This year beauty trends take individualistic, expressive nature

In recent years, we have been going through a rollercoaster of beauty trends that have emerged.

Influenced by the end of the pandemic and the world opening up, between 2021 and 2022 we have armed ourselves with smoky black liner, welcomed a bit of nostalgia, fallen into a second wave of Euphoria makeup obsession, immersed every inch of our faces in sparkling glitter and reintroduced ourselves to bold colour. 

As we enter 2023, the excitable nature of beauty post-pandemic has calmed down and takes on a more individualistic, expressive nature where trends dare us to try something new, explore a different aesthetic, step out of our comfort zones, strip back makeup to just skin or one subtle focal point or experiment with usual hybrid shades of colour.

Makeup: Bleached Brows & Spidery Lashes

Seen at: Givenchy, Prada

Last year, hair accessories seemed to be a little “out of sight, out of mind” but if the Roberto Cavalli show is anything to go by, the headband may experience an elegant comeback in 2023.  Sparkling, bejewelled slogan hair clips and tiara-like bands take a backseat as oversized headbands in braided satin finishes take centre stage and give an elegant, slightly retro-vacation feel to otherwise simple hairstyles, such as sleek back low buns or ponytails.

Makeup: Faux Pierced

Seen at: K-Way, AC9

While the era of Euphoria rhinestones and facial embellishments opened the doors to sparkle and shine, it looks like sparkle is rising in 2023 and tapping into a more “badass, edgy era” with faux piercings and face jewellery that allow piercing commitment-phobes to borrow the aesthetic for a day.  Seen on the runways of the K-Way and AC9 shows, models were sent out with variations of faux piercings, from septum rings, lip rings and nose bridge cuffs to delicate stick-on metal ring hardware to add just the right amount of sparkle in the inner corners of the eyes.