March 11, 2016

Are Makeup Trends Becoming Too Pushy, Aggressive, and Having Longer Shelf Lives?

makeup trends

Color correcting, contouring, strobing, matte lipsticks, there are a lot of ongoing, no end in sight makeup and beauty trends that seem to have had a longer shelf life than other makeup trends I’ve seen in the past.

I find makeup trends tend to have a shelf life of around three to six months or if you’re lucky you might see that extended by perhaps a year. But it seems nowadays makeup trends are becoming too pushy, too aggressive, and they seem to have longer shelf lives to a point they actually start becoming annoying.

Early in 2015, the makeup world was bit by the contouring and highlighting bug. Fast forward to over a year later and were still infected with the bite from that bug! Strobing, contouring, there’s no end to this beauty trend in site and I only see it becoming bigger as the warmer weather sets in. Already many, many brands are pushing bronzers and highlighters for the Summer months and insisting upon “getting your strobe on”.

One of the more aggressive trends I’ve seen hit in a while would be color correcting. Typically makeup trends have a slow boil. In my experience, one brand will release a certain product, finish, or formula and slowly other brands begin to add fuel to the fire by releasing their own variation of the trending product. Not with color corrector! Color corrector hit hard and fast with brands releasing a slew of different primers, creams, and palettes to correct, conceal, brighten, and erase imperfections. It wasn’t like Lancome decided, hey, let’s release our Color Correcting Primer Miracle Cushion with maybe MAC later down the road releasing their own variation or take on color correcting. Nope, this one came hard and fast with Lancome, Becca, Cover FX, Tarte, and Urban Decay, Stila, and many others consecutively launch their own color correcting products.

Am I the only one that feels like makeup trends are becoming a little too pushy lately? And perhaps having longer shelf lives? I just so over contouring and anytime I see it I’m mentally rolling my eyes particularly on youTube where it is discussed to death!

Do your share your thoughts on the topic!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Christina

    For me, what’s annoying is not so much the trend itself, but that they are so exaggerated that it’s ridiculous! Contouring and highlighting have been around for ages, but now instead of actually contouring and highlighting their faces, people are painting on stripes and packing on the highlighter (strobing). The same applies to color correctors. To “erase” all your flaws and natural dimension with color correctors to the point where you have to add it all back in with contour and highlight is just so extreme to me. There’s a time and place for everything, and if you’re in front of the camera all day or in film and theater, sure, I get it. But I wouldn’t want to walk around town with all that makeup on my face, because, hey, I’m pretty darn sure the first thing people would notice is my makeup. It NEVER looks naturally flawless.

    It’s interesting that when I was in Europe and Asia the past year, I didn’t see this heavy trend. In Asia, of course, most women looked fresh, lively, and youthful with just a touch of color, and in Europe, it was just this effortless beauty. I didn’t see a ton of people with heavy contouring walking around, so I do think the trend is more North America and maybe Australia than anywhere else.

    • Isabella Muse

      You are correct. In Asia/Europe it is completely a difficult experience. I actually wish the trends we see in both Asia and Europe actually influenced our own take on beauty but that’s simply not the case as many our trends tend to be overdone, over airbrushed, over everything!

    • N

      I so agree. It is much better to look fresh and effortless than overdone. These makeup products have been around for ages and the cosmetics industry and affiliates push them to no end to make a buck. It is more original to do makeup that suits you and enhances your own personal beauty style than to look like a carbon copy Instagram contoured, strobed, brow trend, mannequin skin person .

    • Suzanne Peters

      Color correcting goes back to the mid-eighties at least. I had a green Estee Lauder cream in a compact back then which I used to correct redness around my nose and on pimples. I’ve also been using using yellow on my undereye circles for decades.

  • blee

    Muse, I have to admit that clothing trends come and go and so goes the makeup trends. I have enjoyed most of them, but the matte lipstick ( and I have them) not so sure I’m loving them that much. Funny they call it strobing and back a few years ago I would say it was a tin man glow look. But I can remember when everything was matte, matte, matte. I’m glad its changed. And they can only share their trends but it’s me who tries or not. No pushing on me. LOL 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      Yes! Mattes were huge a few years ago and seemed unstoppable! Now they are back haha so here we are square one! That’s true, in the end, it’s our chouce if we decide to embrace or reject the trend!

  • Krutika

    I totally agree! I think it’s a bit overwhelming and why should they market things in such a way where it makes it seem as though you need all these products to look good? I mean, you end up Layerin so many products when you add in color correcting and contouring and highlighting. People’s skin is naturally beautiful, when you add so much it’s like you end up ruining the natural glow that our skin is capable of having.. :/ I walked into sephora the other day– and I was like maybe I need a color correcting palette. Then, I tried it on and I was like why do I need so much? It just was heavy…

  • EliCaroline

    This whole color correcting trend seemed to pop outta nowhere – and I agree it wasn’t just one brand that lead the way and everyone else followed along – I feel like every company came out with their color correcting cosmetics all at once within the past few months.

    In a way, I kind of like it – I feel like there are a ton of options available at the onset of the trend.

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m thinking it might be influenced by Korea/Japan as color correcting products are part of the permanent range of many brands, particularly lilac which is a popular shade for skin lightening/brightening!

    • Maggie

      I feel the same! I have combo-oily and sensitive skin so I LOVE that there are a boat load of different formulas in a single product category to choose from–it is not easy to find something pigmented, blendable, long-lasting, noncomedogenic and that doesn’t irritate my skin. I for one, have been using correctors for years and am happy to see that there are more options available than what was out there BC I wasn’t satisfied with the stuff I had. I also love having many options for contouring. I don’t think I am being pressured on these trends–heck most days I don’t even wear makeup–people can take it or leave it.

      On the other hand, I cringe whenever I see the Snickers bars cheeks–especially when the hair is also pulled back in bright daylight (face-framing hair and dim lighting creates natural shadows–and contouring enhances that).

  • Bella

    As I am a bit older, I have seen all the trends. Ultima 2, I know I am really dating myself, was the first one to come out with brown lipstick/matte/all day lipstick trend. They also were promoting color correcting –which of course I bought a bottle of lavender corrector to brighten my face. It did nothing. Now, with all the wonderful technology in make-up–all the color correctors do work. Technology is wonderful; not only with computers , but also in make up. I feel that’s why these trends take off because the contouring, high lightening, “strobing” etc. really work. Whereas before, you would look at an ad with Lauren Hutton and you would get home and the products didn’t work! Now, they work! Sorry, for the long rant.

    P.S. I think you are great and thank you for all your posts!

    • Isabella Muse

      aw bella thanks girl <3! xoxoxoxoxo! haha it's true! At least nowadays you get better results!

    • Shauna

      Bella, I also remember Ultima II! I had an awesome liquid illuminizer that was very reminiscent of what Benefit’s moonbeam and I loved it. Back in the 90s when I was a teenager, I also lived for rum, brown, and raisin colored lipsticks. I even remember using a matte liquid lipstick from Coty, that I really loved. It’s funny how what’s old is new again.

    • Eraser

      Wow, I remember that about Ultima II! I was working at one of our sadly missed local department stores when they came out with the “new” neutral shades. I remember a number of brands selling green & lavender bases back then. Guess it’s what my mother says: everything comes back in style eventually!

  • kim

    I hated the color correcting trend as soon as it started. It is one thing to buy spot corrector for a blemish, or dark circles, but I feel like the makeup companies just made up new issues so they could make a pretty pastel rainbow out of the correctors. Does anyone need lavender primer? Or does a pretty purple bottle just make the collection look cute? I am almost rebelling against all these new products that no one ever knew they needed, and have cut down on the number of products I use, and am trying to let my real skin show through. I also can’t stand contouring or how it looks. I am hoping the next trend is more of a natural look. I understand wanting a flawless look if you are having pictures or video taken, but I think the painted on porcelain look has no place in the real world.

    • Codename Duchess

      “Does anyone need lavender primer? Or does a pretty purple bottle just make the collection look cute?”

      Of course there are people that need lavender primer (or at least need it as much as anyone needs any cosmetic item). *I* am not one of those people, and likely you aren’t either, but for someone with sallow or jaundiced skin, a lavender colored primer would be useful in toning down the yellow in their complexion. The problem with the current push with color correcting isn’t the products themselves, but that a lot of the people buying (and selling!) them know nothing about color theory and thus don’t know how to tell which corrector would be helpful to them and which ones would not.

      I think because correctors are brightly colored, people treat them like eye shadow or lipstick when they really should be treating them like a foundation or concealer. Excluding makeup artists, no one buys extra foundations shades that don’t match their complexion just to have them on hand*. Likewise, there’s no reason to buy correctors meant to cancel out colors that don’t appear in their complexions.

      *not counting people who buy a darker and lighter shade to contour with or people who wear different colors of foundation at different times of the year, obviously!

      • Thiel

        Exactly! I’m one of those people for whom a good lavendar primer is a godsend but I will never use some of the other color correcting products- yellow on my under eyes just makes me look like I have liver problems! And then I see people with cool toned skin using lavendar and blue corrector a and wondering why they aren’t working. Color correction is great, but no one needs the entire range of correction options and these companies are marketing them as if you do.

    • kellly

      THIS!! I was over the color correcting stuff from the first minute I saw it — EVERY.WHERE at Sephora the last time I was in. Come on, really? I don’t think I have such big skin problems that I “need” color correcting, but the cosmetics companies – seems like almost all of them at the same minute – think they need to convince us that we do.

  • danadoo

    Muse, i could not agree more and i’m not sure that it’s benefiting the makeup companies. If anything, their ” motives” are becoming rather transparent. It’s like theyre screaming ” quick, everybody jump on the next bandwagon or you’ll be left behind! You MUST contour, you MUST color correct!” I think its getting pretty boring!

    • Isabella Muse

      haha it’s true they really shove it down your throat. I think they have a way more younger demographic they are trying to target because it seems like everyone does in fact jump on board right away!

  • Lorraine

    The contouring trend, & the matte lip trend lasted so long (are still lasting) due to demand. If you follow makeup blogs, Tumblr & especially Instagram the demand for matte lippies and contouring products don’t seem to be going away.
    Also with contouring & color correctors I think it’s partly BC of celebs influencing looks but also those used to be professional techniques and currently we have more women becoming proficient with makeup And embracing more pro methods of applying it.
    The weird thing is with nude palettes and matte lips etc demand built over time as new products came out over past year/2 but it’s like the beauty industry tried to create a trend w/ color correctors the way they all released them at the same time, its weird!

    • Isabella Muse

      agreed! Trends develop over time but this year it was BOOM all at once 10 correctors.

      • Codename Duchess

        To be honest I love correctors. I’ve got a lot of redness in my complexion and some really dark circles, so I was always on the hunt for a good one even before the trend hit. So I’m thrilled to have a lot of new options kicking around! To me the problem is not all the new correcting products on the market, but that not enough people understand enough about color theory to be able to know which correctors are likely to be useful for their individual complexions and which ones are not. Like it’s not enough to know that lavender is good for brightening, you need to know *why* it’s good for brightening. Without that knowledge, you won’t understand why a lavender brightener might look awesome on someone with yellow undertones but have no real benefit for someone without them.

  • Morgane

    I can’t stand contouring. When I went to cosmetology school I was taught that contouring is mostly for editorial looks and photographs, not every day life. I feel like there is too much opportunity for contouring to go terribly wrong for the average makeup user, than for it to go right. As far as matte lips, I like this trend , however I’m not big on the overlining look. I think makeup should be about enhancing your features, not about redrawing them entirely.

  • Agona

    Funny story on aggressive beauty trends, me and my BF were walking through a casino/store and my oblivious to trends BF states randomly, “God, that model with the wierd eyebrows is EVERYWHERE and she’s so ugly!!” I do a double take at an ad poster to see who he was talking about, and it was Cara Delevingne. You know, the gorgeous Cara, whose eyebrows everyone is trying to emulate. So later on the plane, I pointed her out in Allure, and I was like, “Did you mean this one last night?” And he was like, “Yeah. So weird. And ugly.” And I was like, blink, blink, “Babe, you know her eyebrows single-handly started their own beauty trend these last few years? Women are trying to emulate this like crazy because we think she’s gorgeous.” And he was like, “Yeah. I’ve seen that drawn in eyebrow thing everyone is doing now. It’s overdrawn. Looks awful and clownish.”

    So…yeah. I’m not sure how effective a beauty trend is when the opposite sex thinks you look clown face. LOL

    • CL

      Love your comment! I think the eyebrow trend has been greatly overdone the past few years, and I’m not jumping on that bandwagon. My attitude is, if the first thing you notice about a woman is her eyebrows, she has done something wrong (usually making them too thick and dark).

    • Lisa

      yes!! I agree with him! Not a fan of the stenciled on eyebrow look that’s so trendy right now! I believe make up should enhance your natural beauty not make you look like someone else or worse, like a doll face that’s not even real. Your eyebrows should look like they are made of hair ladies!

    • Zovesta

      Oh gosh, I hate to say it, but I agree 100% with your BF. I always thought Cara was EXTREMELY homely – unattractive bone structure and hideous brows. =/

      • Silvia

        Lol! I agree. When i see Cara L. in any magazine, etc. I ask myself if this girl didn’t have those weird super heavy horsy mane eyebrows what else would she stand out for? I fail to see her beauty also just a weird face with manly features if anyone asks me!
        I also don’t like anything overly done makeup related such as those fake eyebrows which look as if countoured by a ruler or were sprayed. So unnatural. Heavy contouring is so obvious like they are trying to change their face shapes, I find terribly horrible the darker lip lining trend omg! So ugly! And heavy foundation hiding your natural skin is a no no as well as color correcting I would do more damage than saving of my own skin if I tried that. I like highliters not like love them! But not with glitter to reach a cosmonaut busy researching something! Lol! I prefer foundation on the Dewey/Lumi side but wouldn’t wear a glow like a clown under a foundation and look an oily mess. I do love matte lipsticks from my ❤️WetnWild because they stay puteven wearing Chapstick always under any lipstick but they leave a nice stain which I love they don’t disappear completely as others even with much heftier price and I can always wear a bit of gloss or shiny balm but no need to. I hate when all that gooey mess bleeds. Lol! What else? I realize I’m writing this in 2018 but it hasn’t change much I think the exaggerations are even higher nowadays. I notice so many girls overly made up they look so fake. Probably wouldn’t recognize them if they washed their faces. I notice teenagers for their high school pictures wanting to appear like 40 when their skin is so glowey and beautiful at that age trying to follow the overly made up trends in YouTube gurus. Sad. I do love to see for example, someone at Sephora with glitter, stars running down their eyes I think is the place to show your crazy makeup skills if you work for a makeup company . Go for it leave it up! But not for an everyday look on the streets. Whatever, to each it’s own. But nowadays is just way too much. Women also using tons of makeup remover products then asking for help due to breakouts. Makeup companies are indeed a huge business pushing their things down our throats and sadly some high schoolers are falling for all of it. End of my rant. Lol!

    • Alecto

      This is a great comment for a number of reasons, but the biggest one (for me) is that very few beauty trends are (in reality) driven by their appeal to the opposite sex. I’ve heard enough comments to come to the (completely unscientific) conclusion, that when a woman’s makeup wanders outside the “no makeup makeup” territory, then it starts being off-putting to the average heterosexual male.

      The vast, VAST, majority of what we see on Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube only works in controlled light and with the comfortable separation and distance enforced by the camera lens (like in a magazine ad). Now, I wear makup that I know isn’t flattering, but it’s about a particular image for me; the sad thing is that a lot of these women who are taking these extreme measures in makeup likely think they ARE making themselves vastly more attractive, and it just isn’t true. It potentially looks good on camera (and not always even then), but that’s it.

      I’m not saying we should all do what appeals to men (obviously, I don’t), but we also shouldn’t be deluding ourselves that being “on trend” is automatically visually appealing to anything other than the average heterosexual male mannikin.

  • mirandagrosvenor

    I think the beauty trends seem longer because it’s no longer Revlon execs in a back room deciding that “Lilac nail polish will be IT for Summer 2016.” There are tons of YouTubers desperate to generate views and content by rehashing things like color correcting (which has been around as long as makeup), making it seem like something they thought of, and calling it a “trend.” The smaller companies hop on it quickly because they can, then the midsize companies, and by the time it gets to the drugstore and Maybellline we’re all sick of it.

    “That’s so 5 minutes ago” really isn’t a joke nowadays. I remember when Revlon had the same lipstick shades and blush shades for years and great sales. Occasionally they’d throw in a “trend” shade but for the most part it was those workhorse products. Now everyone wants the newest thing and something your mom used obviously sucks for no other reason than that your mom used it. The bubble has to burst sooner or later, most likely when the last of the baby boomlet all start having kids and no disposable income.

  • Audrey

    With the advent of Instagram (and Kardashian EVERYTHING) and everyone trying to look like a caricature of themselves, the trends are pushing more aggressively because, unfortunately, this seems to be what the masses want and the cosmetics industry is more than happy to feed that beast. The days of Groucho Marx eyebrows and solar flare and milk mustache highlighting isn’t going away anytime soon. I don’t know about anyone else, but this mama doesn’t have time to prime, color correct, conceal, slather foundation, bake (a muffin?), eye and cheek makeup, reconstruct my eyebrows, highlight and mist my face!!! Holy moly can we please have simplicity back in our routines??

  • Tracy

    My niece is 16 and what I try to instill in her is skincare and not the stuff that’s loaded with chemicals. If I see one more 18 year old with great skin thinking they need to use under eye concealer I’m going to scream! With the amount of contouring, bronzing, highlighting, strobing that’s going on no one looks like themselves anymore. We’re all about embracing our differences and accepting others flaws all the while piling 30lbs of makeup on top of it. Makes so much sense to me?!

  • devon

    as an art teacher, i am slightly extremely happy that the complimentary colors are being brought back into daily life (blue circles/orange-based corrector!!!) but it is mostly terrifying for an amateur makeup gal/guy. lemme just shmear this green stuff here, cover it here…and then looks GREEN in daylight! ack! i like to stick to products i know (or ms muse recommended!). i am a person with low self-control…so when i see my favorite brands coming out with new stuff at the same time even though it’s all the same stuff, i wonder if i need it and then begin to really believe i do. :-/

  • Zovesta

    No, I don’t find it too be irritating, really. I mean, I’d rather a trend that I’m going to spend money on last than be gone by tomorrow. =S And these are all things that have been around for a long time… some highlight, some subtle shading, matte lips are as classic as you can get. I don’t exactly see people running around with instagram brows, chiseled cheeks, robot shine, or Sahara lips in day to day life. =P Sure, I see people filling in their brows a bit more, lips normally matte instead of glossy (but I still see tons of glossy lips), and some bronzer instead of blush, but I don’t see why it should be irritating at all. More than anything, what I see is winged eyeliner. Constantly. All day. On everyone.

  • Beauty and Baby UK

    I agree with you Muse that make up trends these days are becoming pushy and somehow forcing people the conform with what they think ‘correct beauty’ is…the products being released for bronzing, strobing and color correcting are overwhelming especially to an average consumer with limited budget for make-up and even less time every day (i.e. 20 mins to get ready)…personally I don’t have the time every day to contour, strobe and color correct my face it would take me half a day!

    Love your post and I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling that way.

    • Isabella Muse

      Hi Beauty/Baby UK! Too true :-/ it’s kinda sad sometimes that everyone feels so overwhelmed by trends. Trends are supposed to be fun they aren’t suppose to be like work haha! 🙂 Thanks and thanks for sharing your opinion!

  • Bonnie

    I once read this comment by Christie Turlington, “All you need is a really good cream.” Well she would know. for me, I believe all I really need is a sunscreen, good foundation, a red lippie (urban decay’s f-bomb is the best), a black eyeliner (Cargo’s Texasliner for me), mattifying powder for my oily skin, some eyeshadow and a cruelty-free mascara. Of course I have TONS more than this, and this is why I’ve learned the hard way that what I really need is much, much, much, much less. And absolutely NO TRENDS!

  • Yen

    There were people contouring before it even became a trend. Then suddenly one day it was everywhere. I personally don’t contour, but I love the way it transforms the face. I’ve seen instagramers who paint their face in stripes and patterns to contour/correct/highlight and thought it was pretty cool to see it all blend away. I don’t mind the crazy ways of contouring. I just get tired of seeing it talked about so much as if we NEED to do it.

    As for color correcting, I’ve seen those products in the past before. Just last week I walked into sephora and color correcting was everywhere! I feel like I missed out on something because this trend just jumped out full throttle at me. There was a big display with an array of brands and shades (green, violet, peach, yellow) to help conceal and correct. I was trying to avoid that display like the plague since so many sephora SA were talking about color correcting to customers. I felt like I was going to be recommended a product to help “correct” something. Everything in the store was a little overwhelming with so many brands dishing out color correcting products. It’s as if they’re saying color correcting is essential and we HAVE to incorporate it into our life.

  • Silvia

    While I do enjoy makeup companies exploding with new colors, styles, ideas, products, fashions what have you, it doesn’t bother me at all. Being a stubborn Taurus not easy to persuade. I do own lots of high lighters, the contour Dulce De Leche from WetnWild I find the best for my skin tone. I apply with my pinky finger the lighter color under my eyes as concealer works great on my skin tone. I love trying different colors and textures but do keep it on the natural side and blend everything to DEATH. Uuuhhh i’ve seen some heavy duty contouring dark brown lines on some girls out there which look bruised not flattering at all and don’t get me started on the big patches of highliters on some too? Anything excessive I leave to a cover model. Meantime, I do enjoy trying it all but keep minimum. Just really to have fun and know I’m wearing it but not so much as to show a punch. Too heavy cakey foundation ewww, bronzer, color correcting and baking are all too much for me.