I’m constantly searching for fresh content ideas and while online publications tend to share forecasted future trends straight from the catwalk, I couldn’t really find any articles covering the latest beauty trends straight off of social media, so that’s what I’m going to be discussing in this article.
Granted, some of them may be on-going from 2017, or you might already have heard of them, but I’m hoping there will be something new here for everyone!
1. ‘Glassy’ skin
Highlighter has been a big part of our makeup routines for a little while now, but the latest trend involves highlighting the majority of your face to mimic a glazed doughnut effect.
Note how I say the ‘majority’ of the face… there are some key spots to hit to nail this makeup trend. After mattifying the base, Mario Dedivanovic (Kim K’s makeup artist) has been known to highlight the centre of the forehead and chin lightly as well as the cheekbones, cupids bow and nose. This helps to produce a nice ‘wet look’ effect, rather than making the skin look greasy and oily.
Dependent on your skin type, you can also enhance the glassy finish by using more sheer/luminous foundations and avoiding super mattifying powders, but if you already have very oily skin, this might not be the route for you…
2. A blushed nose
You know when you’re ill in bed and you’ve gone through 100 Kleenex tissues? Look in the mirror once you’ve blown your nose and that’s what you’d replicate with blusher to perfect this trend.
I am, of course, being a bit dramatic… opt for a peach tone blush and gently dust the nose for a slight sun-kissed look.
While this isn’t the most practical look for the everyday office appearance, it can definitely help to enhance an artsy ‘Instagram’ look if more pigment is applied.
3. Reverse crease layering (eyeshadows)
Ever since the likes of UK makeup artists Stacey Marie and Mmmmitchell took the industry by storm thanks to their unique eye looks, we’ve all been obsessed. The most common technique they both use which I’ve seen floating around the internet is the reverse layering of eyeshadows.
Traditionally, we were always led to believe that you would add a transition shade (the lightest base colour) onto the crease first and then gradually add dark shades as you work towards the lid. Now, we’re taking a reverse approach by packing our most intense (usually the deepest) shade into the crease (nearest the lid) first and layering the colour from dark to light outwards; packing as we go along and blending the raw edges at the very end of the process.
The key to perfecting this is layering the shadows onto a ‘tacky’ (aka. slightly wet) primed lid, as demonstrated by mmmmitchell above.
4. Graphic cut creases
The cut crease has been a huge thing for a few years now, especially since drag artistry has risen in popularity (within the mainstream), but in 2018 we seem to be noticing more and more unique takes on the classic carved (arched) cut crease.
Without a doubt, the most popular adaptation of the classic cut crease which we’ve witnessed this year is the cloud cut crease – where the edges form 4 or 5 bubbles to form an iconic cartoony cloud shape. I believe an artist called Enzi (pictured above) created this trend, but the likes of Nikkie Tutorials and James Charles have since replicated it on their channels.
5. ‘V’ shaped clustered false lashes
If you’re really into the YouTube scene, you’ll probably have heard all of your favourite influencers talking about Lilly Lashes, especially in the style ‘Mykonos‘. That’s because they feature unique v-shaped clusters which make them extra curvy but whispie at the same time. They’re just the right amount of volume without being so dark and thick that they cover the eye look you’ve just created.
6. Matte black winged liner
A huge black wing will always save the day, but there was a period of time where we opted for a dash of liner using the ‘tight-lining’ technique to bond our natural lashes and falsies and create a rounded shadow look… without a wing on-top.
You’ll be happy to know that wings are completely back in the game, with the makeup artists who have been in the game for years reaching for the renowned matte Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel on the daily.
I’m personally super excited to try Kat Von D’s new Inkwell Liner (Matte Black), as I’m a huge fan of the original Tattoo Liner in Trooper, but am always hunting for an even matter finish.
7. Double the powder
Remember when the only powder we would reach for on the daily was a compact from Superdrug which costed roughly £5 and was a little too orange for our skin tone? These days, more and more beauty enthusiasts (myself included) are adopting a more intense, drag approach to powder application.
This involves initially baking (allowing loose powder to sink into) the problem areas (e.g. the t-zone and anywhere prone to oiliness), dusting the residue away and then using a skin tone compact powder to bring some colour back to the complexion. To avoid that cakey finish and bind all products together, spritz an even layer of your favourite facial mist!
Makeup superstar Patrick Star is renowned for adopting this technique on the daily.
