From waiting two months for a lipstick to getting cosy with Cate Blanchett, 2014 has been one heck of an eventful year for us. Just before it ends, let’s look at 12 of the biggest beauty trends this year.
#1 K-BEAUTY
Obviously this is at the top of the list. K-beauty has always been a big deal in Singapore, but never before like 2014.
Screenshot from SBSNow
First, we saw a complete outage of YSL’s Rouge Pur Couture in #52 Rosy Coral in February – globally – all thanks to the Cheon Song Yi lip craze (now just wait for Rouge Volupte to sell out because of K-drama, Birth of a Beauty). Next, Etude House opened its largest flagship store, ever – yes, even bigger than the one in Seoul – in Wisma Atria with K-Beauty guru Pony present at the event. Finally, we know you own more than one BB cushion, ‘nuff said.
Korean beauty brands reading this – we’d like more (and Kim Soo Hyun) in 2015, please?
#2 LIPS, LIPS, LIPS!
We’re sure you’ve tried or seen one of these on your newsfeed – light water-stained lips a la Jun Ji Hyun in K-Drama My Love from Another Star, Kylie Jenner’s overdrawn lip liner, Lorde’s dark pout, and of course, emerald lips from Rihanna.
Want more? Find out which lipsticks made headlines from being in 2014’s K-Dramas.
#3 THICK NATURAL BROWS
A continuing trend from 2013 (thank you, Cara), and we’d love to see more of it, just leave those cube-like inner brows and overdrawn arches behind in 2014, please? Okay, to be honest, we’re not asking politely. It’s an order – leave it. The keyword here is natural.
Bibhu Mohapatra New York Spring 14
#4 ANYTHING TAYLOR SWIFT
Duh.
#5 SKINCARE ESSENCES
Skincare essences have long been loved by us – potent ingredients delivered to a cellular level, yet with such a light texture. This year, the Western brands have finally caught up with this trend, giving us more options with three big releases – from Clinique, Estee Lauder and Biotherm – in the earlier half of this year, and boy, did they not disappoint.
#6 V-SHAPED FACE
Go back to point #1 and #4. Now, get your hands on one of these face sculpting creams, you’ll need them in 2015, for the V-shape face is here to stay.
#7 #IWOKEUPLIKETHIS
We know you didn’t. Thank you Lena Dunham for telling it like it really is.
#8 SONIC CLEANSING TOOLS
We were (repeatedly) told that it isn’t enough to wash your face with your hands this year. Some are thankful for the advice, but some are dead against it. We think it really depends on your skin type and usage pattern – it’s different for everyone, but worth trying for sure.
#9 BRAIDS
Braids were all over the runway this year. We expect these to stay in 2015, and we’re not complaining.
Nicole Miller New York Spring 14 and Simone Rocha London Fall 14
#10 LOBS
To some, this hairstyle has been dubbed “The Taylor” (again, refer to point 4). Taylor Swift wasn’t the only one sporting the lob – a longer bob – this year, #bff Karlie Kloss, The Amazing Spider-man star Emma Stone and, well, many celebs did too.
#11 SHORT NAILS
Forget kawaii nail art and long stiletto nails, this year was all about single colours, nude polish and graphic “negative space” nail art on short nails.
Clockwise from top left: Ashish London Spring 14, Peter Som New York Fall 14, Osman London Spring 14
#12 BRIGHT EYES, TWO WAYS!
We wore bright (as in colourful) eyeliners throughout the year – with just a little flick at the side of the eyes – but we wouldn’t have had such “bright” peepers without the help of these brightening eye care launches.
Chanel Paris Fall 14
Are you ready for what’s in store this 2015? We can’t wait.