JOIN US#DHRecaps | Hits and misses of beauty in 2018
The hits of 2018
Shahnaz Husain, beauty expert: In make-up, glowing skin created with highlighters was ‘in’. Glitter was shown the door, while highlighting on high points of the face, like cheekbones and brow bones, was trending. Heavy mascara was trendy during 2018. At the same time, the 60s look has been popular with heavy eye make-up and ‘barely there’ lips. Nail art was also the trend with floral nail art and other designs.
Dramatic red for lips is still very much the trend. Even for the day, red shades are popular, like coral or brick red. Glossy lipsticks are out and so are dry, matte ones. Creamier lipsticks were loved by everyone. Long hair with cascading waves and curls in the lower half of the hair has been the trend for a while now, but pin-straight hair is coming back. It’s a retro look, with straight hair and a middle parting. Half-way eye-liner was a rage during 2018. Experts appreciated the look as it helps open up the eyes.
Monisha Gupta, director, Craft House, New Delhi: 2018 brought back natural products inspired by Ayurveda. Also, one saw personalisation and selection of products as per body type. Face oils were hugely in demand. Derma rollers and face rollers designed to help make skincare more effective were also trending.
Dr Blossom Kochhar, Pioneer of aromatherapy: In 2018, people got really conscious about having glowing skin. Cleansing oils were a big thing as they are really effective in hydrating the skin. There are oils for every skin type — oily or dry, sensitive or acne-prone — there’s an oil to balance every skin type. Foundation took a back seat and people starting embracing their beautiful and natural skin and features. BB cream was the go-to product. A lot of products with multiple uses were launched this year, like make-up products with SPF.Smart products were also a revolutionary trend, as also one product that could be used for multiple things. Sheet masks were a rage in 2018; their natural benefits and ease of usage made them highly popular. Many brands came out with a plethora of anti-pollution and customised skincare products.
Sana Dhanani, founder, The White Door: The ‘J’ beauty trend, that is Japanese philosophy, has been one of the biggest highlights of 2018. Derma rollers, face contouring devices along with pore vacuums and cleaners have also made their way into the top trend list of this year. As for nails, geometric nail art was one of the topmost trends.
Chandni Singh, make-up artiste & educator: The key five trends of 2018 were: fake lashes, nude lips, clean hair, glass skin and strong brows.
The misses
Sana: A really absurd trend of 2018 was using real insects on nails and even using real hair for nail art. 3D weird-looking nail art, glitter face masks and neon make-up also didn’t work.
Dr Blossom: Layering one’s skin with too many products didn’t work. Please note that doing this will only harm your skin. Elaborate skincare routines don’t work; one should always stick to the products that suits his/her skin type.Two trends that shouldn’t have been tied up together are glitter and masks. Glitter has no contribution in making your skin healthy. One trend that I would never like to see ever again is nose hair extensions. Shaping eyebrows in different and inappropriate shapes like wavy, fishtail and halo was also weird. Over-concealing has never really worked for anyone, as it dulls your natural features.
Shahnaz: Bright pink or blue hair colours don’t really suit Indian skin tones. It also spells damage. To turn black hair into a bright or light colour means that the hair must be bleached first and then coloured. That’s double the damage. I don’t understand or like microblading, which is a form of tattooing done on the brows, by which pigment is implanted under the skin to make them appear like tiny hairs of the eyebrows.
Chandni: Arabic eyes, matte skin and overdrawn lips did not work.
Monisha: Painful, skin-peeling charcoal masks and unicorn-inspired make-up and hair looks did not work.