As the post-pandemic reality takes shape and consumer confidence slowly returns in line with the vaccine roll-out, we move forward with energy and optimism. Our latest What’s Up report outlines the bold creativity, energy and positivity with which consumers are facing everything from the return to socialization to the climate crisis.

According to data from NPD, a third of US consumers plan to spend more this Holiday season, with almost two-thirds of consumers saying they are more comfortable shopping in-store than they were last year. All signs point towards a rebound for the Beauty industry - in the first half of 2021, makeup sales were +23% on 2019, and +22% on 2020. This over-arching positivity is evident in all of the core trends we highlighted this season; Beauty is being rebooted to meet the appetite for renewal and rebirth.

Our latest What’s Up report features 10 of the most exiting trends to follow to be ahead of the beauty game. Here is a little extract of 3 trends of our book.

#1 BEAUTY RESET

It’s time to hit the reset button. As we start to put some distance between the present and the pandemic, this is the moment for a Beauty recalibration. Exciting new brands, helmed by next-generation tastemakers, are breaking through with energy while established brands are taking the opportunity to realign their values with the new reality. We look ahead to the launch of Ariana Grande’s hotly tipped beauty line, r.e.m beauty, and check out the new brand Treslúce from creative powerhouse Becky G - a champion of contemporary LatinX culture. Similarly injecting bold expressionism into makeup, DJs, models and twin sisters Simi and Haze Khadra have launched their eponymous beauty line, Simihaze. Meanwhile, Sephora backs the rebirth of Fashion Fair - a 56-year old veteran of the Black beauty scene.

#2 FULL FLUSH

What does a post-mask world look like? The transition from masks-on to masks-off is driving the trend for experimental product placement and colour-play, with flushed cheeks and temples signalling health and vitally to the world. At NYFW, makeup artists at Anna Sui, Collina Strada, and Carolina Herrera applied blush high on the temples and across the eyes, as a contouring product to bring a new focus to alternative features. The message was clear; blushing-up is the new going-out makeup. And in this experimental new beauty era, cheeks are not the only area on which to place blush. Eyes have taken on an even greater resonance over the past 18 months and now blush is being applied to underscore the power of the gaze.

#3 JOYDRESSING GLAM

Source : Tom Ford NYFW 2021 & Saint Sintra NYFW 2021

The stage is set for beauty that is all about expressing unadulterated joy; from glitter drizzles to rhinestone-encrusted cat-eyes. Embodied by Tom Ford’s SS22 collection of glamorous sensuality, where jewelled brights and sequined fabrics were layered for a loose, louche silhouette, this next trend is all about The Glam. Capturing the Gen Z market for Y2K-inflected references, noughties club makeup popped on the NYFW catwalk at Saint Sintra and influenced the MUA for Private Policy. And plenty of brands are now tapping into this post-pandemic party spirit, with the likes of About Face, Iconic London and Danessa Myricks Beauty all dropping products that feature liquid glow, high-pigment glitter and infinite chrome. The party era is upon us.