A renewed focus on sustainability, mood-boosting make-up and new takes on a classic are setting the tone for the year ahead
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When it comes to seminal moments in beauty, 2022 may well be the year of the ‘anti-trend’. We are living in unprecedented times and yet again experiencing the kinetic force of being ripped back into more Covid restrictions. So it’s no wonder wellness and self-care are still having a major moment and even make-up is leaning on psychology for its feel-good vibes.
Globally, the skincare market is now estimated to be worth €152 billion by 2025 — proof perhaps that anti-inflammatory skincare is filling the void left behind by a slash of bright red lipstick. That’s not to say, however, that there aren’t some exciting looks and innovations ready to inject joy into 2022. These are the ones capturing our imagination right now:
Purple blush
If pink and peach blusher are too saccharine for your taste, the colour purple and its cool winter flush should appeal. Given it sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, purple is deemed a colour-corrector in make-up, making dull, sallow skin look impossibly luminous. And so it is with purple blush. Don’t let the bold hue in the compact put you off – the right shade, applied with a soft touch, makes winter skin sing. A good rule of thumb for light to medium skin is to choose a lilac hue, while deeper tones can indulge in velvety purple and mauve-tinged burgundy shades.
Also read: The best blusher for every complexion
Mauve blushes to try
‘Plastic’ lip gloss
We’re not talking actual plastic, of course, but a lacquered, vinyl finish using a staple from the 90s: lip gloss. With studies linking nostalgia to feelings of security, reduced stress and social connectedness, revisiting lipgloss as a make-up staple is something worth paying attention to. Then there’s the modern glosses themselves. Lipgloss has grown up with refined formulas that deliver shine without being so gloopy your hair gets stuck to your lips.
Get glossy
Wellness over everything
While skincare and makeup will always be at the forefront of beauty, for this new year we’re seeing (and expect to see even more) the continued rise of a wellness and wellbeing focus on the beauty side of things. From meditation to emotional health, sleep and once again work-life balance, this is possibly one of the best trends that has risen in popularity. Combine that with the tiktok Villain and Bimbo eras and one gets itself a society that is focused on holistically bettering themselves through different practices and philosophies. Because at the end of the day, all the skincare in the world won't be able to help against emotional, internal affections.
Waterless beauty and Powdered Skincare
Two trends in one, we already introduced you to the waterless beauty phenomenon back in October with brands including Noomi Stockholm and Oquist Cosmetics leading the charge in Scandinavia. To recap: water is a filler ingredient that adds volume to a skincare product. Given two-thirds of the world’s population may face shortages by 2025, according to the World Wildlife Fund, it’s not a sustainable option. In 2022 expect to see more powdered skincare options, as well as just-add-water formulas that activate the ingredients with minimal H20 at home.
On top of that, while we’re used to seeing skincare in liquid, cream or even paste form, for this new year we expect a rise in powdered form self-care. Powders, who are amazing at preserving the integrity and effectiveness of active ingredients that tend to oxidise or become unstable when combined with carriers or other ingredients, are becoming more popular due to their easy use and high effectiveness (besides the sort of DIY angle they add to one’s routine).
