So far, 2016 has had us all doing crazy things “in the name of beauty.” Despite being a year of beauty breakthroughs, 2016 has bared witness to some unique, unorthodox (and quite often bizarre) fads that have both rocked and shocked the beauty community. Whether you’ve been lured in by the glitter roots trend, or tempted to try your hand at clown contouring, we’ve all experienced the itch to find out if these crazy trends really, truly work.
So in the spirit of good-humour, we have compiled a list of 2016’s wackiest beauty trends from the weird and wonderful to the downright disturbing. So without further ado, welcome to the brilliant big ball of crazy that is the beauty industry.
1. Glitter Roots
Source: Instagram
Beginning further down on the ‘bizarro’ scale, glitter roots has certainly made an impact throughout social media and on the festival scene. This dreamy, space-age look has been seen on the likes of celebrities Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora, as well as being embraced by the Insta-community most notoriously beautycoach_com and tashaleelyn. While also providing a fun solution to that pesky regrowth, glitter roots has injected some well-deserved excitement into Summer 2016 and with some luck will make a return in festival edits next year.
2. Aquarium Nails
Source: Pinterest
Brought to popularity by the Facebook page of the Vietnamese talkshow 2! Idol, these beautiful “aquarium” nails are the next big manicure trend to hit social media. Like tiny snow-globe scenes for your nails, the effect is created by injecting water, baby oil and glitter between two clear acrylic nails then sealing it off with an extra-strength glue. Naturally, it takes quite some skill and the Pinterest fails have been racking up, but when done correctly these ‘aquarium’ nails will have you preaching #mermaidgoals in no time.
3. Clown Contouring
Source: Youtube
Also to make a splash on social media this year was Clown Contouring; your new weird and wonderful solution to acing that perfectly chiselled cheekbone every time. Starting as a joke in response to some particularly nasty internet trolling, the Youtube beauty guru Belladelune uses a combination of cream bronzers, highlighters and blushes to create her clownish masterpiece. Then (as if by magic) blends to reveal a perfectly sculpted makeup look.
4. Baking
Source: Pinterest
A year or so ago, a desire to “bake” one’s face would surely have the likes of Mary Berry fleeing from the Bake Off tent. However as enlightened individuals of 2016, you may recognise facial ‘baking’ as a new craze sweeping Instagram and Youtube. The method involves packing translucent powder onto your foundation/concealer at places where highlighter would usually be applied (under eye area, top of cheekbones, bridge of the nose), leaving to “bake” for 5-10 minutes, then slowly dusting of the excess to reveal a flawless complexion. Not kidding, this actually works. Give it a try, your highlight will be thanking me later.
5. Red Lipstick Concealer
Source: Youtube
Dark circles are unfortunately one pesky problem that all of us battle with. But fear not, my friend! For the beauty community has once again provided us with another wacky DIY to colour-correct those bruised bags: red lipstick concealer. According to vlogger Deepica Mutyalah, simply apply your favourite stick of rouge to your under-eye as you would your regular concealer, then apply your concealer over the top. In short, the red pigment in the lipstick neutralises the green/blue appearance of the shadows, causing your under-eyes to appear less dark and puffy. I know, who knew right?
6. Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge
Source: Instagram
After the Kylie Jenner transformation scandal of ‘14, Kylie’s luscious lips have had tweens, teens and twenty-somethings alike reaching towards shot glasses in envy. Yet not to drink away their problems, but to try their hand at the new Kylie Jenner lip challenge. The challenge involves sucking on a shot glass (bottle top, empty deodorant canister- the list is endless), thus creating a tight vacuum that draws the blood to the surface, making your lips bloat. Though it continues to rise in popularity, the challenge has been medically categorised as unsafe. Leading dermatologic surgeon Dr. Dendy Engelman remarks that “not only can significant pain, swelling and bruising result from these suction techniques but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts”. Best stick to those lip plumpers then.
7. Waist Training
Source: Instagram
Also popularised by the Kardashian clan is the trend of waist training; the body-shaping technique that uses the Victorian corset method to mould your body into an hourglass silhouette. Tried and tested by the likes of Kim Kardashian-West, Jessica Alba and Dita Von Teese, the sales of waist-training corsets reached an all-time high in 2016 and once again caused serious medical debate about the safety of the waist-cinching contraptions themselves. Experts have questioned the prolonged use of the corset (many manufacturers recommend wearing the waist trainer from between 8-12 hours daily) which could over time dislodge organs, break bones and cause intestinal trauma.
8. Genital Make-up
Source: Amazon
Yes, you heard me correctly. In an industry that caters itself towards being the best version of you, why shouldn’t we have products that make “bumping uglies” a little less ugly? Well thanks to Mil Mari Ltd, a manufacturer of genital beauty products, this dream for many became reality. Although now removed from sites like Amazon due to public mocking, the company supplied everything from ‘rosy hue’ labia dye to penis concealing and contouring products.
9. Sperm Facials
Source: Youtube
DIY facials have for a long while now been a popular, natural, and inexpensive way to rejuvenate the skin. However, youthful grandmother Stella Ralfini believes she has found the key to ‘eternal youth’ in her usage of homemade semen facials. Although you may wince, semen itself is actually extremely high in antioxidants (molecules that inhibit oxidation) that are currently praised for slowing down the aging process. So while initially, Granny Ralfini may have seemed a few sandwiches short of a picnic, her sperm facials may have more sense behind them than you actually think.
10. Bagel Foreheads
One of 2016’s most disturbing fads is by far this little gem that’s been really big on the Japanese art scene: Bagel forehead modification. This is achieved by injecting saline solution underneath the skin on the forehead, inflating it enough so that an indentation can be made in the centre, thus achieving the ‘desired’ bagel-esque appearance. Thankfully, the bagel effect only lasts between 18-24 hours. The mental scarring of having your face mutate into a giant bagel however, may persist in the long-term.