These are the biggest makeup trends that will make waves in 2022

After a brief moment where our makeup sort of “retired” in 2022, it seems like we’re all ready to paint our faces and slick on some lipstick again once restrictions started to ease a little this year.

With 2022 just around the corner, it’s safe to say that we’re definitely going to keep that trend going with a few looks that are all about channelling our most extra, colourful, and glittery selves.

There’s a number of extraordinary eyeshadow moments, but we also spotted some of the biggest trends that will also appeal to our more minimalist side, thanks to complexion-enhancing foundations that are meant to give a second-skin look.

Keep reading for the makeup looks that will take over 2022, according to our beauty experts.

Makeup trends 2022: Neon show

Forget the basic neutrals – with only our eyes visible while the rest of our faces are still covered by masks, it’s time for our eyes to take centre stage with the brightest neons that will remind you of your Stabilo highlighters.

Makeup artist Cheryl Ow was particularly inspired by the neon-bright makeup at Prabal Gurung’s Spring 2022 ready-to-wear runway, where models were sporting shocking hues like lime green and bright pink on their peepers.

To make the look more wearable, Cheryl suggests applying the neon eyeshadow only in the inner corners of the eyes, as seen on movie star Diane Kruger.

Makeup trends 2022: Bejeweled peepers

Get creative as you social distance with fun eye makeup looks embellished with rhinestones, pearls, glitter, and more.

Cheryl most recently spotted the trend at Etro’s Spring/Summer 2022 catwalk, where models sashayed down the runway with minimal makeup to let the embellishments under their eyes shine.

New to embellished makeup? Take a leaf out of actress Gemma Chan’s book and try it out with just a couple of rhinestones – and lashings of mascara.

Once you’re ready to advance to the next level you can try lining up your rhinestones to bejewel your eyeliner on the upper eyelid.

Makeup trends 2022: Glitter me up

Sparkle is always in, but it’s taking on new forms like the pink smokey eye seen on new mum Gigi Hadid.

According to Cheryl, glitter eyeshadows are a fun way to pull focus onto the eyes and the extra bonus? They are also incredibly easy to use.

That’s because glitter eyeshadow is in a compact form and is, therefore, easier to control compared to loose glitter that can get messy if you don’t apply an eye primer beforehand.

“Just use your finger to dab the glitter eyeshadow on, and voila! You’ve got yourself a look in less than a minute.”

Makeup trends 2022: Velvet skin

For Alif Alwee, resident trainer at The Estée Lauder Companies which counts M.A.C as one of the brands under its umbrella, velvet skin is definitely here to stay and last throughout 2022.

He expounds that both men and women are more concerned with skin following the pandemic.

With this in mind, concealing, correcting, and coverage (depending on individual skin needs) have become even more paramount and products that can help cover imperfections naturally have been flying off the shelves, he says.

Makeup trends 2022: Matte glow

Now, this is a trend that’s integrating into the new norm.

While a natural matte finish didn’t sound possible in the past, Alif says you can now enjoy the best of both worlds by highlighting only the areas that bring out your best features while keeping the rest of your face fairly natural.

By mastering this look, you can essentially look fresh-skinned all the time which is what Claudia Soare, president of Anastasia Beverly Hills, says is here to stay in 2022.

“It’s all about creating a luminous second-skin look using easy-to-apply products that deliver effortlessly. Personally, cream formulas are the star of the show,” she shares.

Makeup trends 2022: Lips are still in

Claudia has called it: Lips are back and in a major way.

According to Claudia, matte lip formulas will always be essential to a makeup collection but the beautiful thing about current makeup trends is that there are more finishes, textures, and formulas for us to play around with.

“Everyone wants comfort, but also formulas that are long-wearing with amazing colour payoff which you can get from both matte and satin finishes,” she lets on.

For Alif, it’s all about the reinvented matte, which is the finish he calls when he stains lips with moisturising matte lipsticks using his fingers instead of applying directly from the bullet.

“Simply pick up your favourite moisturising matte lipstick and dab it on your lips using your ring finger. Re-apply anytime if you need to take a selfie, but ultimately, let’s not waste all of that lipstick onto our mask,” he shares.

“And, don’t forget your lip primer!”

Makeup trends 2022: Overlined lips

For a brief period of time, visible lip liner was a no-no and we’d rather be caught dead than to be seen with our lip liner showing.

Well, not anymore! Stars like Jennifer Lopez, Megan Thee Stallion, and Addison Rae are embracing the ‘90s-inspired trend and adding heaps of volume to their lips along the way.

Claudia echoes the same sentiment, telling us that lip liner will be a big trend in 2022 for creating defined lips, especially since we’re giving a nod to the classic ’90s vibe with a combination of a deeper-coloured lip liner and a lighter-coloured lipstick.

Featured image: @gemmachan and @gigihadid on Instagram

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