2017 Beauty Trends on our Radar

Obviously it’s early days yet, but we asked experts for their take on what trends from 2016 are going to influence beauty in 2017.

Here’s what’s on our radar:

1. It’s increasingly important to be “woke” about what’s in your skincare.

The creams we slather on our faces or the balms that tame our hair contain ingredients that we might prefer to avoid. CNN reported last month that one in 12 personal care products marketed to African-American women in the U.S. contains highly hazardous ingredients, according to research from the Environmental Working Group. (In contrast, 40 percent of personal care products marketed to the general public are classified as low-risk.) Lipsticks, shadows, and blushes can contain trace amounts of lead. In December, the FDA created safety guidelines for the potentially toxic element.

“Beauty is more than skin-deep,” says Claudio Huttick, Master Medical Aesthetician and founder of Clocloskincare. “When picking your skincare products, the number one concern should be the main active ingredients and what they do.” Happily, it’s increasingly easy to keep tabs on these ingredients via apps and sites such as Think Dirty, Environmental Working Group, and GoodGuide. You can scan bar codes, look up products by category, or search for a particular ingredient.

2. Self-acceptance is beautiful.

Image via Alicia Keys Instagram.

Consider musician Alicia Keys and her controversial makeup-free stance. Or, maybe it has to do with major makeup brands CoverGirl and Maybelline picking two men—James Charles and Manny MUA—as “faces” of their brands. For these reasons (and more), 2017 is the year of being yourself—a guy who wears makeup, a woman who does not—whatever. As Keys tweeted, “Y’all me choosing to be makeup free doesn’t mean I’m anti-makeup. Do you!” She also admitted that she might wake up one day with a craving for bright red lipstick—and go for it.

3. Eyebrows are big.

Image via Lily Collins Instagram.

Blame actress/model Cara Delevingne or actress Lily Collins, but realize that they are only two of the many celebs with eye-catching and bold-but-groomed eyebrows. Not blessed with bushy brows? Try microblading, a temporary tattoo technique that draws on realistic eyebrows and lasts a few months. And there are many, many products out there—and new ones arrive monthly-- that give mascara-like volume, pencil in the blanks, smooth with pomade, or help hairs grow strong. You can even find YouTube tutorials that will show you how to bedazzle your brows, disco-style.

4. Which segues right into… glitter. It’s not just for kids anymore.

Image via Pat McGrath Instagram.

It turns out everyone wants to sparkle and shine—all the time, day or night, every season. Case in point: Pat McGrath’s bedazzled lip and eye kits tend to sell out as soon as they drop. Pat McGrath Labs Lust 004 lip kit (with lipstick, gloss, metallic pigment, and glitter) will give you the smile you saw on runway models, and it has spawned a whole genre of homages. And, @tartecosmetics’ Tarteist Pro Glitter Liner looks fresh and new anytime. Just bear in mind that a little goes a long way—try out your glitter training wheels. If you’re doing a daytime glitter cat-eye or a shimmery lip, do “one and done” (i.e. let that be your major makeup statement and keep the rest of your face simple). Check out @patmcgrathreal on Instagram or Vogue for some covetable (and subtle) shimmery takes on the trend.

5. Super crazy long hair.

Image via Harper’s Bazaar.

Okay, it’s important to realize that—in most cases—this is not your god-given hair. (Unless by “god” you mean a stylist who does hair extensions). We’ve seen this too-good-to-be-true look on Red Carpet celebs like Gigi Hadid or Jessica Alba, who boast Rapunzel-worthy braids down to the waist. It was down and loose for Ciara, Taraji P. Henson, and Jennifer Lopez. And, Ariana Grande practically patented the high ponytail.

Wondering why what Shannon King, stylist co-owner of Hair & Co BKLYN salon, calls a “very, very long ‘Mutant extensions’ look” is so popular? Maybe because it’s like the grown-up version of playing dress-up. You might not want it for everyday, but it’s fun when you want to stand out from the crowd. The trick to keeping the so-faux look from bordering on the cheesy is to keep is as real as possible, King says. “The key here is to perfectly match the color of the extensions and to technically and visually blend them to the real hair.” At the salon, he says, “I really like texture shears or the Ergo Hot Razor for blending extensions to the model’s real hair.” Keep the matching and blending in mind if you use clip-ins; stay in the same hue and go to believable lengths.