How to Recreate the Top Beauty Trends of 2021

Take it from Blackpink’s Jennie, glowy skin is and will always be in. But in order to get this dreamy, glassy-esque look, you’ll need to take care of a couple of fundamental things first. We like to call it the rule of three: Eat right, sleep well, and maintain a good skincare routine. Yes, that means restricting your diet from greasy foods that will do little to nothing for you, sleeping a full eight hours, and treating your skin like a God. If double cleansing, serums, and moisturisers aren’t working for you, consider using a gua sha, a jade roller, or collagen supplements to get your skin glowing.

We recommend: LAC Taut® Rejuvenate+, a premium collagen formula that contains proprietary LAC Taut® RDS® (Rapid Delivery System) low molecular weight collagen (derived from red snapper) that tackles signs of ageing and visible effects of stress on your skin. This booster shot will help your skin feel younger and bouncier after regular consumption, setting your skin up to be the perfect glowy base for your looks this season.

A favourite of the Gen Z beauty gurus on TikTok. Lined under your eyes with a pencil or crayon eyeliner, this look gives you that sexy fox eye look with no hassle at all. If you’ve ever attempted the fox eye trend you’ve seen on Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram, chances are it didn’t turn out the way you intended it to. And that’s not surprising, considering the look was catered to a specific eye shape. On the other hand, you have the reverse cat eye, a more inclusive version of the fox eye that creates a definition under your eyes that logistically shouldn’t look great, but just does somehow. 

We recommend: Priming a line under your eyes and curling your lashes (to prevent smudges after you’re done with your look) before attempting the reverse cat eye. Follow the shape of your eye using your eyeliner of choice and use a q-tip to sharpen the edges of your line once you’re done.

Graphic liners are not new, but they’ve been very popular throughout the year. Artists like Doja Cat and Halsey were also often seen sporting cute shapes and lines on their lids at major events and on Instagram. The best thing about this trend? There’s no wrong way to do it. Just pick up your eyeliner and create. Think of it as pretty geometry. Not to mention, the many colours you could use to draw said shapes. 

We recommend: Investing in a thinner pen or liquid eyeliner that can help you create sharper lines. There are also brands that carry special products just for this look – like SUVA Beauty. Don’t be afraid to play around with bright, neon colours to really accentuate your features.

If you’ve already read our article on makeup ideas for holiday parties, you’d know that glitter lids are everything. It’s the easiest way to draw attention to your eyes without having to put too much effort into the creation of it all. Many people are often afraid to tamper with glitter as they’re worried that it may be too much, but it all honestly depends on the kind of look you’re going for. If that’s you, try covering your lids with smaller glitters or shimmers (that can be found on most palettes) first and work your way up to harder glitters when you’re ready for a bolder look. 

We recommend: Investing in a good primer and liquid glitter eyeshadow (Stila’s is great) for long-lasting results. Smaller powdered shimmers tend to wear off throughout the day, especially if you’re one who suffers from oily skin or oily eyelids. Always use a setting spray to ensure it stays on as long as possible.

This 2020 trend had (and still has) the beauty community in a chokehold. Soap brows (or, fluffy brows) are a brushed, subtly slicked up look that has taken over eyebrows everywhere. Gone are the days when defined Anastasia Beverly Hills-esque brows dominated the face, it’s au-naturel or nothing at all now. This trend is a component of the “no makeup, makeup” trend that’s been resurfacing this year, alongside popping mascara, glowy skin, and subtle tints of lipstick. 

We recommend: Dampening your spoolie brush with a facial mist and rubbing its bristles against a bar of soap before combing your brows into shape. The soap will help your hair stay in place. To bolden the look just a smidge, go over it lightly with your brow pencil. 

A cute trend through and through; freckles undoubtedly create a little more excitement and definition to your makeup looks – just look at celebrities like Alia Shawkat who’s known for them. Living in Asia, it’s pretty unlikely to find someone with natural freckles as most of us have a sufficient amount of melanin in our skin. But what if we told you that you could fake these pretty beauty marks?

The application is relatively simple. Just take your freckle pen or eyebrow pencil and dot it all over your face. Next, blend it in by patting them into your skin using your fingers. 

We recommend: Not using henna for this process. Besides the uncertainty of how well the product may stain on your skin post-application, using henna as a beauty tool without knowing the full significance of its history can also come across as cultural appropriation to the South Asian community. Some South Asian beauty creators have also come forward to express their displeasure at the henna freckle trend.

Now, this trend is tricky because it could backfire on you if you have the wrong combination of colours. As seen on artists like JLo and Gwen Stefani back in the day, the ‘90s lip liner trend sees lips lined with a darker lip liner and lighter middle with a gloss layered on top. We’re not particularly fond of this trend resurging as it's a hit or miss look, but it’s still one worth trying. 

We recommend: Picking colours that a complementary to each other. If you pick too dark a liner to line your lips and fill the middle with a lighter shade, the gradual dynamics of the look will be thrown off. To be safe, consider doing a look like Lizzo’s.

One of the more interesting trends to come from this year; fake piercings are dominating the alternative side of the beauty community. Just like Florence Pugh, many celebrities, influencers, and beauty creators are making use of faux piercings to embrace rebellion. Many jewellery brands like Lovisa have come up with collections of realistic-looking, fake septum piercings, nose rings, ear cuffs, and more to allow buyers to create their own illusions. Perfect for those who love the look of piercings, but hate the pain of getting them. 

We recommend: Taking it one step further by experimenting with fake facial piercings. Simply buy a packet of small ball bearings and a tube of eyelash glue. Dot your skin with the glue before sticking on the ball bearing and voilà, you have a temporary piercing. Additionally, if you’re going to get a fake septum ring, opt for the non-magnetic kinds as the magnetic ones will hurt your nose over time.

Think ‘70s Jaclyn Smith, Farah Fawcett, and Kate Jackson in the original Charlie’s Angels; flawless and voluminous hair that does the talking for you. Seen on the likes of actresses like Hillary Duff and Dakota Johnson, this easy-to-maintain hair trend is back and taking over the heads of glamorous Gen Z’s and young millennials everywhere. If you’re not ready to sacrifice your hair for full-on quarantine bangs, curtain bangs would be a perfect alternative to elevate your do. 

We recommend: Curling your hair with a big round styling brush to create the look of a nice blowout. The curtain bangs will frame your face nicely no matter the style of your hair, so you can opt for a high pony for a sharper look as well.

You’ve either done it or heavily considered it; the wolf cut trend took the TikTok world by storm, with over 875.4 million views on videos relating to it on the app. A tad more sophisticated than a mullet, this shaggy, layered look was seen on celebrities like Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, and more this year, all who fell prey to the trendy haircut. Though this is not us enabling you to do so, consider cutting the wolf cut yourself by trying the ponytail trick. 

We recommend: Not attempting this hairstyle if you have very fine or thin hair as the look may not come out as shaggy as you want it to be (unless you style it every day). You won’t be able to tie all of your hair up once you’ve cut it so factor that in if you’re in an industry where you need your hair to be neat at all times.

We love to call this e-girl hair; two colours that draw attention to your hair. Just like Megan Thee Stallion’s, the two-toned hair trend involves the coupling of two contrasting colours. This could involve nicely colour-blocked colours or classic contradictory colours like black and pink, white and black (like Narcissa Malfoy from Harry Potter), and more. With the sheer popularity of this trend, it’s safe to say that we’ll continue seeing it in the years to come.

We recommend: Changing up the colours every once in a while. A good understanding of the colour wheel theory will help make things easier when considering your next colour. For example, if you start your two-toned journey with blue and black, change the blue to either green or purple once the blue starts to fade.