Hot Winter makeup trends 2018

By: Natasha Archary

It’s tough to keep up with makeup trends and “looks” when it seems like popular brands and runways up the ante every second and switch things up. What’s in one day is out the next and with new palettes and releases out every other month, do you stock up or anti-haul it?

Beauty preferences like much of life, are subjective so you don’t HAVE to follow the flock of on-trend sheep if it’s not you. Women shouldn’t be made to feel like they need to conform to global beauty standards to be accepted. If you enjoy spending time and money looking made up and if that makes you happy, then girl do you.

The most asked question around beauty products and makeup palettes is, “do I really need to update my kit every season or not?”

Makeup artists and beauty bloggers will have you losing sleep over the latest offering from popular brands. But the truth is you don’t have to break the bank to still “rock a look”.

So what are this Winter’s key makeup trends and why do you need this “beat” on your IG story?

Ombre Lip

I will admit I tried this out a few weeks back and I’m not entirely sure it suits me. Perhaps it’s the nude lip lover in me but this one does take a bit of practice and confidence to slay. The ombre lip is a dark outer edge that fades into a lighter hue towards the inner lip.

Although not as popular, you could do a reverse ombre which would be the light outer edge and darker inner lip. Or fade from a dark upper lip to a lighter bottom lip. I’ve tried all the above and it’s not for me. Consider your skin tone when choosing shades to use to achieve this look. As it is Winter, a dark burgundy fading to warm red will work on yellow-to-olive undertones. It can work for neutral skin tones as well. Or use shades you have on hand and switch it up with the blending technique that is ombre. You will need to master the blend to ensure the look is flawless.

Natural glow

To the “un-initiated” this would be a “no make-up, shiny” look. Which isn’t completely wrong. It is however, the age of photoshop so no makeup doesn’t mean you don’t apply any makeup at all.

You will need to apply either a light foundation or BB cream, depending on the coverage your skin requires. The brows are defined but not highlighted too heavily. The lip, eyes and contouring is kept to a minimum and nude is the key word here. A light sweep of highlight is then worked on over the T-area and cheek-bone.

Graphic lines

Not entirely sure this is the correct term for this look but it basically entails lining your eyes with a bold eye-liner. The usual winged eye line doesn’t apply to this trend. You can highlight your crease line, under eye or eyelid with a bold line. The more dramatic the line the better as it’s a statement you want to make with this trend. Eye-liner pens and pencils are inexpensive and you can find them at any makeup counter.

Metallic

Lips, eye-liners, mascaras this Winter is all about standing out. Yes, we’re taking it back to the metallic era of the ‘80s. Minus the glossy lips. I can’t remember the last time a glossy lip was in but it’s not making a comeback this season. If you can’t afford to splurge on a new metallic lipstick, simply dust on one of your favourite metallic eyeshadow over your matte lip and voila, you’re on trend.

Cold smoke

Again, makeup artists will probably want my head for this as I’m not sure I’m technically accurate with this descriptor but this is how I refer to this look. It’s still a smokey eye but with cold colours instead of your usual darker hues and black.

Think blue, purple, green, red and orange. No, it’s not for everyone, much like a traditional smokey eye. It’s bolder and may not sit well in the corporate world. It’s not a clean look for the office so maybe rock this on your next girls’ night out. No need to buy a new palette, just choose the colours you wouldn’t normally from the ones you already own.

There are many reasons to love Winter, despite icy mornings making it difficult to haul yourself out of bed and to the office on time. It’s the season where literally anything goes and there are no limits to the looks you can knock out. Be authentic and find a look that works for you, is easy to pull off and won’t break your budget.

Written by: Natasha

Afropolitan Women Makeup Trends Winter