Makeup in 2021 is fresh, upbeat and uncontrived with a focus on the eye area.
Makeup trends in 2021 are fresh, upbeat and uncontrived with a focus on the eye area.
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, this year we’ll spend considerable time jazzing up the curtains. That’s because when it comes to emerging makeup trends, it’s our eyes, and all the ways in which we can enhance and adorn them, that have necessarily become a priority in our mask-wearing world. Indeed, in many severely COVID-hit countries, the eyes offer the only visible real estate to display your cosmetic nous publicly, save for your social media feed. And as dominant trends and the products we use to create them generally trickle down from the northern hemisphere (with a confident, southern hemisphere twist, of course!) it’s the eye area that’s suddenly receiving the most attention.
Along with updates in mascara (voluminous and waterproof but not crunchy) and brows (feathery and full), the main takeaway for eyes is an easy but impactful artistic approach.
“There’s continued focus on translucent, glowing skin, but accentuated with long lashes and bold, playful colour on the eyes,” says Rebecca Hollowood, Elizabeth Arden field sales and education manager.
This trend doesn’t necessitate meticulous application, rather, a joyful exploration of pigment with either soft washes of violet or gold (both trending, just not worn together) or a slash of primary colour along lids. Both are made easier with silky new eyeshadow formulations that deliver an almost ethereal glow rather than shimmer, and gel shadow sticks and liners that don’t tug on lids and are simple for novices.
In terms of shape, “winged liner is here to stay”, confirms Hollowood. “But like eyeshadow, the statement is made with colour.”
SHEER GENIUS
“The creamy, ‘no makeup’ makeup look reigns supreme this year,’’ says Revlon marketing manager, Amy Kingon Smith. “It’s all about hydration and radiance, letting your best skin shine through.”
‘No makeup’ makeup infuriatingly used to be the name top creatives at fashion shows would use to describe a model’s flawless skin that had actually been laboured over for three hours, with numerous products utilised to create the illusion she’d done nothing but get out of bed. This time around, the inspiration is those of us who throughout 2020 literally did just roll out of bed and click on our Zoom screens, our makeup routines extending to perhaps just a little concealer before we hit ‘join’.
Having gotten used to a more relaxed application we’re being met with products to suit, such as the swathe of new light-to-medium coverage foundation arrivals that leave the heavily airbrushed and contoured look well in the past. Easily applied with fingers or a brush, they facilitate fresh, healthy-looking skin,
revealing enough of what’s underneath to avoid looking pancakelike and without settling into lines.
Finally, the multi-tasking premise of previously successful BB creams has been adopted across the face category in general, and marrying makeup with impressive skincare benefits is the new standard to measure worthy arrivals on.
INK BIG
With developing pigment technology, long-wear claims seem to get more impressive every year, and though you’d be unlikely to wear a lip colour for that long, we’re now sitting at the 16-24 hour mark for a number of new releases. More exciting is that this longevity comes with a degree of comfort, as well as new finishes not seen with similar products before – think reflective shine that lasts, and inks and tints that leave a pretty ‘see-through’ stain on the lips. Demonstrating the enormous influence of the South Korean market, a long-term incubator of makeup trends, Mintel research shows over 30 per cent of lip launches brandished a ‘tint’ claim last year.
“The lip trend for 2021 is ‘saturated texture’, confirms Kingon Smith of Revlon. “Which is to say, luxurious, easy to apply, wearable colours with a unique, textural finish.
Consumers want longwear lip colour that lasts all day and delivers a true colour payoff.”
She pinpoints Revlon’s about-to-be released ColorStay Satin Ink Lipcolor. “It’s formulated with blackcurrent seed oil and vitamin E, and the oils continuously rise to the film’s surface for maintained comfort and shine. That means the end look offers rich colour in a lasting satin sheen.”
ON THE LASH
2021 might just be the year a false lash ‘wardrobe’ becomes a thing. While seemingly at odds with the relaxed approach of every other notable trend, the selection becoming available means they move far beyond ‘celebrity-only’ status and offer a playful way to switch up your eye looks – once you’ve got application down. MAC’s new True or False line of 20 variations offers every option from boosting a sparse, natural set of lashes, to a full, fluttering fringe.
In a move towards making the trend more inclusive, Jennifer Renée, a beauty influencer with Albinism, is gaining attention for her brand Ivoree Beauty, which offers a range of white, blonde and auburn false lashes for people with very fair skin and hair.
HOT TOPIC
Sunset shades have been trending for the eyes for a season or more, but now they’ve migrated to lips, with brands referencing hot, fiery and spicy inspiration for lip collections. If you are a fan of a statement lip, now’s the time to choose a burnished red with a touch of warmth.
DIGITAL SAMPLING
Wandering the aisles of a department store, swiping and swatching new makeup arrivals isn’t as advisable as it once was, so brands are introducing new options to make trialling products easier online – something that will likely become a new normal.
“We are definitely seeing a digital beauty boom happening,” says Kingon Smith. “Consumer demographics that would normally shy away from using technology have adopted new habits that will stay with them. Use of beauty-related apps has also accelerated, and brands continue to experiment with augmented and virtual reality.” One example is ‘try on’ technology that enables users to virtually ‘try on’ cosmetics by using a front-facing camera on their phone or other device, or by uploading a photo.
“Launching in 2021, Revlon’s Super Lustrous Virtual Mirror App will offer a solution to the removal of testers in store,” says Kingon Smith. “Users can test all 54 shades of the Super Lustrous range on any Apple device, making it easier to find the perfect one.”
VISIT MiNDFOOD.COM
With the intense shine of a gloss and the nourishing care of a lip balm, tinted lip oils are the latest trending beauty product to know. mindfood.com/tinted-lip-oils
“WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING A DIGITAL BEAUTY BOOM HAPPENING.”
AMY KINGON SMITH