I’ve spent decades in this industry watching make-up trends come and go. Remember wafer-thin brows which looked like they were drawn on with a quick swipe of a pencil? And who can forget the electric blue eyeshadow looks of the 80s, partnered perfectly with equally-bold rouge lipstick.
Some trends are exciting; some clever and genuinely move things forward. Whilst some were never designed for real skin in the first place.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: you don’t need to keep up with make-up trends - they’re ever-changing, in ways which somehow always leave you feeling like you haven’t quite perfected it.
What you need to know is what works for you. Especially as your skin changes over time.
Visions of trends don’t age but skin does
Trends are created in studios with perfect lighting, heavy filters, and usually featuring faces that offer less expression than a mannequin. Yes, trends are designed to get your attention, but not necessarily to live on your skin for a full day.
Real skin has texture. Movement. It tells a story like those beautiful smile lines which result from years of stomach-aching laughter with friends.
And that’s where many trends quietly fall apart. Ultra-matte finishes that cling to dryness, heavy contour that settles into lines and over-layering that looks flawless for a photo… and unforgiving in real life.
Some trends age beautifully whilst others simply don’t translate. But that’s not a failure on our part - it’s a failure of the trend.
Make-up should work with our skin, not against it
As we get older, our skin doesn’t need more effort - it needs more understanding. Hydration matters more than coverage alone, light matters more than layers and comfort more than correction. Yet so many trends ignore this entirely.
They forget that our skin moves, such as when we pull faces in group selfies or how it softens with warmth when our adult-child surprises us with a big hug. Skin moves throughout the day, as it is meant to with human connection.
Make-up should enhance how we feel and provide us with confidence every time we apply it, not make us hyper-aware of every line by lunchtime.
Quietly rebelling against “one-size-fits-all” beauty
I’ve never believed that beauty itself has an expiry date or a rulebook we're meant to follow. We don’t suddenly stop wanting to feel confident, polished, or put-together because we’ve had more birthdays. What does change is what we need from our make-up.
Choosing products that support our skin rather than chasing every new trend, isn’t giving up. It’s clear and confident to know ourselves well enough to say, this works for me. That, to me, is the most modern approach of all.
Choosing what lasts on our skin and in our lives
Make-up trends will keep coming. Some will be fun to play with and some will be worth adapting but none of them should dictate how we feel about our face.
Our skin deserves formulas that respect it and routine deserves products that earn their place. We deserve make-up that still looks beautiful when the filters are gone. We don't need filters!
So let's forget the trends that don’t serve us and choose what works and lasts. Make-up that understands real skin, will never go out of style.
Until next time...
Love, Gx
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