Plump it up: Lip liner, complexion-focused products make a comeback
Beauty trends come and go as quickly as the seasons—sometimes at quicker speeds thanks to social media. TikTok, to be specific, is home base to an array of microtrends in both the beauty and fashion space, but many of these trends stand the test of time and go on a little longer.
In the last few years, social media has been buzzing over such viral makeup trends as “clean girl” and “minimal product” looks. With 2023 in full swing, consumers are still leaning toward keeping complexions clean and going back in time to the ‘90s and early 2000s.
Lip liner, brown-toned lipsticks, plumping glosses and complexion-forward products have been all the rage this year and their popularity is not dying out any time soon. “We have seen a resurgence in lip with a larger demand than years prior. Consumers are interested in all things lip—lip color, gloss and liner,” said Robin Shandler, vice president of Innovation at e.l.f. Beauty. “We have seen this [‘90s and early 2000s] trend and we already have some great items in our portfolio to help consumers participate in the trend. We have seen consumers using products like O Face Satin Lipstick and Love Triangle Lip Filler Liner to help bring these looks to life across social media.”
“With the viral TikTok success of our Color Fetish Matte Nude collection, along with our nude-leaning Understatement Lip Liners and Diamond Gloss, we’ve been well equipped to jump on this [‘90s and early 2000s] trend, Mary van Praag, CEO of Milani Cosmetics said. Continuing to build on the success, we’re excited to bring more nude shades into the range with the upcoming shade expansion of our Color Fetish Lip Oil.”
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Needless to say, social media and influencers are playing a huge role in how these trends come to life. Influencers and professional makeup artists sharing their tips and tricks on TikTok are also influencing the shades and color families consumers buy when trying to create these looks.
“One of the key ways TikTok has become a melting pot for opportunity within the sector, is its usage as a discovery channel—acting as a search engine for both brands and consumers,” THG Ingenuity stated in its Beauty Trends Report. “The quick-fire nature of the videos produced and shared on TikTok have increased the authenticity of beauty content shared, celebrating trends that real people experience with the real people they’ve discovered and trust via the app.”
Though it’s not just throwback lip combos getting all the love. Complexion-focused products also have been in high demand from consumers—mainly products that deliver a natural glow, including blushes and setting sprays. “An extension of the sought-after dewy complexion that has inspired many makeup products in recent years, facial slugging has appeared as a 2023 iteration that seeks to meet consumer desire for naturally glowing skin,” THG Ingenuity said.
“We have seen complexion products that emphasize and deliver a natural radiant glow, which has been key for consumers. The blush craze continues and is having a big moment across all formats,” said Shandler.
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“Setting sprays, historically used more by highly involved beauty consumers, are definitely having a moment as they become a more mainstream makeup must-have. With that, we’re seeing the strong demand from 2022 continuing to accelerate in 2023,” said a spokesperson for Milani Cosmetics. The no-makeup and barely there complexions are also here to stay. “We’ve seen versions of the no-makeup trend continue to proliferate as TikTok creators come up with new trending hashtags like #cleangirlmakeup, #lazygirlmakeup and #lazymakeup, all tying back to a very similar aesthetic,” said Mary van Praag, CEO of Milani Cosmetics.
THG Ingenuity said lazy girl makeup and minimalistic looks are a move toward embracing the natural. “Triggered in part by less time spent out of the house during the pandemic as well as a rising rejection of heavily digitally edited images, this trend is challenging conventional notions of beauty through a series of trends increasing in popularity.”
Milani Cosmetics has blended together the best of both worlds by building complexions and setting makeup with its Make It Last Sunscreen Setting Spray SPF 30 and its SPF BFF 30 Primer. E.l.f. Beauty has also cornered its own space in the sunscreen industry with its popular and viral Suntouchable! All Set for Sun SPF 45.
In the past, trends may have heavily leaned towards smoky eyes, carved-out brows and layers of foundation and concealer, but these days, consumers are all about keeping their beauty routines to a minimum. “Shunning decades-old pressures to only show fully made-up, ‘beat’ complexions, that are pimple and wrinkle free, consumers are now embracing the realities of their hair and skincare—pores and all!,” THG Ingenuity said.
Needless to say, beauty consumers these days are all about embracing nostalgia and showcasing their imperfections any which way.
Product Picks
1. Pixi — CC Crayon
SRP: $11
A concentrated color-correcting crayon, the product aims to neutralize darkness around the eye. Available in bright undereye and bye undereye shades, the CC Crayon can be worn for sheer coverage or built up for additional coverage on any part of the face that needs color correction.
2. Milani Cosmetics — Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Powder
SRP: $10.99
This lightweight and finely milled powder looks to create a flawless veil on the skin to help blur imperfections, pores and wrinkles. Designed to work across a range of skin tones, the powder is available in banana and translucent shades.
3. LaBomme Beauty — Angle Baby
SRP: $20
An eyeliner pen that rotates 360 degrees and flexes at every angle, it aims to help users comfortably apply their liner at any angle. The design, which also aims to help prevent wrist pain, allows the liner to be applied effortlessly around eyelash extensions to create any design or line.