Soft Goth
Trends have come and gone, but siren eyes continue to stake their claim. This year, the eyes featured a sharp tinge of Victorian-inspired darkness. There were messy wings, ultra-kohled eyelids, and exaggerated graphic eyeliners. The Wednesday Adams effect echoed on the runways. It appears like intense and elongated wings, exaggerated and clumpy lashes, and generous amounts of kohl on the eyelids will serve enough eye-opening beauty moments this festive season.
Hi! Barbie
It’s 2023, and we are all living in Barbie’s world. TikTok might call it ‘Barbiecore,’ but for ‘90s kids, pink lipstick with platinum hair in a head-to-toe bubble-gum outfit is not new. That being said, Barbie has evolved this year, and understandably so, thanks to the live-action Barbie movie that took over our lives in every way possible, particularly the beauty world. The look is all about that pink (shade of your choosing) overload on the eyes, face, and lips (wherever you deem fit). The big message? Just have fun with it in quintessential Barbie style. Opt for hot pink eyeshadows, a soft wash of baby pink on lips and cheeks, or go bold with a magenta lippie. After all, it’s your party, Barbie!
Glimmer & Glow
If glimmer (in pop mental health vocabulary, glimmer is the opposite of trigger and means small moments that spark joy or peace and is known to have a positive impact) has turned out to be the word of the year, it’s justified to bring some of it into your festive looks. The runways showcased little ways that can help amp up your look and mood — glints of gold under the eyes and on the body at Chraibi, mirrored embellishments between the brows and eyes at Patou, sprinkled stardust on the nails at Nakazato.
Dewy Doe
Dewy skin still has us all in its chokehold and is going strong even in 2023. Runways and celebrities cannot get enough of this trend — so much so that this look has dethroned most classic bridal looks, making way for muted tones and bare faces with zero-to-minimal makeup. It may not be a new trend, but it continues to top the list. The reason? The new technologies and innovations in skincare are making this look more and more achievable with each passing day. For Kiara Advani’s wedding looks, the brief was clear — it was all about healthy, hydrated, glowing skin. You might not remember her lip colour or the blush, but you always talk about how flawless her skin looked, don’t you?
Red Alert
What a little black dress is to fashion, the red lip is to beauty, and no festive season is complete without it. It is one trend that doesn’t need the help of any social media algorithms to get people to talk about it. Reds were again reimagined and popped up in new ways on the runways. Intentionally undone and stained lips at Armani gave a messy, smudged look, while red rhinestone embellishments on the bottom lip at Koma added some bling to the look and ombre lips, fading from a scarlet-red centre to a wine-red lip line enhanced the plump pouts — so, there is a flattering formula for all.
Crowning Glory
It’s official: Hair accessories are everywhere, and they also made their presence felt on the Fall/ Winter 2023 mood board. Supersized bows took centre stage at Sandy Liang, and Patouand neatly tied ribbons jazzed up celebrity locks (hi Khushi Kapoor!). Masaba Gupta’s wedding looks gave bejewelled hair accessories their hero moment. Thanks to trends like ballet core, regency core, and the endless stream of ‘cores,’ we are sure to see many bedecked manes this festive season.
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