TREND REPORT
Refresh your look for 2021
Back for lashes
The return of stick-on strips, a clever kit for DIY extensions and the best new mascaras
New beauty trends are dreamed up many months (often years) before they land on our faces, so we can thank serendipity for the way 2021 is shaping up to be the year of the eyelash. Certainly when Jenna Lyons, ex-creative director of J.crew, decided to pivot from fashion to fake lashes, she had no idea eyes would be booming due to the face coverings required by a global pandemic. Like clothes fittings, Lyons built her designs on to real people, snipping and sticking her way to 10 perfect pairs; from starbursts to delicate wisps, there’s something to suit all eye shapes, skin tones and beauty tastes. Loveseen doesn’t ship to the UK yet, but playing with its online lash-finder leaves us feeling that there’s more mileage (and fun) in fakes than we thought. ‘We’re reclaiming lashes,’ agrees Terry Barber, director of make-up artistry for MAC. ‘It’s not “bigger is better” any more; they’re prettier and doe-like. They’re also lighter and more pliable, so sit comfortably on the lashline and are easier to apply.’ MAC’S new lashes provide 20 different ways to ‘shape’ the eye, says Barber. For a Red reader, he likes the
Romantic Lash, £12.50. ‘It’s denser at the root and feathery at the tip, making eyes look beautiful, not crowded. Brush up your brows and wear with bronzer and very little on the lip. There’s a 1960s vibe coming back, now that it’s all about eyes.’ Mascara holds its own, though. This year sees the 50th birthday of Maybelline Great Lash, £5.99, the non-clumping highstreet mascara we once had to bribe friends to bring back from trips to the States. Lancôme Lash Idôle, £23.50, is the latest addition to the brand’s stable of chic formulations; the brush curved and slender, the effect wonderfully fanned out and feathery. Kevyn Aucoin Indecent, £22 (from April), boosts growth while giving dense, doll-like lashes, and Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash, £26, is an elegant everyday mascara, like the best lash tint you ever had but with length and lift thrown in. For week-long longevity, try at-home extension system
Lashify, £112. The kit is smart, the process feels luxe and, once you have the hang of gluing and clamping the strip of silky lashes in place, they’ll stay put for seven days. We are addicted.
Hide and chic
From the tiniest dot to barely-there tips, the micro-mani is here to stay. Session manicurist Ama Quashie calls the look ‘minimal, but strong and intentional’. For her the key is in the prep work, which includes buffing, filing and cuticle grooming. Then, ‘a sheer nude base evens out the nail colour and gives a clean finish,’ says Betina Goldstein, Chanel’s go-to nail artist and reigning queen of delicate designs. Polishes jump on the hybrid train we currently see in make-up, fusing colour and care with formulas that strengthen and nourish; add accents in clouded jades and blues for an understated hint of hue.
Eternal flames
Smart candles are always a treat, but now that we’re spending more time at home (is it an office, is it a bolthole?) we’re more likely to light them than just admire them. Here are the latest to covet; lovely to look at, even better to burn.
Rose reinvented
‘I like rose, but I never wear it,’ is something we hear often at Red and we’d agree were it not for this new wave of reimagined roses, none of them predictable and none prim. Flower By Kenzo EDT, from £41, is fresh and clean; a substitute for your favourite citrus scent. Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Rose, from £49, is frothy and bright, while Sisley Izia La Nuit, from £94.50, is a sleek, warm pot pourri of a perfume, with vanilla, cardamom and amber (from 15th February). Also with vanilla and syrupy resin, Armani Sì Eau de Parfum Intense, from £60, is cosy and intense (from 24th February).
In the garden
There’s always room for florals on our spring moodboards, but this season, the mood is more Poison Ivy than Thumbelina: fearlessly cool with poppy red shades, electric fuchsias and not a pastel in sight. ‘I thought of Hitchcock heroines with their vintage cat eyes,’ says Fara Homidi, the make-up artist behind Ferragamo’s crimson flicks. ‘Swapping black for red or pink has a rebellious twist. These are the shades that grace our faces when we feel extremes: love, anger, even orgasm. I think we’ll be embracing those colours after the year we’ve just had.’ Blushes with red undertones feel modern, not twee. ‘Apply where you would naturally flush after a run,’ says NARS lead artist Rachel Hardie. At Erdem, she layered a mix of liquid blushes underneath a dusting of NARS Exhibit A Blush, £25, for a soft-focus finish. For lips, look to garden blooms for inspiration, from striking red begonia to moody black dahlias – the choice is yours.
‘Vibrant colour is exactly what we need right now, and these bright shades hark back to the great outdoors.’ Val Garland, global make-up director for L’oréal Paris
Sunny days ahead
Sunkissed looks have us longing for escape – or at least, a holiday glow. Everything starts with the skin, says Bobbi Brown’s artist-in-residence, Romy Soleimani. At Ulla Johnson, she brought in a soft and outdoorsy freshness with a thorough massage and a good dollop of Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm, £45, applied on cheeks and around the perimeter of the face. For a believably bronze base colour, make-up artist Kenneth Soh likes self-tan applied the night before, and (as Soleimani does) prefers blotting sheets to powders, to minimise shine without an extra layer of product. Since even the barest looks need definition, Soleimani creates natural depth around the eye with taupes, greys and muted browns with a slight sheen. Finish with feathery brows and defined (not dramatic) lashes. Oh, and a glossy lip tint, because nothing says happy like a popsicle-stained lip.
‘Concentrate blush high on the cheeks and across the nose, as if you’ve caught the sun in a natural, youthful way.’ Hiromi Ueda, make-up artist at Alberta Ferretti