From Barbiecore to coquette makeup, beauty was about embracing hyper-femininity in 2023. Heavy glam took a step back as we waved goodbye to aesthetics like the skunk-stripe hair and winged liner, and edged more towards embracing a more natural look.
‘Latte makeup’, ‘strawberry makeup’, and ‘pumpkin spice makeup, were all viral looks that took the beauty scene by storm and heavily focused on natural, feminine beauty. But with this evolution comes the inevitable retirement of certain trends that once claimed the spotlight and a new dawn of top beauty trends.
As we usher in a new year, we welcome the new innovative trends that are set to dominate 2024. Trend expert at Wethrift and and 28coupons.com, Nick Drewe, reflects on the beauty trends that have had their moment in 2023 as we leave them behind to make room for the anticipated aesthetics in the upcoming year.
1. Bleached brows
After amassing a whopping 283 million views on TikTok, bleached brows began in 2021 and trickled down to the masses by 2023. The queen of social media herself, Kim Kardashian, even attempted the trend, catapulting the aesthetic across the globe. Bleached brows received mixed reviews online, with some loving the alien-esque look, and others detesting it.
The rock’n’roll aesthetic originally started in the 90s, but like most trends, resurfaced and managed to penetrate the fashion industry with celebs debuting the craze. From Doja Cat to Kendall Jenner, bleached brows were the star of red carpets, including the Met Gala.
However, we can expect a different ‘90s brow trend to take over from the bleaching phenomenon in 2024 after Google searches for bleached brows decreased by 84% towards the end of last year. Thinner brows are set to steal the show, as people embrace an effortlessly chic and low-maintenance look.
2. 10-step skincare routine
Originating in the ’60s from Southeast Asia, the beauty trend takes inspiration from the Korean skincare routine. The process involves starting with an oil-based cleanser and then moving on to a water-based cleanser.
You then exfoliate and tone your face, applying essence and serum after this. But, it doesn’t stop there. Allow a sheet mask to soak moisture back into your skin, then apply eye cream, moisturiser and an SPF or night cream to complete the routine.
Whilst the trend went viral on Tiktok last year, amassing 1.5 million views, the new motto for our skincare in 2024 is ‘less is more’, as Google searches for the 10-step routine have decreased by 100%.
Depending on your skin type, often, overloading it with too many products can lead to irritation, dryness, redness, and even breakouts, hence people embracing a more minimalistic routine in the new year.
Not only is this approach cost-effective, but a simpler skincare routine is also more realistic and low maintenance to use every day.
3. Copper hair
From sun-kissed strawberry blonde to baked terracotta, orange was the new black for hair in 2023. The copper colour took over our social media feeds, with celebrities like Meg Thee Stallion and Sydney Sweeney showcasing their new hairstyles on Instagram.
Although the colour was a hit throughout last year, according to Pinterest Trends, searches for copper hair decreased by 73% by the end of 2023. However, we aren’t waving goodbye to the redhead colour just yet, as ‘red hot’ hair is predicted to be one of the big hair trends for this year.
Last year was about bringing warmth to various shades of hair colour, whereas 2024 will be about upgrading the trending colours already on our radar.
4. Clumpy lashes
A controversial moment for beauty in 2023 was bringing back the clumpy lash. Sienna Miller was one of many A-listers who sported ‘Spider Lashes’ back in the 2000s. Nicole Peltz-Beckham brought the trend into this generation in an attempt to attain a bold and dramatic eye makeup look.
The clumpy lash look is achieved through using various methods, such as layering multiple coats of mascara, or intentionally clumping the lashes together with a mascara brush or tweezers. Unsurprisingly, this trend didn’t pick up similar traction as others did in 2023.
This year, lashes are expected to follow the minimal beauty theme, with the aim for them to look lifted and natural.
5. Chrome nails
Hailey Bieber was the first to set the precedent for nail trends in 2023, after featuring her ‘glazed doughnut’ chrome nail pedicure on social media. The nails went viral, and soon enough, chrome was the ‘it girl’ nail look.
The hashtag #glazeddonutnails reached just over 390 million views on TikTok. Whilst some may argue this nail trend to be timeless, 2024 is edging more towards primary colours.
It appears that embracing our natural side is the overarching trend for beauty this year, with trending nail colours being lighter and more simple than the chrome aesthetic.
However, if you are someone who enjoys a bolder nail colour, scarlet red will be another favourite for this years top beauty trends, with Google Searches up by 233% since the end of 2023.
Images courtesy of unsplash.com and pexels.com
