Six New Makeup Trends

Jan. 22, 2016

2016 is not going to be a subtle fashion year. From bright lip treatments to exaggerated facial features, from cartoon-colored eyes to glitter on just about everything, the calm tones of the past couple years are making way for some loud and fanciful visual statements. Here’s a look at six of the most prominent from the latest runway reports.

FAUX FRECKLES

If you’ve always wanted a kicky splash of freckles across your cheeks (but can’t acquire them naturally), you’ll find several different methods to get them this spring, since freckles are now “in.” A company called Freck Yourself is offering a stencil-and-rollerball kit to create a semi-permanent pattern of freckles, and Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and the Huffington Post are all lauding temporary freckles as the next great beauty trend. Vogue even offers a freckles how-to, so you can draw them on yourself. Who knew?

AM I BLUE?

While an understated sweep of navy blue eyeliner is perfectly fine for everyday wear, if fashion is your game, you’re going to want to call on the blues to make an impression. Blue has traveled all around the eye on the runways, from a slash of bright electric blue across the upper eyelid to pale blue sweeping right up to the eyebrow. “Raccoon masks” of Chanel’s “Blue Rhythm” practically ran from ear to ear and blue glitter took over on both lids and under the eye. NARS Eye Paint in “Solomon Islands” and Benefit’s Gel Eyeliner Pen in “Beyond Blue” are two standouts to try.

THINK PINK

“Rose Quartz” is one of Pantone’s colors of the year and it’s surfacing everywhere in versions of the shade that range wildly from pastel to Pepto-Bismol. If red’s not your thing, then you’ll want to start thinking pink; one of the most striking uses of the “Quartz” color is in lipsticks, from Dolce and Gabbana’s Classic Cream Lipstick in “Provacative” to Too Faced’s La Crème in “Double Bubble” or (if you want to add some of that 2016 glitter trend) a mall-ready shade called “Clueless.” A more neon version can also be found via M.A.C.’s “Girl About Town,” which brings back the ‘80s so vividly you’ll feel like one of The Go-Go’s.

SKINNY BROWS

Eyebrows had a major quarrel on the runways during the 2016 season. For every thickly overgrown, brushed-up set (think Brooke Shields in her heyday), there were arched eyebrows, colored eyebrows and straight eyebrows, but the one eyebrow trend that seemed to draw the most attention was the skinny-extreme sort. In some cases, eyebrows were removed and completely redrawn, in others, the brow was powdered over to reveal only a sliver arching high above the eye — strange, but striking. Only you and the ‘90s version of Gwen Stefani will know if you can pull this one off. Photos by Greyscale Group

SERIOUS RED LIPSTICK

Shiny lips and 100 percent matte lips are both passé this spring, but classic red has made a massive comeback and nearly every makeup line is offering their own version of this ubiquitous lipstick shade. The freshest finish is one they’re calling “velvet”: two shades of red, usually one liquid and one matte, are layered on top of each other for depth and deep red tones. NARS “Mysterious Red,” Topshop’s Matte Lip Bullet in “Boyracer” and Maybelline’s “Cherry Cherry Bang Bang” are three you’ll want to snap up.

EYELASH ART

If you’ve ever wanted to look like an anime character or (from a distance, at least) a ‘50s movie bombshell (think Gigi Hadid on the 2016 preview runway), then this is your season. Purposefully artificial-looking eyelashes are a big deal for the start of 2016, whether you use faux eyelashes like those from Shu Uemura, Duo or Ardell, or simply get daring with an eyeliner pen or brush.

Don’t limit yourself to black; color is all the rage, whether you want your eyelash art to be pink, red, gold — or back to blue.