Say I do to Lola’s Lashes…
With wedding season blooming, Lola's Lashes has a reminder for all of you waiting for the big day. Do not forget a small but important "accessory" that can literally transform your bridal look: your false lashes.
Fashions Finest Exclusive: Beauty Chat with Charlotte Miller
Charlotte Miller, founder of Charlie Betty Beauty, showed us how makeup – that colourful game we love so much – can be a shield to protect you from the world or magic healer. We had a virtual chat to talk about makeup, mental wellbeing and the beauty industry.
How To Wear Pantone's Very Peri With OPV Beauty
The new year wraps up in a new colour: 'Very Peri', Pantone's Colour Of The Year 2022. You too can add this shade of royal purple with independent brand OPV Beauty.
Courtesy of OPV Beauty
With UK Google searches for Very Peri up by 5,000%, here is how to incorporate it into your beauty looks all year round, with the help of OPV Beauty...
About "Very Peri"
Pantone announced their colour of 2022 as 'Very Peri' describing it as "displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives."
Just A Sprinkling Of 'Mild Peri'
If you have opted for a more natural makeup look after all the lockdowns, add just a sprinkling of Very Peri to your eyelids, and customise it to create your own style. Whether it is a brush along the crease, a stamp in the inner corner, or a smokey blend out from the outer corner, this shade makes an impact.
Use the Shift Loose Pigment by OPV Beauty (£8.50 on opvbeauty.com), a highly concentrated pigment that is easy to apply and create whatever look you are going for, as well as also being vegan and cruelty-free.
Graphic Liner But Make It Metallic
The Graphic Liner trend is going nowhere with #graphicliner having over 770 million TikTok video views!
Add to the colour of the year, the trend of the year with OPV Beauty's Metal & Glitter liner in shade 909 (£10). Long-lasting and smudge-free, this liner is perfect for adding a shimmer to your look or being your entire eyelid look. The precise applicator sweeps seamlessly for a smooth, professional finish.
Father, Son, And Purple Eyelids
Lady Gaga stunned at the House of Gucci UK premiere with a floaty purple dress, and glitter purple eyeshadow to match - almost like she knew it was going to be the colour of the year.
If you are heading "out out" this year, make your eyes more eye-catching with Pressed Glitter in shade Gold Lust by OPV Beauty (£8). Cruelty-free and waterproof, this pressed pigment stays super sparkly for hours.
The Queen's Lipstick
Deepen 'Very Peri' with a full-on vampy purple lip like Anya Taylor-Joy. Perfect for those winter nights or summer parties (fingers crossed!).
Be bold with the Mystery Liquid Lipstick from OPV Beauty (£8) that gives you an effortless application, and your lips a tender coverage that dries to a gorgeous matte finish.
Very Peri will give you confidence and a halo of mystery and we are sure including it in your palette will give you much fun with OPV Beauty.
Korean Skincare Latest Trends for 2022
The popularity of K-beauty will see no cease in 2022 and we can already tell you what are going to be the next Korean skincare trends that your skin will love this year.
Courtesy of Atomy
Ruby McGrath, MD of Korean skincare brand Atomy, reveals the latest trends that will be big in 2022.
In the UK, Google research on Korean skincare went up by 200%. As its success and appreciation do not stop, K-beauty does not stop to surprise us. Here we have expert Ruby McGrath, MD of Atomy, unveiling the latest Korean trends for 2022.
'Low-irritation' Cosmetics
“Korean skincare has been influenced by a global skin concern: the so-called 'maskne'. As masks become more prevalent in our lives, it’s having an effect on our skin including dryness, redness, irritation and ‘maskne’. ‘Low-irritation’ cosmetics are designed to soothe angry pores and skin troubles.
Ceramides are incredibly popular at the moment, thanks to their skin-soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, which is why we have added them to every step of our The Fame Skincare Set (£85). Also available to buy as individual products, which includes Toner (£19.50), Lotion (£19.50), Essence (£20.50), Nutrition Cream (£19.50), and Eye Cream (£19.50). Ceramides act as a source of strength that protects the skin barrier and keeps skin looking and feeling healthy.”
'Skip Care'
“Skip care is all about using fewer products to get the same results. A lot of the newer formulations are combining the benefits of several products into one. Not only does this cut down on the steps in your routine, but it also contributes to less waste and fewer carbon emissions in transporting products across the globe, which is a key growth area in the industry. We combined must-have skincare ingredients like Niacinamide, Green tea, Centella, Glycerin, and Oat kernel extract to create an effective do-it-all Absolute Ampoule (£36). With this ampule, you're treating your skin to anti-ageing, soothing, exfoliating, brightening, and acne-busting ingredients. Simply top with your favourite moisturiser and SPF and you’re set for the day!”
'Scalpcare’
“In Korea, we devote as much TLC to the skin on our head as we do to our facial skincare routines, and this is only going to become more dedicated in the New Year. It’s the scalp that really controls the health of the hair. So what’s going on in the follicle and the skin around the follicle could make the difference in whether you’re losing more hair, or maintaining your hair, and whether you have healthy hair or brittle hair. Our Scalpcare Set (£23) includes a shampoo and conditioner that incorporates Niacinamide, Neem, Arnica, Shikakai, Avocado, Henna, and Biotin to cleanse, nourish and balance the scalp.”
Oral Care
“In Korea, we are very thorough when it comes to our dental hygiene. Multiply the dedication we have to our skincare by 10! We clean our teeth after every meal as well as after drinking coffee and often carry a toothbrush around with us in our bags. In some places, you can even find free toothbrushes in bathrooms. Our Atomy Toothbrush (8pcs at £8) have super slim, flexible bristles with an anti-bacterial membrane for more effective removal of plaque and also to keep the toothbrush itself clean in between uses. Our Propolis Toothpaste (4pcs at £4) uses green tea and propolis extract as they are effective in minimising bacteria growth, as well as reducing bad breath.”
The Need-To-Know Ingredient
“Last but certainly not least we have the need-to-know ingredient for 2022. In 2021 Korea saw a large increase in supplement consumption, as our knowledge of the benefits of inner health and wellbeing for our outer, increases. Ellagic acid acts as an antioxidant and can decrease levels of inflammation to protect against disease. It can also help lighten your skin by blocking the activity of an enzyme involved in melanin production, as well as moisturising skin from the inside out, which is why we use it in the form of our Pomegranate Mixed Fruit Jelly (60 sticks at £58). Not only will a daily dose give you skin benefits, but studies
suggest that ellagic acid has excellent hair growth-promoting activity.”
Thanks to Ruby and Atomy, K-beauty has no secrets... at least for now.
To boost your health inside and out in 2022, discover the range of Atomy skincare and wellness products online.
Fashions Finest Exclusive: Beauty Chat with Tia Roqaa
Fashion and beauty-makers started somewhere and, if you look a bit closer, their interests and lives are much like ours. We at Fashions Finest love talking about trailblazers, visionaries, creative minds. This time, we had the pleasure to chat with Tia Roqaa, CEO and founder of Roccabox, to know more about her relationship with beauty - the industry, the trends and much more.
Beauty in 2022? Tia Roqaa's exclusive predictions
No crystal ball is needed to predict the biggest beauty trends for next year! We have Tia Roqaa, beauty expert and founder of beauty subscription box Roccabox, doing the job for us and sharing her expertise.
Ph. Ron Lach, Pexels
What has the beauty industry in store for us in 2022? Roccabox founder and CEO, Tia Roqaa, foresaw the hottest beauty trends we will see and wear next year.
Tia knows well which products and beauty trends will be hot next and you should not be surprised by her foresight. Tia Roqaa is a real beauty expert, a woman who turned her passion for cosmetics and experience in PR into a curated and elegant beauty experience. In this blog, Tia delighted us with her 2022 beauty predictions.
Themes
Ph. Rodnae Productions, Pexels
“Inclusivity across beauty is really gaining pace, which is great to see. From race to gender, identity to ability, the beauty scene is finally responding to our very unique sets of needs and we’re seeing certain brands becoming genuinely more inclusive – rather than just talking the talk. It’s a conversation consumers have been having behind the scenes for a while, and it’s great to see brands are joining the narrative. At Roccabox we champion and support this movement, having already worked with some beauty brands such as Jecca Blac – a gender-free make-up collection that’s truly authentic and innovative in its brand mission of inclusivity.”
Trends
Image courtesy of Roccabox
“There are plenty of trends within the clean beauty movement that show signs of becoming even bigger and more exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing waterless products grow and innovate. Waterless products are products where the water has been removed which make them more sustainable. Water within a product requires a preservative to prevent bacteria from forming, so immediately you’re taking away the need for this preservative, making a cleaner product. You’re also reducing the need for plastic packaging, making them naturally more environmentally friendly. The result is a formula that is more potent as it’s undiluted.
I also love the growing trend for emo-beauty: products that have an additional impact on our emotional wellbeing as they perform their beauty function. It’s a beauty space with so much potential: in fact, we’re planning a limited edition emo-beauty Roccabox for 2022. I also think our fairly recent interest in scalp-care and our shift in perspective on the importance of treating our scalp for better hair health will continue to grow.”
Trends To Leave In 2021
“TikTok will remain a fun outlet for showing off beauty tips but I don’t think the beauty trends emerging on the platform will continue to hold much weight. They provided a fun distraction during the 2021 misery of lockdowns but I think in 2022 as lives get busy again we will leave those behind.”
Blue Light
Image courtesy of Roccabox
“Just as we came to understand how the sun damages our skin, and now protect it daily, it’s time to now consider other ways our living environment is impacting our skin and how to better protect it. We work in such a technological era - we’re sat in front of multiple screens for most of the day - so it’s time to adapt our skincare to protect ourselves from its potentially skin-damaging effects. Blue light is now proven to increase inflammation, prevent collagen production, and increase hyperpigmentation, particularly in darker skin tones. Both mainstream and smaller niche brands have already brought out some great protective products but I think we will soon start to see blue light protection added commonly to our daily moisturiser – in the same way, SPF is often added. I also think additional protective products, such as serums that offer blue light protection will become far more available, with brands offering us greater choice.”
Nostalgia Beauty
Image courtesy of Roccabox
“The emerging makeup nostalgia trends seem to be all about being as extra as possible: I think it’s a natural reaction to us all socialising again, and wearing all the make-up we sent into hibernation for a year! In 2022 I think 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 line in 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.”
Less Is More
“For many reasons, we’re seeing consumers looking to scale down their skincare and reduce the amount of products they use. We’re craving a ‘less is more’ approach to skincare right now and I believe this will continue. It’s going to call the beauty industry into creating more streamlined product lines, for sure, but just because we’re favouring a more simple and more gentle approach to skincare doesn’t mean we don’t expect to see the same results. So I expect brands will create more hybrid multi-functional products and will create cleaner formulas to reduce the chemical load we’re applying to our skin.”
Shopping Online
Image courtesy of Roccabox
“The online beauty shopping experience has definitely improved - online beauty retailers really had to up their game over these last 18 months and now shopping for both make-up and skincare online is no longer as challenging as it once was. Ingredients-search tools are always a handy way to navigate skincare purchasing and a good starting point for skincare shopping. Sites with visible independent reviews of products play an important role too, as customers often want to know how other consumers found the product in real life.
Colour-matching can be tricky online but I’ve seen some really innovative and effective colour-matching options on independent brand websites – the ‘find my shade’ option on ILIA’s website for example is particularly effective: it cleverly gives examples of hair and eye colour, as well as undertone, to help you determine your most seamless skin tone match.”
In 2022, the beauty industry will continue along the path toward inclusivity and holistic wellbeing seen during the pandemic. How Roccabox will reflect the new state of things in 2022? We asked Tia again...
Image courtesy of Roccabox
Roccabox 2022
“We’ve confirmed some of my personal favourite brands for 2022 – including Murad and Oskia. We have some incredible limited edition boxes in the pipeline – I can’t reveal much but they include some brand exclusives with a handful of hero brands that I think many of our customers will be really surprised to see! Our monthly boxes will continue to introduce our customers to really effective, results-driven skincare brands. This will include cosmeceutical brands, such as Doctors Formula, which we’ve already started to introduce our customers to – their products are second to none for seeing a genuine change in your skin. We know our customers might not otherwise have discovered this type of beauty brand, or they might have been reluctant to invest in their products given their higher price point, so we think what we do and whom we introduce customers to is really important.
We also plan to introduce our customers to the skincare ingredients that are set to be huge in 2022 – niacinamide is one that springs to mind – with ingredient-focused products that our team of experts have chosen for our boxes because they truly live up to the hype. I’m also really excited about the themes of our boxes for next year: I don’t want to give away any spoilers but the concepts we’ve chosen really tap into what customers are looking for in their beauty purchases right now.”
Meanwhile, In This Month's Roccabox...
Image courtesy of Roccabox
December Roccabox is the editors' wishlist in a box. This month's beauty box contains three full-sized products from brands Laritzy, Doctors Formula and Figs & Rouge, and two deluxe mini samples. This skincare and makeup chest is worth £180 and available for just £15. The beauty experts at Roccabox put these five products together after a year of testing and digging into the best and newest from the industry. December Roccabox 'Winter Wishlist' is all a beauty enthusiast would like for a glowy complexion ready to party and face the cold.
Roccabox monthly boxes and limited-edition boxes are available to purchase online starting from £15. (roccabox.co.uk)
Beauty Trends Forecast from Fashions Finest's LFW
In the scenographic surroundings of St John's in Hyde Park, Fashions Finest's editorial team had a privileged sight on current trends and next Spring/Summer beauty forecast.
Nail art by Julie Bryan & team. Images by V. Chirico
Fashions Finest followed the makeup, hair styling and nail art teams during its LFW showcase to explore this season's most buzzed beauty trends. We had a look at what we should expect for next season, all in the making of the show.
A good old flick through popular magazines would be enough to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. What if you could have a close encounter with the style-makers and learn from the experts? Fashions Finest followed the teams led by Michelle Strain, Julie Bryan, and Amy Tasker on this mission. We popped behind the scenes during Fashions Finest's London Fashion Week event for a preview of next Spring/Summer trends and steal the best for your autumnal look straight from the catwalk.
SS22: a 20s' touch with finger waves. Amy Tasker & team.
The warmer season will see sweet hairstyles doing their come back. 'I would expect to see volumised bouffants with textured raw hair keeping the hair feeling and looking natural, sleek wet hair with styled baby hair on the forehead giving a fresh youthful appearance and finger waves to create the 1920s' glamorous timeless appeal' says Amy Tasker, lead hairstylist.
Streetstyle and low-maintenance updos are totally in these autumn and winter months, helping us to be ready in a snap. In fact, 'the 70's shaggy look is back with the grown out middle-parted bangs and invisible layers. Box braids are really popular right now as well as random plaits throughout the hair', continues Amy.
If you feel it is time to make a change with a new hair colour, pick yours from the warm palette of the moment. 'The seasons most anticipated colours are Caramel, Honey and Gold adding more warmth into the hair. For brunettes, it's definitely Espresso and Chocolate creating more of richer look and image.' This is the expert's advice.
Whether is autumn or springtime, the very essential for your makeup look is within you: 'I think always - for every season - is just a really good skin', international makeup artist from AOFM London Michelle Strain recommends.
SS22 makeup: bright colours. Makeup by Michelle Strain & AOFM team
The makeup seems to reflect the natural colour surrounding us, as Michelle continues: 'I think we are definitely going to get more, richer colours like very bright lips with deeper tones.'
In Spring/Summer 22, the inspiration for your makeup is just outside the window with 'pastels, beautiful pretty blossom type of colours, because this is obviously what comes through with the clothing. Nice pastel pinks, peachies, blues for the eyes. Just really nice, pretty colours.'
If the next season's colour scheme comes from Mother Nature and our refreshed wardrobe, you need to know that 'definitely just a nice, glow, fresh healthy skin is always the way forward'.'
In winter/autumn nails tinge in sobriety. Julie Bryan, celebrities nail technician notices that 'people wear a lot of black in the autumn and winter. So I think the colour scheme, what we've done here today, will match autumn/winter and spring/summer. So we've got nudes: nude is going to be big as well. Loads of nudes.' As the days brighten up, so your nails do with 'a lot of neons again. They started to creep back in just as we went into lockdown. Lots of bright colours, which will be showcased in all fashion week.'
The models were sporting a rainbow of neons paired with gemstones applied as finger jewels. Without glue and rhinestones, this nail art is the idea to steal if you have some spare time for it! 'We've done the nails on the trend, so you have different neons on each end of the nail, painstakingly done', proudly points out Julie.
Every season has its colour but also its shapes too! This Autumn/Winter sees a drastic - very welcomed - change: 'coffins - some people call it coffins, some people call it 'ballerina' - that sort had its day, the nail trend that a lot of celebrities is going for is coming away from the acrylics and going more for the natural nail look.'
The beauty of nail art is in its everchanging nature, like the weather in the UK: 'the trend with nail art changes monthly, basically, so we had the mirror nails come and go, the chrome nails come and go. So it's using your own knowledge and your artistry... Just go with the flow! Don't make it too hard.'
Go with the flow, embrace natural shades and an effortless approach to hairstyling. Could you believe the catwalk was radiating so much naturalness?
More from our LFW behind the scenes? Follow Fashions Finest on Instagram.
'Skinimalism': how UK beauty customers replied to the pandemic
As we could expect, the pandemic dictated what to buy or not to buy, and expanded its impact way beyond our social life. The distress and uncertainty took their toll in a very personal sphere of our daily habits: buying skincare. It is the rise of a new trend, the 'skinimalism'.
Top 5 Beauty Trends on TikTok
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Where did we get all our information from before TikTok existed?
The ever-growing social media platform has offered us some of the greatest tips and tricks. Be it bargain DIY or trying to become the next Gordon Ramsey, we’ve learnt we can take on any challenge. Perhaps TikTok’s most influential topic is beauty, as focused on by BBC’s Glow Up this year. Below are some trends that are sure to improve our skills, and maybe even prepare us to apply for the next series.
1. Robe Curls
With Covid causing a national shut down of hairdressers, our locks have been longing for some TLC. It’s fair to say the past year has seen a fair few bad hair days, but we’ve persevered, finding solace in online platforms such as TikTok for the latest tips. We’ve even found a new way to achieve that salon bouncy blow dry in the comfort of our own homes – using a dressing gown tie. Funnily enough, this unconventional hair tool provides voluminous curls that require no heat. Less damage to hair and doesn’t cost a penny – we’re sold.
@gillianxgrace @shopsilkyy Heatless Hair Curler! I can’t wait to see the results, part 2 coming soon! ? ##heatlesscurls ##shopsilkyy ##hair ##hairtutorial
♬ originalljud - S U P E R M O D E L S
2.Eye Bags
After spending the last however many decades discovering new ways to conceal our eye bags, this beauty trend aims to do the complete opposite. 2021 is all about embracing natural beauty and uniting in the fact that most of us have eye bags – and that’s okay! In fact, now it’s even trendy. TikTokers have been using lipsticks to create an exaggerated eye bag effect. After all, it’s been a long year so it’s no surprise everyone’s feeling tired and not afraid to show it.
@sarathefreeelf ♬ Greek Tragedy (Oliver Nelson TikTok Remix) - The Wombats
3.Facelift Concealer
As mentioned above, latest beauty trends consist of more natural ways to glow up. For this tip, we’re swapping out needles and saving our pennies for a change in concealer placement. Kim K started the overly bright under eye a few years ago. Now beauty gurus are telling us to switch up this application. Using a concealer one to two shades lighter than our skin tone, place the product in an isosceles triangle shape under the inner section of your eyes. Then add a stroke on the outer corner of your eyes above your cheek bones. This ultimately gives the appearance of a more snatched face.
@meghaess Facelift anyone? #facelift #concealerhack #makeuphack #makeuptricks #makeuproutine #itsaremix #gotthisforyou #makeuptutorial #skincareroutine #foryou
♬ BDASH Breathe - BDash
4. Q-Tip Lipstick Trick
Perfecting the outer corner edges of our mouth are always the most stubborn when it comes to lipstick application. It’s not easy to see where the liner should finish and we can sometimes end up with the dreaded clown lip. TikTok beauty queen Huda Kattan has solved all our lipstick problems offering a q-tip as the solution. By holding the cotton bud in your mouth while applying, the results are smudge free. There’s no need for guessing work with this precise and easy hack.
@tesslamariee Sandstone lip & cheek, linked in bio ✨ #qtiplipstick #makeuphack #howto #easymakeup #mamamakeup #lipcolor #ROMWEGetGraphic #PonderWithZion
♬ original sound - theanoughceke
5. Colour Theory Foundation
Perhaps one of the most shocking transitions, who knew painting your face multi-coloured could result in a flawless personal skin match? This is a beauty trick even a 2-year-old could help you with – it’s that easy. When applying white, red, blue, and yellow dots on the face and then buffing them into the skin, the colours will melt together and disappear. The concept behind this at-first magical trick is that primary colours neutralise your skin tone. All foundations are actually made from the same pigments, so by custom creating your own, you’re finding the perfect match at a fraction of the cost.
Main photo Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash
How to Complete Your Look Like A Celeb
Have you ever found yourself looking at those top celebrities on the red carpet and felt envious of their chiselled jawline, high cheekbones, and slim looking face? If so, then you may be surprised to learn that not all of them are born that way, and in fact often it’s the skills of a talented makeup artist that should get the credit.