The Five Biggest Makeup Trends Right Now
Graphic by Angela Cheng
For anyone as into makeup as me, it’s hard to think of a time when highlighters, contouring, and perfectly-shaped eyebrows weren’t a thing. I honestly can’t even imagine waking up every morning and not filling my brows in like I do now religiously. But the truth is that all of these were once new trends that took the makeup world by surprise. And, though most trends come and go, these stayed for good.
Though it might become too confusing (and pricey) to keep up with all new trends that come up, it can be a fun and eye-opening experience to try them out every once in a while. That’s the policy I try to follow. I don’t try out every trend I see in my Instagram explore page, but, if there’s one or two that seem genuinely cool and pretty, I give it a chance. Below are some of my favorite makeup trends going on right now, some of which, in fact, I have already tried out and loved.
Colorful Inner Corner:
The first time I saw this trend was in this GRWM video Kylie Jenner posted on her Youtube. And no, I don’t think she invented the trend, but I’m going to firmly say that that’s why it became so big. In the video, Kylie blended a very nude cool-toned brown into her crease and applied some hot pink eyeshadow in her inner corner. When I saw this look for the first time, I was impressed. Before this, I would either never wear bright colors on my eyes or always have to commit to a full colorful look like an orange smokey-eye. Now, with this simple detail in the tear-duct, I could use any bright color to change up a basic look without going overboard.
Tips on how to DIY: Use a very pigmented (or liquid) eyeshadow to make sure a person can clearly see this detail from far away. Also, I’d definitely recommend using the brightest colors you can find —bright pinks, oranges, blues, and even highlighter-style yellow.
24.7k Likes, 206 Comments - Makeup Artist Patrick Ta (@patrickta) on Instagram: "Probably One Of My Fav Makeup Looks On @shaymitchell Ever 👊🏼 Details To Come On My App Flawless By..."
Over-using Blush:
I grew up with the idea that blush is to be put in the apples of the cheeks. Bronzer in the sides of the cheeks and blush in the apples of it. Then I saw Victoria’s Secret Angel Josephine Skriver walk up the Met Gala’s steps with a beautifully embroidered dress and a beautifully pink face with blush mostly everywhere on her face — except for the apples of her cheeks. The change was minimal in terms of position, but revolutionary in the result.
Safe to say that after the Skriver Met Gala look, I kept an eye out to see this trend happen again. And I did! From Millie Bobby Brown to the new FentyxBeauty campaign shown below, using blush all around the sides of your face has become a thing.
311.1k Likes, 591 Comments - FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA (@fentybeauty) on Instagram: "Glow like you know! 💕✨Holographic poppin pink shimmer using #DIAMONDBOMBII and #KILLAWATTFOIL in..."
Tips on how to DIY: Use a strong shimmery blush to make sure the effect really shows. To do this, I’d use either a pigmented powder blush, a tint like Benefit’s Benetint, or (my personal choice) a pink lipstick.
Rhinestones:
I knew I wasn’t going to talk about the top makeup trends right now without mentioning the TV show Euphoria. Having watched the show myself over the summer, I couldn’t help but to be inspired by their out-of-the-box fashion and makeup choices. The most significant one being the revamping of rhinestones. Not to say Alexa Demie invented rhinestones, but she sure did show the world how beautiful they can be. From rhinestones placed sparsely on the eyebrow to looks like the one below where the rhinestone form a single straight line, all showed the power this detail could give.
Image via Elle
After seeing these looks, I’d say that rhinestones are the new glitter — more dramatic and less messy to work with. Sure, it’s not the type of thing you’d wear everyday, but it is undoubtedly very beautiful.
Tips on how to DIY: As mentioned in this Refinery 29 article, the tip for applying the gemstones is using a q-tip to apply eyelash glue where you want to set the stone .
Glossy Lids
There used to be a time when matte was in — matte doll-like skin and Kylie-inspired matte lips. Now, the finish that is most common is shiny, highlighted, and glossy. “Glossy” meaning something that looks wet, as if your face was completely dipped in lip gloss.
17.5k Likes, 375 Comments - Katie Jane Hughes (@katiejanehughes) on Instagram: "What kinda gloss are you? I'm all 10 of course! Some are gloss imposters, can u spot them?"
What I most love about this trend is that it’s easy to do. Unlike a lot of makeup skills like applying eyeliner and creating cut-creases, making a glossy, wet-looking lid isn’t an exact science. Just apply, pat the product in, and you’re done — easy and super pretty.
Tip on how to DIY: Use either a liquid eyeshadow, a liquid shimmer, a gloss, or lipstick to make that glossy lid look. Check out this article on Byrdie to find specific products to buy.
This was me with glossy orange lids for the Chromatic Issue launch. I used an orange-colored gloss over orange eyeshadow to achieve this look.
The “V” Eyeliner
In all honesty, I didn’t really know how to name this one. I called it a “V shape” but it might look closer to greater than/less than signs (“< >”) than anything else. Regardless of the name, this trend is when someone’s eyeliner draws a “V” from the end of a cat-eye and back into the crease. Though I’m still not a master of doing a simple cat-eye by itself, doing this “V” makes the whole look more dramatic and modern — futuristic even.
2,642 Likes, 89 Comments - Ash K Holm (@ash_kholm) on Instagram: "One of my favorite looks that I created for @wetnwildbeauty #BreakingBeauty campaign 🖤 Using all..."
This was a picture of me trying out this different liner after being thoroughly inspired by euphoria. Instead of doing regular eyeliner, though, I used Maybelline’s SuperStay 24hour Liquid Lipstick in the color “Eternal Cherry”.
Tips on how to DIY: This short Instagram video below by one of my favorite Brazilian makeup artists has my biggest tip for anyone trying out this look: draw with a pencil first. By having your first try with pencil (or maybe even brow pomade) before moving on to the liquid liner, you can make mistakes and easily adjust the pencil to the angle and thickness you want it to be. Then, once your pencil eyeliner forms the ideal shape you want, go over that with the liquid liner. And, if you slip up in that step, remember that correcting with concealer is always a good idea.
The list above shows all of my favorite makeup trends going on right now. Sure, not all will become permanent like contouring and highlighting, but I encourage everyone reading this to try them out. It’s always good to change-up makeup routines once in a while.