originally meant Gentlemen’s Quarterly. The lifestyle magazine started as a trade publication, actually, for retailers and sellers only.

When buying retail, especially online, BOGO is a happy term. What does it mean?
Break only glam ooze
Bling or go old
Bring on go on
Buy one get one
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

BOGO means buy one get one. That means you get one item for free or sometimes half off.

When choosing a skirt, some recommend the OTK one. What does that mean?
On the knicks
Over the knee
On the korner
Over the knockers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

OTK means over the knee. It's a specification when buying skirts.

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The term 2PC in men's fashion means what?
Tupac Shakur style
Two piece suit
Two track kind
Too politically correc
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

2PC is code for two piece suit. Men who are active in shopping for their own clothes should know this.

Aside from A/W, S/S is another kind of seasonal collection. What does it mean?
Spring/Summer
See/Saw
Split/Silk
Shiny/Soothing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

S/S is code for Spring/Summer collection. Fashion week watchers already know this, of course.

ES or E/S refers to the color blending you do on your eyelid. What does it stand for?
Earstopper
Eyestopper
Eyeshadow
Elbowstrip
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

ES or E/S simply means eyeshadow. Cosmetic companies will have this term on their product line.

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IGK is famous for their trendy hair styling system. What does their acronym collectively stand for?
The middle names of the owners' wives
The initials of the owners
The Latin version of their motto
The countries where the owners grew up
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

IGK is the acronym that carries the initials of the brand's owners. They are Franck and Leo Izquierdo, Aaron Grenia, and Chase Kusero.

SPF is very important for skin care. What does it mean?
Sun protection factor
Shiny price feared
Skin peeled feast
Swarm pot fort
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

SPF means sun protection factor. This is the number indicated in the sunscreen you buy to protect from sunburns.

The shortened acronym BSPK is familiar to fashionable men. What does it stand for?
Bedspacer
Bespoke
Bluespree
Bravespark
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

BSPK is code for bespoke. This means that tailors make clothes specifically, and well, tailored, for you.

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The RMS Beauty product line carries the initials of the make-up artist who created it. What's her name?
Roar-Moore Shelley
Rita-May Swan
Rose-Marie Swift
Rilke-Maria Sonnet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

RMS Beauty is named after its founder, Rose-Marie Swift. Her line of safe organic color cosmetics is a hit for those who don't want toxic chemicals in their beauty products.

The British hair straightening iron brand GHD contributed this business acronym in everyday usage. What does it stand for?
Gambled hair dryer
Gloomy hair drizzle
Good hair day
Grooming hair doom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Good hair day or GHD has apparently become a term in itself. When you're having a GHD, you know that's all good!

SK-II is a Japanese brand that's making waves globally. What does SK stand for?
Secret Key
Suki Yaki
Sotto Kobe
Space Kadet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The SK in SK-II means secret key. It's just right because it ties directly to the history of how the SK product line was inspired by an accidental discovery by Japanese scientists in a sake brewery, of all places! Apparently, the women who worked in the brewery had beautifully preserved hands, so there's something in that brew that was harnessed into a beauty line.

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When an outfit or product is labeled as TDF, what does that indicate?
To die for
Totally dreary as fake
Trial day fare
The dark force
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

TDF means an item, specifically a piece of clothing, is to die for. Regardless of the price, TDF items are must-haves!

When you've got money and you're raring to spend it on fashion and beauty items, you can STYD! Know what that is?
Scare the yen down
Shoot the yard day
Stay til you dance
Shop 'til you drop
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

STYD is short for shop 'til you drop. That means ka-ching ka-ching away as you sashay, shantay in and out of stores for your stuff. Credit cards also accepted.

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