For maximalist makeup lovers, these past few years have been torture. While it’s no shade to those who love it, the ‘Clean Girl aesthetic’ has had people putting down colourful liners and bright blushes in favour of minimal, dewy skin that’s finished with a touch of lip gloss. Think Bella Hadid or Hailey Bieber serving a sun-kissed glow after a month at the beach.
Yes, it’s a look that on the surface appears to be about convenience, ease and embracing natural beauty, but look a little deeper, and you’ll find an unsettling concealment of a slow slide backwards towards the beauty aesthetics of yesteryear: thin, white and young.
For somebody whose identity is tied to their beauty – manifesting in the colourful, rhinestone eye looks that I sparkle in every day – I wondered if my time to shine was a thing of the past, but fear not, my fellow creative makeup lovers, bold beauty is finally back.
Besides yours truly, you’ll have seen maximalist makeup looks slowly creeping back onto your For You Page on the likes of Jade, Tyla, PinkPantheress and most recently Zara Larsson for her Midnight Sun tour. Inspiring a plethora of recreations, makeup artist Sophia Sinot agrees with my beauty ethos. “Creativity and self-expression are part of being human, and makeup is one of the easiest places to let that shine and show our uniqueness,” she told Glamour.
Just like Sophia’s Y2K pop princess looks that have been bookmarked and recreated over and over, I’ve found myself similarly obsessed with PinkPantheress’ tartan lip created by makeup artist Julian Stoller. The mastermind behind incredibly creative looks for Julia Fox, FKA twigs and Alex Consani, bringing his own perspective to his makeup looks is paramount. “Makeup is different for everyone. It can be ritualistic, protective, transformative, but the last thing it should feel is obligatory,” he tells Glamour. “Whatever the clean girl was, it feels entrenched in obligation and homogeneity and it can be pretty, but everyone just ends up feeling anonymous.”
Fellow makeup artist Alexandra French – who worked alongside Donni Davy on the era-defining looks on Euphoria – is also celebrating this long-awaited vibe shift. “Makeup is so back and it is so refreshing to see,” she tells Glamour. “Politically the world is such a dark place and has been for the last few years and I think we are ready for something fun and exciting again to bring some colour into such a dark world. We learned a lot of good tips and tricks when it comes to everyday makeup from the Clean Girl era and now we’re adding it all together and creating something glittery, colourful and fun!”
Stuck for inspiration? Look no further than Alexandra’s Instagram feed, a kaleidoscope of holographic purple lids, neon pink blush and playful pops of glitter. “I’m a painter first and a makeup artist second,” she says. “Not only is it fun, it’s telling a story and creating a character using colour, texture and shapes. I’ve always said doing fun makeup feels like eating candy. It gives me butterflies and makes me feel like I’m truly painting.”
When it comes to achieving maximalist makeup, there’s plenty of brands on hand to take your glam to the next level from Donni Davy’s half magic and Halsey’s about-face to Danessa Myricks and Kulfi Beauty. Some personal faves include independent brands like Glisten Cosmetics – for easy-to-use, water-activated liners in every colour imaginable – and Violette_Fr’s newly launched Lune Liner Liquid Chrome Eyeliner.
In the years since the last creative beauty boom, there’s been an emergence of newer brands too that take beauty out of this universe – from Hylrular to Rina Sawayama and Chloë Grace Moretz’s brainchild Godmode. As artistry director of Samplr, August Sombatkamrai brings their maximalist approach to the brand’s offering. “Our make-up is made for you and built for play, we want people to have easy access to high-quality shadows and creams so they can play over and over again,” they tell Glamour. Focusing on high-quality products, customisable palettes encourage experimentation for beauty obsessives.
With the trend cycle bringing maximalism to the fore again, what is new about this era of creative makeup? “The maximalism of today feels referential to so many different eras. Imagine a beautifully carved 90s thin brow with eyes that have the contrast and colour scheme of 2016 sunset eyes, but they’re blended out and diffused in a way that is more downturned and bottom-heavy like a 20s flapper girl,” August explains. “My hope is that the maximalist makeup now will be a bit more personable and customised as people now have a bigger breadth of knowledge at their fingertips. The face is a canvas, and we’re all artists who have our own practices that should extend beyond just recreating looks from a TV show.”
As a maximalist beauty lover myself, that’s always felt like the most important thing about what ends up on your face – regardless of whatever everyone else is doing, it should mean something to you. “As a queer person who is seen as a man, a proud and unquestionable beat is a great defiance of gender roles and expectations,” adds August on their love for OTT glam. “Woke is back, or needs to come back, and maximalist makeup feels like the best armour for that.”
Originally published on Glamour UK.
