Beauty Trends

The 2020 make up trends you’re guaranteed to fall for

At the start of a shiny new decade there’s no excuse not to conduct a huge make up-bag overhaul. We’ve cherry-picked trends to experiment with – from fresh, dewy skin to bold, highlighter hues – and there’s something for every mood, taste or occasion so get set to play with the textures and tones we’re predicting big things for.

Whether you’re keen for grand scale reinvention or eager to tweak your go-to make up menu, these key trends are easily tailored to suit your requirements. From ever-so subtle to suitably show-stopping, shake up your make up and start 2020 the bright way. The future looks majorly playful.

PASTEL POWER

Pale has never been so interesting… Soft sorbet shades are a great way to look on the bright side without stepping too far outside of your neutral-toned comfort zone. Play with a palette of pastels and enhance your eyes with a wash of mint green, icy blue or soft citrus this winter (and weeeell into spring).

Get the look: What’s cooler than being cool? Icy green eyelids, of course. Create a bold block of your fave subdued hue – we rate Huda’s {Matte & Metal Melted Shadow} in shade ‘Minted’ – then apply your base precisely to ensure the cleanest edges and achieve a flawless canvas for your Rothko-worthy handiwork.

Granting light-as-air luminous coverage, NARS {Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation} looks freshly applied until bedtime, while Charlotte Tilbury’s {Collagen Lip Bath} is the icing on your make up cake.

GLOSS OVER

Get set for the vinyl revival… swap velvet for patent and give gloss a go with new, dew-effect textures for face, lips and eyelids. A great way to bring editorial edge to your everyday make up menu, add interest with wet-look highlighter or juicy lip lustres (just dew it).

Get the look: Putting the dew in do-it-yourself, the PATRICK TA {Major Glow Highlighting Mist} lends a scene-stealing gleam, while Charlotte Tilbury’s {Superstar Lips} in ‘Walk of Shame’ combines shine with rich colour for plump, plush-ious lips. Then, for a seriously glossy sheen, apply Beautyblender’s {Glass Glow Shinelighter} onto lips, lids and cheekbones.

HIGH VISIBILITY

Bored of wearing nearly-bare? Look on the bright side with look-at-me liner, bold, colour-pop blush or a pop-art mascara for fabulous lashes. Don’t shy away from the most daring end of the palette you bought (and consigned to the drawer) – it’s time to really test your beauty boundaries. The future looks majorly playful…

Get the look: Neon is the new ‘nude’ (naturally), so switch taupe for bright tangerine with Huda Beauty’s {Neon Orange Obsessions Palette} which boasts a hot coral so blinding it ought to be sold with a warning…

Follow with Morphe’s formidable, long-wearing {Gel Liner} in ‘Vitamin Sea’ for an effortless, lazuli flick, then lace lashes with lashings of Benefit’s {BADgal BANG Blue Mascara} for show-stopping flutter.

METAL WORKER

You’re certain to foil for our glimmering spectrum of skin-gilding molten metallics – from copper to bronze via sweet-wrapper shades, this is your time to shine with a shimmering finish. So, whether you’re going for gold or refreshing your signature look with some silvery accents, make like a magpie and opt for some sparkle this season.

Get the look: For a kiss (and eyelids!) that look beautifully breath-taking, create a molten masterpiece with Natasha Denona’s {Mark Your Lips Metallic Liquid Lipstick} in ‘Copper Gild’, then enhance your complexion with UOMA Beauty’s {Double Take Sculpt and Strobe Stick} which is perfect for seamlessly chiselling cheekbones and lending soft light for an effortless contour.

The finishing touch? BECCA’s bestselling {Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed} lends an ethereal veil of chic shimmer wherever you want it for skin that looks beautifully burnished.

SHOP MAKE UP >>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...