2021 brought us many wonderful beauty trends. There was graphic liner and hunter green nails; fluffy brows and wolf haircuts; magnetic eyelashes, multi-purpose sticks and purple eyeshadow. Basically, the world of make-up, beauty and nails delivered on their promise to inject joy and function over and over again. Obviously, 2022 won’t be any different. 

In fact, there are five key places beauty experts and insiders see the industry and our behaviour as consumers going. Let’s get to grips with them. 

“The emerging makeup nostalgia trends seem to be all about being as extra as possible which I think is a natural reaction to us all socialising again, and wearing all the make-up we sent into hibernation for a year!” says Tia Roqaa, founder of beauty subscription box Roccabox. 

“In 2022, we will see elements from different decades that favour high-octane glamour, look-at-me colour and playful looks. So, for example, high-shine plastic-looking glossy lips will be huge next year: a look that is borrowed from the 90s, 80s and the disco 70s. High-shine nude, lacquered red, vinyl berry tones – we’ll see it all next spring. 

“Victoria Beckham does a great super-glossy clear lip gloss, which we’ve been raving over at Roccabox, as does Fenty Beauty. I also love Mac’s range of lip glosses, including their classic Lipglass.”

“A traditional skincare (and beauty) product will include ‘aqua’ at the top of the ingredient list, which typically serves as a filler ingredient, acting as a base and making up around 70-80% of formulas,” explains Sarah Murrell, skin health expert and co-founder of By Sarah London.

“By adding water as a filler to products, synthetic preservatives are used to stop bacteria, the potency of the ingredients are diluted, and the product becomes less effective. The less effective a product, the more you consume, which in turn means more packaging. By removing water from future formulas, we can have a significant impact on C02 emissions and water pollution.”

“Stargazing just got a little easier. This year, people will paint landscape-style designs on their digits. Geode, desert and constellation-inspired nail art are all rising trends, especially among millennial searchers,” says the Pinterest Predicts 2022 report. 

“While the natural look for skin is likely to remain strong, we are also likely to see a gradual return to fun, frivolity and joy in colour cosmetics, as we want to live life again to the full,” says Anna Chokina, Avon make-up category lead. 

According to Avon’s recent Future of Beauty Report, 41% of women lost confidence during the pandemic as a result of ongoing restrictions. The swing back towards bright, colourful cosmetics will happen in tandem with people regaining some of the self-esteem they lost this year. 

Luxury beauty brand Clarins predicts: “Those bored with the typic upper lid eyeliner looks can opt for the popular lower lid underliner trend. As the name suggests it is just opting to put your liner look on your lower lash line, rather than your upper lid. 

“A key for this trend is experimenting with different colours, underline your eyes with on-trend mossy green or jewel tones for a fun bold look.”

Main image: Stylist