I bet you didn’t know I’m the authority on beauty trends (along with fashion and accessories). Self-proclaimed of course, but the fact is I read enough celebrity magazines, watch enough YouTube videos and listen in on enough conversations between cool and trendy people that I actually do know my stuff. Now you will, too.
Brows
Bold, full brows are in - finally. My husband and I both have very thick eyebrows so our children were blessed with a Frida Khalo look which I love but also got made fun of for myself in junior high and elementary school. But now, it’s in, and those with naturally bold brows can clap their hands. Anyone with very sparse brows as well as a steady hand might want to try a liquid brow pen, like that available from Stila. You can create individual “hairs” but also outline nicely. But, like I mentioned, it requires a steady hand. For those wanting to fill in a bit and create a nicer arch, Anastasia Brow Whiz and Benefit’s Gimme Brow are perfect. One side is a crayon that is really easy to use and the other is a brow brush to blend it and finish it off. For a permanent solution, try microblading where brows are tattooed on. Check out @perfectlypigmentedpma on Instagram to see work from artist Elisabeth Murillo of Clarkston.
Hair
I was just introduced to this concept of only washing your hair once a week. Yes, I’ll repeat that. Washing hair once a week. When someone told me they did this, my eyes immediately went to their hair to judge just how great this weekly washing could be and, to my surprise, her hair looked amazing. My friend and hairdresser, Whitney Barnes of Glow Salon in Lewiston, gave me advice: Step 1: Wash hair with good quality shampoo and scrub the roots (a shampoo that’s not too heavy for your hair type.) Step 2: Put conditioner on your mid-shaft to ends of hair, not the scalp. Step 3: the day after washing, use a dry shampoo on the roots and run a blow dryer through it for a couple seconds after. Step 4: repeat the process 1 to 2 times a week. Some people can make it up to a week. Whitney’s favorite dry shampoos? kms california, stylesexyhair and Sebastian, all around $20.
Eyelashes
In our culture it seems as though eyelashes just can’t get thick enough or long enough and for those who share that thought , you’re in luck. While there are lots of mascaras on the market (hundreds, literally), some go straight for the fakes. I’ll admit, many times I have no idea someone has fake lashes until they tell me they’re, “going in for a fill,” and other times I wonder, “Why?” If fakes aren’t your thing, mascara is great. My favorite mascara is from Blinc. It creates a tube around each lash and is waterproof, doesn’t smudge and doesn’t clump. Buxom and Too Faced have some great mascaras as well. If you want to go the fake lash route, know that it involves some maintenance (they need to be filled on a regular basis) and can get pricey. On the plus side, you don’t have to mess with mascara.
Lips
Color. Walk into any cosmetics store and take a look at the lip products for each brand. I favor Sephora, the closest is Spokane and of course online. If you spend enough, you're a VIB and get points for each purchase to go towards product. In the store you'll see colors you never thought would ever be made into a lip shade, yet there they are, selling like crazy. I am a big fan, and it’s not out of the ordinary to see me wearing bright purple or green lipstick. If that’s a bit too bold for you but you want to step outside your comfortable box just a bit, try a bold lip gloss. It will give you fun color but isn’t quite as loud as lipstick might be.
Nails
This is something I am not an authority on, let that be known. But I do know what Insta-celebrities are doing and what I’ve seen out there in the world. My nails are nothing to be proud of. I’m a nail-biter which is not cool. What is cool, though, came from a number of online sources (beauty and fashion bloggers and magazines) and was confirmed by queen style herself, Rachel Zoe. Metallics, pastels, dark colors, geometric shapes and angles painted on in different colors, nothing but clear polish, and fun takes on the classic french manicure (think different colored tips for each nail, double lines, glitter, that kind of thing) are all a go for this year. Please can we be finished with the “every-nail-painted-the-same-except-for-one” trend? I’m over it.
Face Mask
Face masks aren’t a new thing, but have become very popular over the last year or so. Mud masks from the Dead Sea, masks with essential oils, charcoal masks and, my favorite, the peel off mask. I walked into Sephora and said, “Do you have those black masks that you peel off and they kind of hurt a little bit?” because I’d only seen videos online of people regretting using them because of the pain. The man behind the counter said, “I know what you’re talking about and those are not good -- those are cheap fakes. But we sell the Boscia peel off mask and that’s what you want.” How did he know what I wanted? He did. It’s amazing. It doesn’t hurt, but it works (you can see grime on the mask after it's peeled off).
Note: You could wear not an ounce of makeup on your face and be beautiful. Thick eyebrows, no eyebrows, short nails, no lashes...it really doesn’t matter. These trends and tips are for people who really love this kind of thing, not a baseline for beauty. I’m 100 percent supportive of the natural look.
