#1 CUSHION COMPACTS
Cushion compacts have been trending since 2014, and now the convenient base product has gone international. This year, we saw French beauty brands Lancome and Givenchy release their version of the cushion foundation with darker shades to boot. The Korean makeup brands have also continued to update their formulas and come up with new ones, like the Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion Brightening and the Laneige Anti-Aging BB Cushion. We sure are excited to see what’s in store for this category in 2016.
#2 SKINCARE OILS
While facial oils are nothing new, brands came up with many variations to the trend, such as oil serums, boosters and gel-to-oil makeup removers. Our favourite has got to be the oil serum, which feels nourishing enough on the skin, but comfortable in our humid weather.
#3 PRE-SERUMS AND SKIN BOOSTERS
Skincare essences were a huge trend in 2014, but this year was the year of pre-serums and skincare boosters. Sulwhasoo updated the formula of its best-selling First Care Essence, while American brand Elizabeth Arden released its first pre-serum, which works to boost the skin’s ability to repair and renew itself.
We were also fascinated by age-fighting boosters like American beauty brand Fresh’s Seaberry Skin Nutrition Booster, which provides a burst of antioxidants – much needed during the dreaded haze this year. For a lighter option, Cosme Decorte’s Liposome Treatment Lotion helps to plump the skin and improve the absorption of subsequent skincare products in your routine.
#4 PLUSH LIPS
It was quite the year for Kylie Jenner and her lips. For months it was widely speculated that the then 17-year-old had undergone lip injections, which she repeatedly denied. That however, did not stop the dangerous #KylieJennerLipChallenge, in which teens used shot glasses and bottles to artificially plump their lips, from happening.
Within a span of a few months, Kylie sparked off a trend of voluptuous lips and has now capitalised on it by releasing a lip kit in the nude, brownish lip colours that she often wears. Coincidentally, the beauty world also saw new releases in the lip plumping category, with YSL Beaute’s Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain Plump Up being our favourite.
#5 MASKING
With increasing demand for fast-working skincare for the modern women, masks have certainly become a huge staple in our skincare routines. This year, Laneige reformulated its best-selling Water Sleeping Mask to help detox and hydrate stressed skin overnight. And Fresh rolled out a whole “cabinet” of deliciously-smelling masks, most needing just 10 minutes to address issues such as sagging, loss of hydration and oiliness.
This trend, like the other four above, is set to continue into 2016, and boy, is it going to be an exciting year.
