We’re only just hit the three month mark in 2018 and so far, we’ve gawked at athletes’ talent in the Winter Olympics, rocked some velvet, and binge-ate popcorn while watching Black Panther. 2018 has also brought new makeup trends consisting of bright pastels, glowy highlights, and (most importantly) glitter. Over the course of a week, I tried out a new trend every day. Here are my thoughts on some of 2018’s biggest makeup trends to date:
Day 1: Colored Inner Corners
I definitely started the week off right with this trend! I absolutely love adding a pop of color in the inner corners. You can add a bold-colored eyeshadow for an extra pop, but if you’re looking for a subtler look, many companies produce highlighters in baby pink, sky blue, and lilac tones. Even these softer colors make a hard impact. I used Dirty Little Secret’s baked highlighter in “BELLISMA” in my inner corners and only used neutral matte shades on the rest of my eyes. The bright pink shade with gold flecks really brought attention to my eyes, giving a doe-eyed effect. If you’re looking for an easy spring look, I would highly recommend trying this out.
Day 2: Gold Highlighter
After Fenty Beauty released the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, gold highlights have been all the rage. Everyone’s been wanting a highlighter that makes them shine to the heavens, but Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty took highlighting to the next level. To be honest, this trend was a bit more challenging for me to mimic. I’m extremely pale with a neutral/cool undertone, so it was hard to find a gold highlight that wouldn’t be too dark or too yellow on my skin tone. After searching through my drawers of highlights and reflective eyeshadows, I finally picked up my Nyx Go-To Palette in “WANDERLUST” and found that the gold eyeshadow makes the perfect golden highlight for my skin tone. I typically go for champagne or pink tone highlighters, so the gold was a pleasant change for me. This look screams summer and adds the most gorgeous glow.
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Day 3: Glitter
I’m obsessed with glitter and so happy to see that it’s a trend this year! The great thing about glitter is that you can pretty much put it anywhere on your face and add as much or as little as you want (just make sure you use cosmetic glitter that’s meant for your face). For my look, I put a metallic gold eyeshadow across my entire lid, added a crease color, and defined my outer V with a dark brown. I then patted Wet n’ Wild’s Color Icon Glitter Single in “Brass” all over my lid and inner corner. This look was extremely fun to wear and I got a lot of compliments on my makeup. The glitter added just a little extra to the look without going overboard.
Day 4: Glossy Lips
A year or two ago, you couldn’t get away from matte lipstick. Now it’s the opposite. Glossy lips are everywhere. To make your lips stand out, beauty experts recommend keeping the rest of your look matte. To replicate the trend, I did the same and added just enough highlight to give myself a glow, without becoming overwhelming. I added the Steve Laurant Lip Oil in “Orchid” over theBalm’s Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in “Committed”. I’m definitely a matte lipstick girl, so I loved switching it up was a nice change. I also like using a lip oil better than a lip gloss because lip oils tend to be less sticky than a typical gloss.
Day 5: Bright Red Lipstick
Bright red lipstick has been around for years and every girl has her go-to shade of red. In early 2018, bright shades of red have been seen everywhere. This trend was another good change for me. Even though I’m a lipstick junkie, I pretty much stick to nudes for every day, so swapping out a cool-toned nude for a bright, warm red was a little intimidating for me. I wore the Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in “Legendary” for the day. Although it was out of my comfort zone, I really liked the change and the bright color.
Day 6: Reverse Eyeliner
The name makes this trend sound complicated, but I promise it’s not. Reverse eyeliner simply means placing a colored eyeliner or shadow on your lower lash line. I stuck with neutral shades for my eyeshadow so the color would stand out before swiping the NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Purple and blending it in. As you’re blending it in, swipe outward at the corners. This look is another fun way to add a little pop of color. You can keep it neutral, or go bright to bring a extra attention to your eyes.
BONUS: Try using shades that compliment your eye colors for a little extra oomph.
Day 7: Thumbprint Eyeliner
Thumbprint eyeliner has appeared on celebrities like Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga in 2017, but in 2018, this trend hit the runways. It’s a change from the traditional sharp cat eye, but it’s a lot easier to do. Just make sure that the edges stay rounded, rather than straight, with your favorite liquid eyeliner. One piece of advice I have is to really keep it rounded out. That way it won’t look like your eyeliner wings are sharp, but that it actually gives the appearance of a thumb print.While a lot of these trends were a little out of my comfort zone, I ended up loving the majority of them, especially colored inner-corner highlights and gold highlighter. It will be interesting to see where 2018 will take makeup next.