Eye-catching effect: make way for bushy eyebrows and chunky eyeliner

Thanks to the mask, the focus on makeup has changed to brows and eyes. — Photos: dpa

It’s no secret that make-up has changed drastically in the age of the face mask.

For the past year or more, cosmetics has been all about the eyes, sparking many strange and beautiful new trends. And yet weird new lipsticks are also showing up during the pandemic.

There is not one area of daily life that remains unaltered by the pandemic, it seems, and nowhere is this more evident than with makeup.

Before Covid-19 came along, people put on makeup for their regular activities, then jazzed it up with something extra to go out.

That is still true, as a partial return to regular life is possible in some places. But new areas of life have opened up too that call for a fresh approach to makeup.

An example of smokey eyes and bushy eyebrows.

Think wearing a mask, for example, or hopping on a video call (or ten).

“The focus is now on the eyes,” says Boris Entrup, who works for a cosmetics group in Germany and specialises in make-up.

Translated into action, that means there’s a real emphasis on the eyebrows, while mascara, eye shadow, kohl or eyeliner are applied in generous quantities – all the areas that you can see if you are wearing a mask, in other words.

You can also use a statement eyeliner, to make the whole approach more visible.

Wings, extending your eyeliner beyond your eye to accentuate its shape, are also becoming more popular. In the past, we saw strikingly coloured, thick, graphic or curving eyeliner on catwalk models and fashionistas. Now, everyone is doing it, to add another feature to compete with masks.

These wings are an extension of your usual eyeliner beyond your lashline – and you can take this some distance beyond your eye.

You can ensure it’s symmetrical by drawing the base line directly on the lash line first, says Ricarda Zill, a make-up artist and industry association specialist.Next, imagine a line that runs from the wing of your nose up to the outermost corner of your eye. You can also draw it with a pencil if it helps.

A look at the makeup trend cut crease.

Using this line, place a small dot where you will end your eye wing. Then use eyeliner to link the dot with the end of your lashline.

Voila, you have a perfectly symmetrical wing, says Zill.

The cosmetics market has slumped due to the pandemic, she says. But sales of general care products are booming, from hair treatments to nail care.

Consumers are also now placing great value on quality and they are closely eyeing issues such as transparency about what goes into the products and that cosmetics are produced sustainably.

Producers of “clean beauty” items make sure they don’t use questionable ingredients and opt instead for organic and vegan cosmetics.

People are also embracing nourishing, supportive products for their face, rather than the kind of heavy layer of foundation used by many in the past.

These days, when people purchase makeup, many pick something that suits remote working and generally spending more time at home.

Entrup calls this trend “home level”, pointing out that it’s similar to the way people have changed the way they dress, too.

There’s a counter-trend too, and brace yourself, it’s big. After all, working from home means a lot of sitting in front of a digital camera and talking to people online.

That often means people have plenty of time to study their own faces – and the laptop camera is not generally kind.

So some are making great efforts to improve their appearance, whether by using concealing products that promise a “blurring” or “pore-minimising” effect to help you look more fresh and alert with an even complexion and smaller pores.

But in places where restaurants, theatres, clubs and all manner of nightlife has started up again, some people are going all out, embracing the party look and enjoying the chance to make a major splash.

“People’s relief at being able to move around more freely again is also reflected in their make-up,” says Entrup.

He adds that even before the pandemic, people were already tending to use more elaborate makeup. That applies to 80s trends, for example, such as the increased use of rouge and brightly coloured eyeshadow.

And that’s where eye-catching eyeliner and the whole emphasis on eyebrows comes back in.

The difference now, however, is that “eyebrows are staying strong and bushy – not as narrow and carefully accurately plucked as they were in the 80s.”

And if you think eyebrows are already looking wild, then brace yourself for Christmas. He is predicting lashings of glamour and liberal use of gold.

Despite all this action in the upper part of the face, the fashion for lip colour is also riotous and bright, with intense shades available.

Zill says this started with people wearing classic red shades, before many moved on to bright pink – and gloss. “Lipsticks with a glossy finish are particularly fashionable again,” she says.

Meanwhile if you worry this will all wind up being absorbed into your protective facemask, fear not. Long-lasting, kiss-proof lipsticks are the answer.

If they see you through a meal, they will also survive your mask.

You can seal the colour in with a cosmetic fixer to stop it from sticking.

Much may have changed about our lives, and many have had a chance to reflect on this or that aspect since the virus broke out.

But people’s desire to make a powerful impression remains stronger than ever.

Pick the right style and the right products and the mask is no problem. – dpa