What are the 8 big beauty trends for 2012?

Sometimes a lady tires of sunscreen and how-tos and being bossy (hahaha, as if!) and wants to focus on innovative and exciting beauty trends instead, the kind that pop out of the international runways twice a year, and then begin leisurely seeping into advertising campaigns, and onto the red carpet, and into magazine editorials and onto our faces and heads. It’s just like fashion trends, but without that whole ‘weather/season appropriate’ business… With beauty we can wear these trends now, today, this very second! What fun.

The trends below wafted out of the Spring/Summer 2012 ready to wear collections in September and October, in New York, London, Paris and Milan. I chose the ones I thought were most wearable and most flattering, and then broke them down into bite-sized pieces so that you can Be Marvellously On Trend without much effort whatsoever, actually.

1. Glittery and metallic eyes

YES MIA! GLITTER! YOU’RE ALLOWED TO WEAR GLITTER! For an exciting night-time look, why not gently push some glittery shadow onto your lids in shades of gold, bronze and silver, or do as Chanel did and go for a wash of silvery, satiny sparkle, making sure to anchor the lids with black liner and mascara. Keep the rest of the skin very minimalist – no competing lipsticks or heavy bronzer, just a bit of colour in the cheeks and a tinted lip balm on lips.

Try: Swapping your regular eye shadow for one with a high shimmer, like MAC Frozen White Pigment, (better for cooler skin tones) or L’Oreal Paris Colour Appeal Eye shadow in Golden Shimmer (a peachy gold.)

2.. Outdoorsy Cheeks.

Sitting somewhere between bronzer and blush, the statement cheek (there is such a thing, you know) right now involves a peachy, apricot-based suntanned look (shimmer-free) that sits a little further back up the cheekbone than the apples, giving you the look of having been out in the sun playing tennis, or polo, or brandings, or whatever lifts your luggage. Find a bronzer with a peach undertone, or layer a coral blush over your regular bronzer and build the colour up a little more than usual. Keep the rest of the face relatively bare, save for gloss and mascara.

Try: Benefit Coralista, Too Faced Peach Leopard bronzer, Sportsgirl Get Cheeky in Peach (with shimmer…)

3.. Doll-like lashes

Exaggerated, obvious, fluttery false lashes teamed with brown and black, top-heavy eye makeup (very little makeup on the lower lashline) complemented with simple glossy lips and natural blush makes for a very, very pretty face of makeup indeed.

Try: Cheating the look with a false lash effect mascara, such as YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils, or Max Factor False Lash Effect (they have a glittery gold version out for Christmas! Squeee!) or apply your own falsies, or if you’re crap at that like me, buy some at a shu umeura/Napoleon Perdis lash bar and they will put them on for you.

4. Beige-y caramel.

One of my personal favourites, this look involves tonal uniformity all over the face, that is, variations of the same browny-beige-caramel family on the eyes, lips and cheeks. (See, Turlington, C, circa 1995.)  So, you might do a taupe eye shadow, a gentle application of matte bronzer, and an almond-pink lipstick or gloss. It’s very polished, very modern and extremely beautiful on flawlessly applied foundation and concealer.

Try: A great time to invest in one of Bobbi Brown’s famous nude palettes, which will last you years and never go out of style. (Try her limited edition Shadow Options Eye Palette, for example.) Ere Perez lip bar in nude is the perfect balm-gloss-stain for this look.

5. Cat eyes.

Finally take the time to perfect your Dolce Vita winged liner flicks, or get feisty with a double line, or go absolutely troppo and shape some sharp, graphic, angled black wings. Or! And this is really wild: ditch black for swimming pool blue or sunburnt orange.

Try: A gel liner – pretty much every brand does them now, from Maybelline to Bobbi Brown – with a very fine, angled brush. (Or cheat wings like I do in this how to video.)

6. Red lips, red nails.

It is not only terrific fun but incredible fetching to sport winged lined (or lids sporting a subtle, sheer wash of bronze) with a deep, rich red lipstick, be it matte and vintage, or glossed and playful. Chances are you’re already wearing ‘50s style sunglasses, so why not go The Whole Look? Match your nail lacquer with shades of arresting red or even crimson, and keep the shape oval for added allure and glamour.

Try: The Clinique Chubby stick in chunky cherry will give those terrified by a full on red lip a soft, juicy red, while those who love the drama and intensity of a full, red matte lip might like Revlon In the Red matte lipstick a go, or Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense in Moulin Rouge, or the delicious Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Favori Red.

7. Wet-look hair.

And not just tucked back neatly into a pony or bun, we’re talking hair out, flat on your head, just-had-a-shower hair. Use a combination of mousse, wet hair and straightening balm for a non-concrete finish, and a deep side part to keep it looking soft.

8. Long hair, put back.

Whether it was slicked back into a tight, dead straight, ponytail (and there were a SHIPLOAD of these on the runway), or scraped back into a scruffy, braid, (complete with Boater hat in the case of John Galliano), hair was long but kept off the face.

Even ponytail extensions – gasp! – were used. Imagine that! Right back to 2002 we go… (Wonder if this new “Meet the Osbournes” TV show will have any success… I just can’t imagine a reality TV show about a family ever being very popular.)

What trends will you be trying in 2012?

Zoe Foster is an author and columnist and Contributing Editor for Mamamia. She has previously been the beauty director for both Cosmopolitan and Harper’s BAZAAR magazines, and the Editor at Large of Primped.com.au. Zoe has published four books; Air Kisses, Textbook Romance (which she wrote with Hamish Blake), Playing The Field and Amazing Face. You can follow Zoe’s tumblr here and her Twitter here. You can and should buy Amazing Face here.