2018 Makeup Trends

The hottest trends of the 2018 makeup world

By Nicole Paxinos

Kerry Deely has loved playing with makeup since childhood, so it was natural to turn that fun into a career to bring her passion to others.

Starting a job working at Ulta Beauty as a beauty advisor two years ago, Luci Marrocci has embraced the changing trends in eyeshadow first hand, especially with how these bright pops of color on the eyelid are the present rage.

Having a passion for makeup for as long as she could remember, Alexis Fratangelo, who now works for Lancome, has found her passion in makeup, which she hopes will take her to the top of the makeup world.

They are all examples of the way young people are building new trends in makeup. From colorful eyeshadow, to bold eyebrows, and even matte lips and many other emerging trends are the future of makeup.

Turning a passion into a career

For many years eyeshadow, foundation, concealer, lipstick, eyebrows; these many different products have been around for decades, yet every year there is something more unique about each one.

Some new products that have been added within the last year are the Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette by Morphe ($38) which offers many neutral shades but also some bright pops of color such as teals and purples. Kat Von D will also be releasing Rainbow EyeBrow Pomades (which have a gel-like consistency) this summer in all different bold bright colors.

Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette by Morphe $38 sold on Ulta.com

Kerry Deely is a makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics and a makeup artist for the Arizona University Fashion Week. She, like almost every other girl, has loved playing around with makeup since her childhood, but never thought she could make a career out of it.

Starting out as a beauty advisor at Ulta Beauty, she loved all the work she got to do there from starting at the register and unpacking boxes to sitting customers down and finding the right products for them.

Early on, she knew she wanted to devote her energy in makeup and making people feel beautiful. That was when she made her move to MAC Cosmetics.

Once she started at MAC Cosmetics in Pittsburgh, she accepted a new job at MAC’s new store in Scottsdale, Arizona where she thrived, staying on the front of the makeup world.

She notices that glossy lips have been a hot trend. For the past few years, you never saw anyone wearing lip gloss. People wore the matte look - a dryer formula with no shine at all. But now, glossy lips have made a true comeback in the makeup world, Deely said.

“The trends that I have seen just this year have been over the top and like nothing I have ever seen before. The trends with eyebrows have stuck out to me for the past few years,” said Deely.

Special Occasion Makeup

Paige Kizina, who now does freelance makeup work on the side of having two jobs, has seen how much she loves doing makeup for special occasions.

“Working in the makeup industry has really made me realize that I don’t only love doing my own makeup but creating masterpieces on others also became a passion very fast.” Kizina said.

Doing makeup for wedding and special events, even photoshoots is a lot different then the makeup you’d wear on a normal basis. She explained that this type of makeup needs to be more heavy and layered on than usual because with flash photography you can look washed out if you aren’t careful.

Paige Kizina did her friend Samm’s makeup for her wedding in December 2017. Photo Courtesy of Paige Kizina

“I used to never wear eyeshadow years ago, but recently I have truly found my love and passion with creating so many different masterpieces with eyeshadow,” said Marcocci.

Luci Marcocci, who has been a lover of makeup since she was little but has also been working at Ulta Beauty for the past two years, has found how eyeshadow can create you such a different look each and everyday by just using one single palette. Her most recent favorite is called the Take Me Back to Brazil Palette by BH Cosmetics ($16.99), which is a range of all colors of the rainbow with an amazing amount of pigment.

Take Me Back to Brazil Palette by BH Cosmetics $16 sold on Ulta.com.

Creating different looks each and everyday have showed her how much makeup can be more than just the look but also an artistry. For instance, even if you aren’t into the bold bright colors that are trending right now, a simple neutral smokey eye can completely spice up any look. The Modern Renaissance Palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills ($42.00) has been a raving top hit since it came out and is a great start up pallete to doing just a little eyeshadow look everyday.

Marocci personally loves the Jaclyn Hill eyeshadow palette by Morphe. Jaclyn Hill is also a beauty guru on YouTube with 5 million followers and counting. She collaborated with Morphe to create this palette that has gone viral over the last year. It ranges with neutral colors, to your bold blues and to even teal greens. There are shades in here that will work with everyone’s skin tones and are edgy at the same time.

Brows and more brows

If you are looking for a more natural everyday look for your brows, you wouldn’t want to follow that trend. A lot of professional makeup artists treat doing makeup at fashion shows as art on the models’ faces. They treat it as a blank canvas.

Paige Kizina did her sister’s make up for her prom in May of 2014. Photo courtesy of Paige Kizina

The key to a perfect everyday brow is a brow pencil or brow pomade the same shade as your eyebrow hairs, and to fill in the sparse areas. Finish it off with a clear brow gel and you are set for the day. Some popular products for your brows right now are from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Depending on your preference, they offer brow pencils, brow pomades and even brow powders so you can create the brow that best suits you.

These makeup gurus also have these amazing collaborations and products to then sell to their fan base and create an even bigger following. The makeup community has grown large since 2014.

Deely stated, “I think it is amazing for not only the influencer to get to create their own products but to also collaborate with these big name brands who they have worn since they were younger.”

A huge trend currently has been makeup influencers with big social media followings collaborating with well-known beauty brands. Such as Jaclyn Hill collaborating with Morphe to make an eyeshadow palette. Patrick Starr created an entire line of makeup with MAC Cosmetics, and Casey Holmes created a highlighting palette with Smashbox Cosmetics.

Let’s throw it back to the early 90’s when bright blue and pastel eyeshadow was the biggest trend ever. Many experts in the industry say trends come back around sooner or later and that is exactly what happened. Oranges, blues, reds, purples, are all so popular now and it is only a matter of time before new ones come about.

Nicole Paxinos is a student at Point Park University she will be receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a minor in Broadcast Reporting. She is graduating in April 2019. After graduation, Nicole aspires to work in the news world as a reporter and multimedia journalist. For more information or questions, you can contact her at nicolepaxinos@gmail.com.