This Month In Beauty

While the rest of the world basks in the sun, in NZ it’s still sweater weather. Winter comes with its own set of woes. Good news? It also brings new trends and products to add to our vanity case! Let’s have a quick look at some of the winter favourites for the year 2019.

Let’s start with the fall-winter trends for 2019- 2020

ARTSY EYELASHES: 

Just curling them and slathering on mascara won’t do. It’s time to up your lash game! Think neon, pastel, glittery or even rainbow lashes. Extra-long extensions for both the upper and the lower lid. For the ones who aren’t afraid to embrace bold trends, you can even try the double lash trend. It kind of borders on brazen and bizarre, but we do think it could hit a sweet spot when it comes to over-the-top trends this season. 

RED LIPS: 

A red pout is hardly a new trend, what’s new this season is that it goes matte and takes the centre-stage while the rest of the face stays kind of washed up and pale thanks to mineral make-up. To turn it up a notch pair it with strong eyes for the double whammy effect. 

COME UNDONE: 

For the women who like their style to be au naturale, this trend should be right up your alley! When it comes to styling your hair, experts are going with “caution-to-the-wind” approach. It’s all about embracing the natural texture of your hair. Giving it a natural air-dried look – the more unkempt the better! Think fly-away bangs, baby hair, bed hair for inspiration. 

PAINT A CANVAS: 

One of the striking trends of this season is splashes of colour across one’s brows, cheeks, and lips. The effect is more like a modern art painting where splashes of paint breathe life into the canvas. The way to go is to mix and mash pastels or poppy hues smeared across the lid in no particular order, imitating the strokes of a paintbrush. While we agree this trend is not for the faint-hearted; but giving it a whirl for a hen party or on a girls night out could be a good way to mix it up. 

THE DISCO DIVA 

The 80s are back! In fact, we aren’t really sure if they ever left us completely. Season after season we see the revival of 80s trends. This year is no different. Think disco makeup – loud eyes with glitter or metallic shadows, paired with a striking lip in a poppy colour. The trick to this trend is to watch 80s cult movies and then channel your inner Madonna! 

STRONG BROWS 

We must say, this is one trend that we think every woman should give a try! Strong brows can hardly go wrong. You can achieve this look by using brow gel and a brow brush. Look at Cara Delevinge for inspiration. Feathered brows might have been a disaster but flaunting a carefully filled in brow is uber sexy. Another way to go is to sport the ‘half brow’. This effect can be achieved by masking the ends of the brows so that only the first half is visible. The result is somewhat futuristic looking. Play with it at your own risk. 

BARELY THERE MAKE-UP 

We must say, this trend has been going strong for at least two seasons now. It’s a welcome change of pace from the OTT trends of the season. To get this look, concealer will be your best friend – skip the foundation, hide blemishes and spots with a touch of concealer. Neutral eyes, mascara, lip balm and some blush is all it takes to give this trend a go. Another plus side? It is super time-effective!

SMOKY EYES

One can’t argue with the fact that this is the go-to trend for almost any kind of soiree, we’ve seen celebrities rock it on the red carpet, on the party scene, this trend is also commonly sported at weddings – it is somewhat of a classic. This season it’s worn with a touch of eyeliner, a neutral face and with the hair sleeked back!

Winter wreaks havoc on the skin, cold air, strong winds, constant fluctuating temperatures from the cold outdoors to the warm indoors. This leaves your skin dry, itching, dull and lacking moisture. Hence, adopting a routine that is season appropriate is essential to keep your skin glowing and beautiful. Let’s look at some of the essential beauty products to add to your kitty to keep the winter worries away.

FACE MOISTURIZER 

If you were to pick one product to go with, this would be the one! A face moisturiser is a simple fix to your hydration wows. Unlike summer, your winter face moisturiser should be heavy and deeply moisturizing. Make sure you pick a non-comedogenic one, you don’t want to be blocking those pores! 

Neutrogena, Olay, La  Roche –Posay are all drug store brands that are season-appropriate while being budget-friendly! 

FACIAL OILS 

Winter is also a good season to bring out all your facial oils. As the environment is highlymoisture stripping, facial oils can come in handy for that much-needed moisture fix. Pick oils that don’t block the pores and are hypoallergenic. Facial oils are tricky as they don’t suit all skin types. Hence remember to pick on with caution. If you get acne breakouts. It means the one you’ve chosen does not work for you. In this case, you might want to try a hydrating serum instead. 

EXFOLIATE 

Weekly or bi-weekly exfoliators can also work wonders for your skin. Remember to pick a mild one for your face. You don’t want to overdo this step as it can lead to itchy, irritated skin. There are plenty of drug-store options available. But we think it is best to use a home-made recipe. 

HAIR CARE

At last, we turn to maintaining your mane! Winter strips your lush locks of moisture, hence frizzy, dry hair is a common complaint in winters. The fix is simple, go in for deep-conditioning treatments. Avoid over-shampooing your hair and give co-washing a try. Remember, while picking the hair-colouring products, pick the ones that have restoring properties. Avoid bleaching your hair under any circumstances!