Beauty Trends: Earth, Beauty Collide in 2012

2012 is full of “Earth", according to Emmanuelle Linard’s presentation— Trend Union Spring/Summer 2012 Earth Matters—hosted in conjunction with BeautyPress that I attended last week in New York.  According to Linard, trend expert and executive director Edelkoort Inc., after all the natural disasters in the past few years, beauty and design are drawing attention to earth-friendly materials and themes, outlining nine categories of colors, materials for packaging, etc., that honor the earth and show off its natural beauty through makeup (and design).

Chalk. Chalk’s white, porous nature and tactility offer structure and texture to makeup, makeup application and design. The color palette? Pale, non-aggressive colors. Packaging? Fabrics and textiles for wrapped-up packaging. Think white lashes, powders for skin and minerals for bath time.

Sand. Sand offers a relaxing vibe. It’s gritty; and it lends thoughts of urban safaris that translate into warm browns and beiges, and safari-queen themes for makeup. Think grinding powders for makeup, and sand-themed makeup and looks that add texture to the face. Packaging? Pebble-shaped for eye shadows and such.

Rock. Rocks offer monumental aspects and work well in the spa world; but they translate into beauty and makeup with mineral masks and rocky, irregularly shaped packaging.

Earth. Think mud and soil. Think mud masks; and powder, dried-up, crinkled makeup.

Roots. Going back to beauty’s roots—bulbous roots, vegetables, ginger, onion skin, etc. For hair and hair care: fibrous, messy, nested hair.

Water. Engaged in all beauty trends, water provides fluidity and aqua colors. Makeup is diving into big blues, ocean-colored eye shadows and seaweed tints. Water allows nanotechnology to combine with earthly elements. Think bubbles, transparency, refreshing drops of water and mother of pearl in green/blue tones.

Crystals. Bath salts and such fit well into this category. Colors? Pinkish and quartz tones in addition to opalescent blues and purples (amethyst). Packaging? Irregular crystal shapes. Makeup can be creamy or sugary with texture.

Gold. Gold has been hot in makeup for the past 10 years. Liquefied or solidified—molten liquid or nuggets—gold mixes well with blues, purples, copper, etc. Gold under the eyes or even used in food as an appealing edible delight (think nutricosmetics). Or go a different route with gold supplements or Egyptian gold nail polish.

Honey. Sweet on the lips and even sweetener on the skin. It’s the Gold of the Gods. Think fragrance, think baroque-style bottles, gold bars as shapes for packaging. Where food, fashion and well-being collide, gold offers “healing powers" that work for edible beauty-from-within products.

Volcano. Think ashes; grays and black; and fiery, incandescent, lover tones. Black and red are devilish colors that work well together. But black alone offers eternal and elegant aspects (black is essential in the beauty field). Tar and oil themes, ash matter from volcanoes, and smudged, oil-looking makeups can stem from this category. Charcoal gray with shine is another option.