Fall 2012 Make Up is All About Bold Lips and Bright Eyes

– by Melissa

It’s my job to pay attention to trends in fashion and cosmetics. I weed out the ones I don’t like, don’t think are practical or don’t think would stand the test of time, which accounts for about 90%. Let’s take a look at the 10% I think are worthy.

Rich Lipstick – The trend this year is to pair natural colors for the face with a bold pop of colors on the lips. I’m seeing unexpected harvest shades like pumpkin and eggplant. Deep plum shades are huge. Think Superstitious, Aztec, Vintage Merlot and Risque. Don’t be afraid to try it. I actually wore Superstitious at the trade show last week and got so many compliments that it’s now a mainstay in my cosmetic bag (and I normally wear very neutral shades like Bombshell, Seduction and Cherokee).

Flawless Skin – I sort of hate this one because who really has flawless skin? All we can do is try. My favorite technique? Twice weekly face scrub, followed by a light moisturizer. I use the kabuki brush to apply just the right amount of our Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation, focusing more coverage on my cheeks, and less on my nose and chin. I love it because this foundation is so customizable meaning you can wear it as lightly or layered as you want without it ever feeling heavy or clogging your pores. You want to keep your complexion matte, so carry blotting papers (or a tissue) if you tend to get oily late in the day.

Bright Eyes – Greens, ocean blues, and glam rock purples are all the rage. And it’s not just one color; fashionistas are combining three and four bright shades in one look. Our answer to this trend: The Party Girl eye shadow palette. The still-popular Smokey Eye goes a step further by adding a metallic sheen to the look. Also hot on runways is the brown smokey eye. Try combining Sedona, Satin Sheets, Passage to India and Chai PowderColors to achieve this look. Eye liners are bold and colorful. Heavy winged eye liner and shadow is all the rage, as is graphic boxy and dotted eye liner (which I don’t like). Well-defined natural brows continue to be popular. Brows a bit sparse? Try our Brown Sugar Eye Liner as a fill in, or our Chai PowderColors Mineral color (or a combination of both).

Colorful Nails – Nail polish sales leaped a whopping 23% this past year. More women are getting manis and pedis, trying new nail products and keeping their nails polished throughout the year. Bold colors are hot: bright blue, bright red, deep plums and rich wine shades are all the rage. Black is still hot as well, which surprises me because I thought that trend would die off after a year or two. I was wrong (hence the addition of Abyss to our color line). Colors we expect to see flying out the door: Oasis, Wild Fire, Tease, Vintage Merlot, and Renaissance.

Use common sense when trying these trends. If you’re going to do a bold lip, keep the eye color soft and neutral. And if you’re going to do a colorful peacock eye, tone down the lips using shades like Karma, Inuendo, Soft Kiss and Dream. But for heaven’s sake DO try at least one of these trends. You never know what’s going to work for you until you try it. And besides, make up is supposed to be FUN! Honeybee wants to keep the FUN in FUNctional cosmetics….okay that was just corny….I need more sleep.