Thanks to TikTok the beauty industry, which was already susceptible to everchanging fads, has been sent into trend overdrive. It feels as if there’s a new “something”-core or niche identity-based makeup look (crying girl makeup, cold girl makeup, divine feminine makeup - the list goes on) popping up almost daily. Heck, apparently the latest thing is surgically removing the buccal fat from our cheeks. Don’t get us wrong - we’re not above it. So if you, like us, get a
- The skinstreaming movement
As we are in a recession, streamlining skincare or “Skinstreaming” will be big for 2023. As we move away from multiple products in our skincare regime, Founder of London’s leading medical spa chain EF Medispa and OMNI Skincare Esther Fieldgrass believes, “the need for just 2-4 products that combine a number of hero ingredients will be at the top of everyone’s wish list. This will include products that provide optimum results with minimal irritation to ensure a healthy skin barrier, which will continue to be a focus for 2023.” So cut the fat out of your regime this year and invest in good quality products, like OMNI PM Rejuvenating & Restoring Night cream (efskin.com; £85) that contains Vitamin A, Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid.
2. “Notox” treatments
Trend forecasters WGSN recently released key skincare trends for 2023. At the top of their list was, unsurprisingly, “tweakments”, but not the ones you’re probably thinking over. Next year fillers and other injectables like botox will be replaced by noninvasive treatments such as LED facials and skin rejuvenations, as well as “notox” products and devices designed to replicate the effects of cosmetic procedures without the cost, pain, and downtime. Whether that be Frownies Patches (frownies.co.uk; £28.95), which is a wrinkle-smoothing patch to prevent forehead and other facial wrinkles. Or Dr Dennis Gross DRX spectralite faceware pro (cultbeauty.co.uk; £344), which is a medical-grade facial mask that uses red and blue LED light therapy to help stimulate natural cell production and restoration.
3. Rejecting the male gaze in lieu of “ugly beauty”
From global popstar Doja Cat shaving her head and experimenting with avant garde full-face gold makeup looks, clapping back at haters that: "I wasn’t trying to look sexy or attractive. All of my makeup has a story and there are absolutely 0 rules and if there were, you wouldn’t be the one making them." To international IT girl Julia Fox declaring: “Fuck it. I want to be ugly at this point. Would that be the ultimate rebellion? For a woman not to be pleasant on the eye,” in her Perfect Magazine cover story. Beauty in 2023 will be about going against the grain and choosing self-expression over conventional attractiveness. Think clumpy mascara, smudged lipstick, messy eyeshadow and, above all, centering fun - not the male gaze - in our makeup looks.
4. Coquette makeup looks
According to Beauty Pie’s new data, “coquette make-up” has seen popularity increase by 1,690%. Still, despite its rising popularity, don’t be worried if you’re thinking what on earth this is. Born from the depths of tumblr, the coquette aesthetic is all about not only embracing hyper femininity. But with 2022 seeing the reclamation of Bimbohood as a socially aware, politically engaged person, as well as the building hype around Greta Gerwigs’s feminist cult classic Barbie, it’s also about being empowered by it.
So how does this translate to make up? A quick #coquette search across TikTok or Pinterest will return the same faces of the trend, namely Lana Del Rey, Anya Taylor-Joy, Lily-Rose Depp and Cindy Kimberly. All of whose makeup shares the same few traits: flawless bases, soft natural pinks and blush, innocent doe eyes, sultry blurred lips, and delicately wispy lashes. To achieve this look at home, invest in Dior Lip Oil (dior.com; £30), Beauty Pie Supercheek Cream Blush (beautypie.com, £30)and Jill Stuart Beauty (jillstuart-beauty.com) whose adorable packaging which belongs on Marie Antoinette’s dressing table will help fulfill the coquette fantasy.
5. Animal-themed haircuts
What do wolves, butterflies, octopuses and jellyfish all have in common? Weirdly, they’re actually all types of haircuts. What’s more, they’re becoming extremely sought after. According to Beauty Pie, searches for the butterfly haircut have increased by 12,432%, while searches for the Octopus haircut have increased by 6,104%. It’s easy to see why - spotted on stars like Hailee Steinfeld, Addison Rae and Jennifer Lopez, the butterfly haircut is a bouncy, face-framing, voluminous layered look that has so much movement it resembles the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings. While the octopus haircut is a modern update on the 70s shag, think: choppy, visible layers that almost look like octopus tentacles, as seen on the likes of Billie Eilish. So get ready to take photos of animals as references to your next hair appointment.
6. The microbangs comeback
I know what you’re thinking, microbangs - yes, the super-short fringes that reach an inch or two down your forehead - should remain banished in beauty purgatory. But hear us out. Thanks to ultra cool A-listers like Alexa Demie, Zendaya, Zoe Kravitz and Taylor Russell, who have all sported incredibly chic microbangs on the red carpet, we’re predicting a resurgence in the contentious style. Plus remember what we said earlier - 2023 is all about prioritising fun in our beauty looks, not necessarily how flattering they are.
