SR Therapies

Glitter, filler and neon French tips: The death of natural beauty

‘So I need to get a French tip for a wedding but I don’t want it to be plain.’

‘

Oh no, definitely inject some colour – maybe do a neon tip?’

Ideas went back and forth in the group chat, but one thing that was fiercely agreed upon: no classic French manicure.

If we’re having our nails done in 2022, we want the world to know we had our nails done.

‘Give ’em something to stare at’ is part of the vibe shift in makeup – whether you’re a full-beat glam kinda gal or love a fresh ‘clean’ modern face.

Mimicking natural skin isn’t the aim anymore – even if you think it is.

Think of the glass skin trend, for example. It’s an incredibly heightened version of naturally healthy skin and communicates that you are glowing and light-reflecting.

Other signs of a move away from the ‘natural’ look include graphic liner, Instagram feeds filled with nail art, playful duochrome hues and oversized lips.

Euphoria is at once a source of makeup inspiration and a reminder of how normalised tweakments such as filler have become (looking at Faye, played by Chloe Cherry) in modern beauty.

Provided by Metro The look says… LIPS (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Obvious is in, and it looks good.

Terry Barber, director of makeup artistry at MAC Cosmetics, feels this a sign of subversion.

‘Experimentation, combined with a new sense of effortlessness and individualism, almost harking back to the subcultural movements of the 80s and 90s, feels like a definite revolt against the overly technical, airbrushed beauty championed in the last decade,’ he tells Metro.co.uk.

‘It’s the new cool.’

Cool it is. When makeup artist Donni Davy announced the launch of Half Magic Beauty, working alongside the Euphoria team, beauty lovers went wild. Bold multi-purpose pigments and glitters?

Yes please.

Other makeup artists such as Danessa Myricks have grown in popularity too, with her key product a series of paints you can mix together to create a custom look, anywhere over the eyes, lips and cheeks.

Using her products feels like an art in itself, and people want that painterly creativity.

Terry says: ‘Beauty is much bolder now as we’re more interested in attitude rather than perceived perfection.

‘It’s an open playing field for influences with everything from past subcultures to current pop culture resulting in a way more eclectic approach to how we use beauty.

‘The craze for makeup on shows like Euphoria was a perfect example of this. It’s a fascination with living in your own beauty space with a new freedom and definitely not being generic.’

That’s not to say ‘natural’ beauty doesn’t have its place anymore, but the once-adored Glossier no-makeup-makeup days seem to be on a hiatus.

It was revealed the brand laid off 80 staff members in January – perhaps a sign of the company losing relevance.

Reference: Metro: Tanyel Mustafa