Bushy eyebrows, chunky eyeliner
How the face mask changed eyes
It’s no secret that make-up has changed drastically in the age of the face mask. Cosmetics is all about the eyes, sparking many strange and beautiful new trends.
Before Covid-19 came along, people put on make-up for their regular activities, then jazzed it up with something extra to go out. That is still true, as a partial return to regular life is possible in some places. But new areas of life have opened up too that call for a fresh approach to make-up. Think wearing a mask, for example, or hopping on a video call.
“The focus is now on the eyes,” says Boris Entrup, who works for a cosmetics group in Germany and specializes in make-up. There’s a real emphasis on the eyebrows, while mascara, eye shadow, kohl or eyeliner are applied in generous quantities. You can also use a statement eyeliner, to make the whole approach more visible.
Wings, extending your eyeliner beyond your eye to accentuate its shape, are becoming more popular. These wings are an extension of your usual eyeliner beyond your lashline — and you can take this some distance beyond your eye.
There’s a counter-trend too, and it’s big. Working from home means a lot of sitting in front of a digital camera and talking to people online. That often means people have plenty of time to study their own faces — and the laptop camera is not generally kind. Concealing products are popular, and where nightlife has started up again, people are embracing the party look.
The whole emphasis on eyebrows comes back in (from the 80s) says Entrup. The difference now, however, is that “eyebrows are staying strong and bushy — not as narrow and carefully accurately plucked as they were in the 80s.” He is predicting lashings of glamour and liberal use of gold during Christmas!
Much may have changed about our lives, but people’s desire to make a powerful impression remains strong.