Real-life and virtual life is blurring and impacting the beauty-representation and practices. Consumers are faking-it to achieve their beauty aspirations, using makeup shortcuts to achieve temporary transformations that lift their looks to new, hyper-realistic levels.

Read about four directions deciphered by the agency that captures the emerging #FakeUp beauty trend, highlighted with key facts from Google searches from the SPATE NYC tool.

#1- Hyperrealism replaces surrealism

Hyper-real transformation is becoming the new beauty game, creating an inspiring space in which the real and the virtual now overlap and creating a fertile ground for creativity. Fake, oversized, synthetic, and hyper-volumized makeup looks dominate this space, reshaping conventional beauty standards and practices. Consumers are now looking to apply aesthetic tricks to their every day, using morphing tools and products to create exaggerated versions of themselves, albeit fleetingly.

Tapping the trend for creative transcience, Ephemeral is the LA tattoo studio that developed ink that is, ‘made to fade’ over the period of a year. Extreme exaggeration is also one of the key themes where new beauty falsies appear as “must-haves”. According to Spate NYC tools, Google searches for “eyebrow stamp” are at +359%, and “press-on nails” are at +10.7% in 2021.

#2 - OUTERSIZE LASHES

False eyelashes are getting an upgrade this season. Lashes are becoming an area for bold, creative expression. A trend well-suited to the Insta generation, make this directional look more commercial by creating easy-to-follow guides and kits. The Mega Lash look springs directly from the digital landscape, and brands are meeting consumer demand for niche falsie products that deliver on outsize volume. From the wet-look Lash Drip Icy Lashes by Kiss, to new ranges that tap the growing male falsie market, boom lashes are key to the hyper-real aesthetic.

#3 - HYBRID RUSH

Aesthetic practices are reinventing the rules as consumers opt for longer-lasting alternatives. The growing interest in hybrid lash extensions reveals consumers’ aim for an amplified lash look that combines heightened length with extra volume. Spate reports that there are on average 13.8K searches for “hybrid lash extensions” every month in the US, which is up +71.1% on last year (2021 vs 2020). Hybrid lashes can last up to 8 weeks but require special treatment, which brands need to consider when creating content and promoting products. With no current market leader in this space, there is a huge opportunity for brands to innovate with products and tools that cater to hybrid lash specificities.

#4 - NAIL INTRICACIES

Nails also come under the magnifying class - literally - with consumers chasing products that can satiate the appetite for impulsive transformations. The popularity of artificial nails is at an all-time high - the latest forecasts predict the market will grow by $265.25M during 2022-2026, progressing at a CAGR of 5.59%. Google searches for “nail design” are up +43.4%; “nail art” +56.1% and “French tips nails” +100.1% (in 2021 according to Spate Tool). Just like the trend for hyper-realistic makeup, the mood for nail art is overblown and exaggerated. Sophisticated falsies step in, allowing professionals and at-home consumers to customize elongated and elaborately shaped nails with surrealist art, unexpected textures, patterns and color combinations, and subversions of the classic French manicure. Pinterest has also recorded a spike in interest in creative nail art, with searches for “galaxy nail art” up +115% year on year, while searches for “ocean nails acrylics” have increased fives times over.

This article is an extract of some go the key findings of our latest makeup report “The New State Of Being”. Contact us for more information.