At the beginning of last year, I posted my predictions for what we may see in the beauty community in 2019. In 2019, we saw brands continue to strive for inclusivity and commit to more ethically made products and ingredients. So today we’re looking into my 2020 makeup predictions.
I thought we’d see light coverage foundations, concealer launches galore, and cream products as people are craving realness and raw vulnerability and transparency. And I think we did. However, I also thought brands would slow down releases. And we all know that releases did NOT slow in 2019. (ahem, Colourpop. ahem, ahem Anastasia.)
So what are my 2020 makeup predictions? Let’s find out.
Tarot, Mystic, and Space Themes
I know a lot of people of tired of it, but we had unicorn and mermaid palettes for like 3 years, so …
Crystals, astrology, zodiac, and mysticism aren’t going anywhere in 2020! I think, in general, people are getting really into mysticism, astrology, and crystal healing. And if you’re not, can you deny that crystals are beautiful?
We saw a ton of zodiac themed collections in 2019, and while I don’t see astrology leaving, I think we’re moving out of the zodiac realm and into tarot.
And even further than astrology, I think we’re generally going to see more space themes in makeup–especially stars, constellations, and exploratory concepts like graphic liner and glosses.
Pastel Eye Shadows
Orange was everywhere in 2017. Purple was poppin’ in 2018. We saw a lot of greens and a purple/red combo in 2019. But I think 2020 is going to be all about the pastel shades.
We’ve already seen a few palettes launched featuring pastels like the Mercury Retrograde from Huda Beauty, and Colourpop just announced their Mint to Be 9-pan palette.
I like pastel shades. I think they look pretty on all skin tones, and they tend to be softer than more saturated versions.
Illuminated Skin
I don’t think highlighted and glowy skin will ever go out of style, especially not any time soon. However, I think in 2020, we’ll begin to see more techniques being used to illuminate the overall face rather than targeted highlight.
Everyone in the online beauty community has been going crazy over “soft-glam” lately, and I think it’ll carry over to the complexion. I think 2020 will focus more on soft, lit from within skin as opposed to out of this world highlight.
Some products I’d recommend for this kind of look are First Aid Beauty Coconut Smoothie Priming Moisturizer, Algenist REVEAL Luminizing Drops, Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, MAC Strobe Cream or L’Oreal True Match Lumi Glowtion. They’re easy to mix into foundation or moisturizer for an all over glow that’s soft and natural.
A Decline of Mainstream “Affordable” Brands
As a whole, society is moving toward diverse, sustainable, and cruelty free products, especially in the beauty space. And for this reason, I feel like a lot of mainstream drugstore brands haven’t been able to keep up. However, in 2019 CoverGirl, along with other brands, have changed their cruelty free status and have gained new momentum in the beauty sphere.
But even so … the drugstore ain’t cheap anymore! Have you seen some of these prices?!
In 2020, I think we’re going to begin seeing more and more exciting launches and high quality products at affordable prices from indie or online exclusive brands rather than in the mainstream drugstores.
Refillable Products
Somewhere along the lines of sustainability lies refillable beauty products. I think we’re going to see a huge influx in them in the new year. Not only does refillable packing cut back on packaging waste, but it could also be cheaper for you as a consumer, since you’re not paying for the full package anymore.
Some brands like Hourglass and clean beauty brand Kjaer Weis have already adopted this refillable structure for their products, and I think a lot of others will follow suit in 2020.
Sheer Makeup
Makeup artist Patrick Ta says, “Less is definitely more for spring 2020,” and I think he’s right. Like illuminated skin, I think 2020 will be about light and airy makeup finishes. I don’t necessarily think bold, full-coverage looks are going anywhere, but I think we’ll be seeing more and more sheer coverage in everything from foundation to blush to eye shadow.
I also predicted this for 2019, and while I think we saw it, I think it’ll be more prevalent in 2020.
Do you have any 2020 makeup predictions?
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