I spend way too much time thinking about middle school. I like to psychoanalyze myself back in the day in the hopes that it will bring me to some great revelation about my current issues ("maybe I really AM extroverted!" or "boys named Kyle have ALWAYS been awful to me!"). It's like I believe that middle school me possessed some fundamental quality of authenticity that has since been lost in my quest for higher education and professional success. Is it stupid? Probably. But I still do it.
So it's nothing new that I've been thinking about middle school. But recently, I've been kind of obsessed with dissecting the trends that were popular then. And it seems really unfair. Low rise jeans? Matte skin? Frosted lip gloss? Blue eyeshadow? Are you serious? Now, of course, I'm out of college and have enough life perspective to understand what trends are, but I really wish I had been in puberty in a time where dewy skin and high-waisted jeans were popular, because damn.
Now that you've listened to my rant about totally being born in the wrong generation, let's look at some of the incredible runway looks that the fall/winter 2016 runway shows have been serving up.
1. Alexander McQueen's Dreamy, Dewy Magic
Alexander McQueen has been seriously killing it lately. Sarah Burton, who took over creative directing the line in 2010, has been delving into magic, dreams, and fairytales to create her ultra-feminine collections. The 2016 McQueen girl is a creature of the night who drifts or sleepwalks between reality and her dreams. Shimmer, embroidered stars, crescent moons, butterflies, and good-luck charms were all over this show. In keeping with that theme, the makeup in this show is super dewy, rosy, and light.
Get the Look: Throw away your Kardashian Kontour! Toss out your bronzer! This look is all about the skin. Start out by drinking your eight cups of water a day, and make sure you take off your makeup every night before you go to sleep. This will give you a fresh, glowy face to start out with. Prime your face with a good moisturizing primer, then blend your favorite highlighter onto your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose. Go back in with some cream blush for a slight flush and to bring some dimension to your face. Prime your eyes, and use your fingers to apply a light, imprecise dusting of powder blush and brown eyeshadow over your lid, into your crease, and slightly on to your browbone, then line your eyes with your favorite pencil liner. (It's okay if it isn't perfect; remember this look is all about that light, je-ne-sais-quoi thing.) Now, here's my favorite part: get your jar of Vaseline or Aquaphor or whatever you have, and smear it all your eyelids for a DIY glossy eye. I'm obsessed with this look right now; it's so French and fresh and editorial without being unwearable. Plus, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than spending the $20 bucks for the Milk Eye Vinyl that basically does the same thing.
2. Alexander Wang's Slick, Dark Mall Goth
According to an article I read somewhere online, the look for this collection was a "wanted woman in a lawless land," and the style was inspired by goth teenagers smoking pot. So basically I'm sold! And yes, I realize this is sort of referencing middle school forays into Hot Topic, but it's still dope, because honestly, nothing says female empowerment like destroying the idea that we need to be conventionally attractive. It's beauty for you, not for the boys.
Get the Look: Um... don't conceal your undereye circles? This is all about looking like you're sick and tired of everyone's shit because WHY WOULDN'T YOU BE. Make sure you skip the black eyeliner to emphasize that this looks is modern, not middle school 2.0. Take a taupe eyeshadow and use a brush to line all around your eyes, then go back in and smudge the line for a messy look. You can also go back in with a kind of faded out peach if you really want to go all-out pink eye for this. Then, pile on the mascara, and you're ready to go scowling out around town.
3. Crying Glitter with Rodarte
Maybe this is just proof exactly how obsessed I already am with glitter in general, but I think this look is super wearable, and Kate and Laura Mulleavy from Rodarte apparently agree with me. For a couple seasons now, they've been dabbling with sheer mauve tones, romance, and fairy dust (which makes for complementary tonality with their sheer, peasanty stuff of late, as well as for good contrast with their darker, more structured pieces). Somewhere a couple seasons ago, I read that the Rodarte makeup artists were really inspired by the sheen and glow that your skin right after you've cried. Great beauty tip for those of us that are overly emotional!
Get the Look: It depends on exactly how you want to bring this to life, but I think my favorite versions of glitter tears involves the heavy cat-eye. So in that case, you'll want to prime your eyes with a good eye primer before you apply your liquid eyeliner. I know I keep talking about this, but it's super important, and you really can't skip this step. An eye primer is tacky in texture and skin colored, which makes your eyeshadow colors pop and also stay on twice as long as they normally would. One time I partied all night and crashed on some stranger's couch, and when I woke up the next morning my eye makeup looked exactly the same as it did when I put it on the night before. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. After eyeliner, use some roll-on glitter or my personal favorite, liquid glitter eyeliner from NYX (super cheap!) and apply liberally. Go forth and sparkle.
One of my favorite things about these three trends are how much they defy beauty norms. Kardashian beauty has been in for what feels like forever, and there's something that feels very modern to me about forgetting perfection and getting messy with your makeup: using your fingers to put it on, making use with what you have, and emphasizing your features with artistic creativity instead of trying to make your face look like everyone else's. Nothing says 2016 like drawing your inspiration from goth kids and crying your eyes out in bed at night. Turning your emotional turmoil and boy problems into A Look is really very feminist, if you think about it. I just wish I had spent less time in middle school trying to make my skin ultra-matte and more time embracing dewiness and glitter and not trying to force my hips into low-rise jeans....but that's another story for another time!
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