The biggest makeup trends in 2023

I love playing around with different makeup styles whenever I get the opportunity so I’m always curious to know what trends are coming up, especially what we can see being huge throughout the year. Makeup inspiration is of course everywhere, from runway shows, to Instagram and TikTok, to TV shows, so it can be hard to keep track of what’s what. This is why I decided to turn to my good friend and go-to makeup artist, Michael Brown who always keeps me abreast of what’s happening in the world of makeup and beauty. When it comes to trends in 2023, it might be time to embrace the 90s and farewell to that contour brush, while it seems a minimalist foundation approach and upping the gloss factor when it comes to lips is going to be top of mind.

Skin-like Foundation

Continuing the no makeup/makeup trend, we are seeing an even bigger pushing to bare faces. Skincare-like tints are IN. Dewy, fresh, less matte full coverage skin is all the rage in 2023

This is also with the rise of skincare knowledge —good skin = less makeup!

Tip: If you have a foundation that is more matte or full coverage and don’t want to splash out on a new purchase, just add a drop of your favourite hydrating serum and mix, this will give that skin-like finish.

Shadow Winged Liner

We saw a big rise in winged liner in recent times, this is still a thing, as it really can define and elongate the eyes! But rather than sometimes struggling with a liquid liner, we are seeing more of a ‘lived in’ eyeshadow applied wing, allowing for a little less polish and more ease in application.

Tip: Use a thin-tipped brush to apply a deeper tone shadow on the top lash line and extend where a wing would go. It’s a good idea to try and do this when your eyes are open, to give a realistic take on placement as you don’t walk around with your eyes closed. Using the upward angle from your lower lash line can be a great guide into the correct placement of a winged look. Blend and smudge with ease, using a shadow.

Vinyl Lips

YAY! I personally am over the matte ‘dry lip’ look. Yes, we have come along way when it comes to matte textures, being more creamy, but unless your lips are so juicy and hydrated, a matte just looks, well matte and often very dry by the end of the day.

Big, bold, juicy, fresh and shine is your lip trend for 2023.

Tip: If you are worried about shine/gloss going everywhere or creeping into lip edge fine lines, just applying gloss or a ‘sheen’ style lipstick on the very centre part of the lip is all you need to get that vinyl look—but go bold in colour to really complete this lip effect.

Brow Art

Brows are kind of always on trend lists, lately for big, fluffy, gel and soap brows being a ‘thing’ but now we are seeing lots of creativity.

From bleach brows (it’s a no from me) or even just lightening them slightly with lighter brow gels than your brow colour, it’s all the rage to add some art and design to brows.

Thin brows are slightly creeping in, thanks to the 90s comeback, but for me it’s not necessarily going thinner, just a more accentuated arch.

Tip: Using a brow product – I am loving the felt-tip brow pens at the moment – accentuate and exaggerate the arch of your brow to create focus. Then, especially for deeper toned brows, try a brow gel lighter than your brows so brow hair can catch the light to give a different dimension.

Go Grunge

Yes, we are seeing it everywhere, a nod to the 90s.

Now we aren’t saying go the full Ghoul Girl trend, as seen on TikTok, but less ‘pretty’ and ‘sparkly’ makeup is a thing. We were obsessed with ‘Euphoria beauty’ last year with face embellishments and metallic eyes, which had a pretty cool girl vibe, now we are seeing a lived-in, smudged black liner, raw fresh skin vibe – think Kate Moss or Courtney Love in the 90s.

Tip: This look is fresh, but with no colour. Think a black pencil liner, smudged up into your eyelid with a brush for a lived-in smoky vibe, less blush, but still fresh beautiful skin.

Lashes On Lashes

With a big decline on false lashes and eye lash extensions (thank god), especially as a nod to the 90s comes into play, we are still seeing big, thick, almost chunky lashes, but with mascara.

That lived-in trend is also on mascara, so using a double or triple layer technique, building up big thickness, rather than the prettiness or overly styled long lashes from falsies or extensions, mascara brands are going BIG this year.

Tip: For this to really work, curl your lashes first then use a lash/brow comb to make sure you still have big, yet full, but separated lashes.

Hyper Glow Skin

So, we know that the super raw, fresh faced, tint like skin is in and we are seeing way less contour and bronzer used in makeup trends – I mean probably a good thing, as faces were starting to look muddy!

The glow factor we all love hasn’t changed, well in terms of placement – on an area you want to enhance and bring forward – it’s the textures that have changed.

Powder highlights are out, unless they are super fresh, creamy-like and no shimmer. Fresh, mirror-like, reflective but less shimmer is in to make skin look so transparent and glassy, this will give you a natural contour, now that bronzer contour is fading.

Tip: Always apply highlighter to the frontal points of the face, where light will hit naturally first… Peak of brow, cheekbones, centre of nose, cupids bow of the lip etc. But, if you are naturally a shiny/oily person, make sure you balance this glow with a touch of powder in the shiny/oily T-Zone areas.