2022 LOOKS
A sixth year passes, and here I am again with my yearly looks post! When I made my first post for 2017, I could have never predicted the stuff I'd come up with for 2022. So after another year of watching and deliberation, here are my 2022 looks! (2017) (2018) (2019) (2020) (2021)
FOLK BLUSH
One look that I’ve fallen in love with this past year has been a red blush (and lip) moment. There’s something about a red blush applied directly under the eyes to look like you’ve been standing out in the cold/are sick that adds this sort of primordial beauty and edge to a look. It’s reminiscent of the japanese “igari” blush, but to me, it leans more toward “girl in the slavic countryside harvesting wheat or something”. It feels—excuse me for using this word—more feral. There’s a certain wildness that registers with this look, as it's a departure from what we have grown accustomed to beauty looking like. I love using this technique with an especially structured eyeshadow look; it adds this inexplicable edge to what would otherwise be a very traditionally polished look. Red tones as well are pretty much universally flattering and highly underrated, and the below the eye/high on the cheek placement reads as surprisingly natural. If you’re skeptical about this look, I would suggest mixing some red lipstick into a nude cream blush (or another lipstick) to introduce red to a look without it going overboard.
A CARAVAGGIO CONTOUR
Contrary to the ideas of the other two trends on this list, this look is about focusing on meticulous, fine details to give a very beautiful and specific effect. Being very particular with the tones and textures you’re working with is key in this look. Ideally, I would describe this look as a natural/semi-matte base that is sculpted so perfectly that it looks like you could be a person straight out of a rococo painting. Certainly all of the models pictured here have great bone structure, but if you look more closely, you can notice that the highlights and contours are there, they're just barely noticeable because the tones are perfect, the texture is the same throughout the look, and the blending is impeccable. For this effect, I would use a very light hand with products of a similar finish and be very specific about the placement of product. (for example, I would forego blush with glitter or highlighter, instead going with a cream blush and using a lighter tone rather than something shiny). And just to note, this isn't a look that requires perfect skin--as someone with acne, I feel that using really subtle techniques like this and focusing on details results in a better outcome than trying to quickly put on a high-coverage base.
LOOKS OF DESPAIR
The first year that I did one of these posts, one of my moodboards was essentially “blue eyeshadow”, and now we’re at hypothetical concepts like “looks of despair”. You may see this one and be saying to yourself, “this crosses the line, I’m absolutely not doing this,” but hear me out—I believe a trend going into 2022 will be makeup that looks lived in; looks that are more organically produced. Already, we’re seeing a lot of super textured and purposefully messy eye and lip looks on celebrities and in editorials. There’s something that is so beautiful about a flawless base with an eye, lip, or cheek that is patchy and looks like the wearer has gone through it. It’s the strange way your makeup looks interestingly f’d up at the end of a night out. To apply this to reality, a blurred lip or glossy, greasy, watercolor-like eye on an otherwise normal look adds a ton of interest by adding a new texture or shape that breaks up the rest of the look.
~As my traditional parting words go, these are looks I think could work on anyone, but you absolutely don't have to like them! At the end of the day, do what works for you.