Beauty trends 2021: Six make-up artists reveal what we’ll be wearing next year

This year has been full of change, least of all in our make-up routines.

As most of the spring and summer months were spent indoors under lockdown, for many of us, the year was spent almost entirely fresh faced.

Then as face masks became mandatory in public spaces to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, we all quickly realised that compromises needed to be made in our beauty regimes.

Creamy lipsticks and heavy foundations went out the window in favour of bold eyeshadows and long lashes, while for some, it meant ditching lengthy routines all together.

So what does 2021 hold? With the pandemic still in full swing and the need for face coverings is going nowhere soon, so we asked the make-up professionals for their predictions on what’ll we’ll be wearing in the new year, and how to achieve it.  

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Colour renaissance

Pablo Rodriguez, global director of artistry for Illamasqua, believes next year we’ll be opting for bold, bright colours through our eyeshadow, taking a fun approach to make-up after spending almost the whole year at home.

“I don’t believe that people are going to spend a lot of time on elaborate looks, but we will see effortless colour blocking to create a statement.”

Describing the trend in two words; “easy but impactful", he recommends using one of Illamasqua’s bold but super wearable artistry eyeshadow palettes.

“Either the expressionist artistry palette (Illamasqua, £38) or the movement palette (Illamasqua, £38) would be my go-to,” he says. Featuring hues of blue, peach, lavender and khaki in a mix of matte, shimmer and satin shades that are all vegan and cruelty-free, they’re richly pigmented with long-lasting colour payoff.

Clean, tonal and translucent

According to Dominic Skinner, global senior artist at Mac Cosmetics, 2021 will see the end of clutter to reveal a more stripped-back beauty look.

“After months of staying in and not wearing make-up, 2021 is the perfect moment to change your style and update your look. Think clean, tonal and translucent beauty, honed to you and your skin like a stained glass glow.”

He recommends using Mac glow play blush (Mac, £24) for a wash of colour over cheeks and eyes. It has a spongy texture that’s easy to build and delivers a radiant, healthy-looking glow that can be applied directly with your fingers or a brush.

“For lips, try the Mac powder kiss lipstick (Mac, £19) a new take on a matte lipstick that looks sheer with a soft focus finish that feels moisturised. It’s like a tinted lip balm without the wetness.”

Lightweight foundation and long lashes

As we continue to wear face masks, make-up artist Scarlett Burton expects eye looks and lightweight foundations to be a focus in 2021.

“Invest in a really great mascara that’s long-wearing with a big impact to take you from work to dinners with your support bubble,” she told The Independent, recommending the By Terry lash expert twist brush volume and length mascara (By Terry, £25).

She predicts that we’ll also be ditching heavy contouring and unnecessary layers of base make-up, allowing our natural skin to shine through.

“Go light on the base and use a foundation with skincare properties that helps to hydrate and protect the skin on those cold, new year walks, such as the By Terry hyaluronic hydrating foundation (By Terry, £49).”

Bold Eighties hues

For 2021, we’ll be revisiting the bold, bright colours of the Eighties but with a modern twist. Bobbi Brown pro artist Zara Findlay explains that whether it’s a focus on the eyes or the lips, bold or a soft stain, it’s a look for not only the catwalk but to stand out in a crowd.

“People are craving escapism and glamour so I think that will filter into trends we see across the catwalk, runways and red carpets. People will be rebelling against comfort and security and push the boundaries with the looks they create.”

For a bold, but low maintenance lip, Findlay recommends a stained effect as an everyday way to wear colour.

“Use a lip balm in your morning routine to really hydrate and moisturise the lips, then grab your lipstick and use your fingertip to take from the product and press onto the lips,” she says. This will allow you to customise how much of a stain you would like and for a complimentary cheek and lip combination, she recommends taking a tiny amount of product from your lips and pressing onto the cheeks.

Whether you like a bold pink, classic red or deep plum, the luxe matte lip colours (Bobbi Brown, £29) offer 18 different shades in a matte finish, which means minimal transfer on your face covering.

Modern mattes

Kay Montano, Chanel make-up artist, shares that 2021 will see a return to a matte finish on the face but thanks to ever-evolving foundations, it won’t mean the chalky finish of old matte formulas you may be used to, which can be drying and ageing.

“Right now I’m loving Chanel’s ultra le teint flawless finish foundation (John Lewis & Partners, £40), though for more mature or dry skins, try the sublimage l’essence de teint (John Lewis & Partners, £110) with a fine veil of the poudre universelle libre natural finish loose powder (John Lewis & Partners, £40).

As next year hopefully will see an end to the pandemic, Montano believes we’ll celebrate with artistic expression, using our make-up to dress up and be bold.

“Eyelashes will remain high-impact, black, and well defined with volume and lengthening mascara."

Montano’s top pick is the le volume stretch de Chanel volume and length mascara (Boots, £28) and if you're feeling bold, she suggests creating a graphic, sci-fi inspired, oval shape using black eyeliner.

She adds: “Experiment, explore, and see what works for you, even if it takes a bit of practice!”

Glossy looks

Pauline Briscoe, celebrity make-up artist who counts Jennifer Hudson, Solange Knowles and Serena Williams as clients, explains that glossy eyes, lips and skin will continue to dominate. “This trend gives you a fresh, natural glow,” she says. 

Her go-to products include the Urban Decay all nighter ultra glow face primer (Cult Beauty, £26). It’s a vegan, gel texture that adds a dewy glow while ensuring your make-up won’t budge, and is part of the hugely popular “all-nighter" range. The original all-nighter spray impressed out reviewer here, who said: “Unsurprisingly, my make-up didn’t smudge in my lower-activity days, but it also held up exceptionally well under my mask and while cooking. ”

She also loves the Fenty Beauty gloss bomb universal lip luminizer in glass slipper (Boots, £19), a non-sticky gloss that’s long-wearing and delivers a high-impact shine.

It’s a clear coloured formula with a wide-foot applicator that swipes on an even coat in one go. The rose nude tinted shade has also appeared in our review of the best lip glosses, as it’s “a thick yet non-sticky formula that feels deeply nourishing on your lips.”

She also suggests using the Charlotte Tilbury beauty light wand in spotlight (Charlotte Tilbury, £29) a gold, cream highlighter that gives a high gloss finish without any shimmer, so it wears just as well during the day and evening. 

For more make-up must-haves, read our review of the best face powders for baking and setting