Sometimes I scroll through the runway photos of the models during fashion week and think to myself, “How could someone have thought that was fashionable?” Other than the clothes, the makeup trends can sometimes be….well, out there and not so wearable. I decided to try them out and see what wearing the runway makeup trends are truly like in the everyday. I kept the base look for all these trends very similar: light contour, natural blush, defined eyes and just added the trend.
1. Gold Highlighter
I started with baby steps. I went for something more wearable to ease myself in. This trend caught on quickly for every makeup lover when Rihanna came out with her Fenty beauty line and the famous gold trophy wife highlighter. I found a cheaper dupe for hers, Revolution Beauty’s Strobe highlighter in Gold Addict. I was totally not used to wearing highlighter with my everyday look, so this definitely was on the edge of my comfort zone. I thought it would look too intense. And once I put it on, I was right.
It was intense, but I absolutely loved it. It looked great in the sun and lasted all day. I felt super shimmery and confident with this trend on and would definitely recommend it to others.
2. Glittery Eyes
Highlight was one thing. But glitter on the eyes is a whole other makeup skill that I have never attempted before. I wasn’t sure if I should buy glue or a special primer or just put it on my lid with no other product. I decided to experiment with what I had. I went to Ulta and found an eye glitter in the clearance section for $4! I put down a base layer of eye shadow and mixed my face primer with the glitter to see if it would stick…that did not work. I used a brush…that did not work either. I turned to the oldest makeup brush in the book, my finger. It stuck very well with minimal fallout. I was impressed. The glitter stayed all day. It was completely a dramatic look I would never normally go for. I was definitely shining during the day in the sun and caught most people’s eye with the reflection. But the look was perfect for my evening event. I got lots of compliments on it.
3. Colored Eyeliner on the Lower Lash Line
I took a step back today and went for something in my comfort zone. I found this pop of color under the eyes was an easy way to add a little something extra into my everyday (sometimes basic) makeup routine. I went with purple but any color eyeliner with work. It was that little something extra that made people do a double take when they noticed something different.
This was the easiest makeup trend to incorporate into your routine it does not take a lot of skill and is very wearable.
4. Metallic Lipstick
Some of the earlier days’ trends were a little out of my normal makeup application, but today’s trend actually made me nervous. I imagined icy lips that made me look like I used the makeup my 8-year-old self had. Or that I was straight from the 90s. But once I put on the metallic lipstick, I was pleasantly surprised. It looked much more adult and didn’t stand out as a makeup mistake. I stayed subtle with my color selection(NYX cosmetic’s Cosmetic Metals Lip Cream in Metallic Pink), but the extra glittery-ness added pizazz.
As a side note, I did not like the metallic lipstick I chose. It was very flakey, drying and sticky all at the same time. Would not recommend.
5. Thumbprint Eyeliner
Yep, you read that correctly. Thumbprint eyeliner. It’s very hard to explain exactly what this trend is so I will refer you to the pictures below for reference. I saved the last day for my most daring look. I used the Tarte Sex Kitten eyelinerin black (which I don’t recommend due to its lack of creaminess). I pulled up a reference photo on my phone and tried my best to copy the image AND make both sides even. The fact I got the “wings” to look like cousins is just short of a miracle. As I was with all the other trends, I was shocked. It was bold, but the look worked.
It was a slight change in shape to a normal cat eye, but it didn’t look like a winged eyeliner gone wrong. Nobody noticed (that I could tell) and no one stared so I assume it is as wearable as regular eyeliner. I wore thumbprint eyeliner with confidence.
My Final Thoughts?
This experiment couldn’t have gone any better for me. Every trend I tried surprised me in the best way possible. I was not only capable of doing them all, something I doubted in the beginning, but I loved how they all looked in the end. Since the start of the school year, I have been in a makeup rut, either not wearing makeup or a sporting basic look. I forgot how creative I used to be with it and this experiment reminded me of that. I have even thrown some of these trends into my everyday routine for a little variety. I totally recommend anyone try out new trends on the runway, even just in the comfort of your bedroom for fun. It is easy to look at them on a model and think about how unwearable they are, but trends are going to look completely different on every person. And you never know, you may find a new signature look.