How grey lipstick got the green light from fashion stars

Has Gigi Hadid launched a major trend by wearing grey lipstick to the 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards? Photo: AFP

Who would have thought it? While many were expecting a season full of colourful, vibrant shades, the beauty industry's new favorite colour is... grey.

Some might think it's bold, others might think it's depressing. However, the trend is building on social networks, bringing grey lipstick to the forefront of fashion as winter approaches.

It only took one photo from one red carpet event to make grey lipstick the beauty must-have of the season. And it is to the star model Gigi Hadid that we owe this feat.

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At the 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards – which each year crowns fashion's finest – the star stepped out in a Thom Browne ensemble that didn't fail to wow the photographers and guests in attendance.

But it was her lipstick that set social networks on fire. And that's because the American celebrity made a bold move in choosing an unmissable matte grey lipstick, which has clearly gone down a storm.

Going grey

And that's all it took. On TikTok, the favourite social network of young people in search of new beauty inspirations, the hashtag #greylipstick has already scored nearly three million views.

This reflects growing interest in this trend, which is admittedly a bit eccentric... and not especially uplifting. The result is a host of videos featuring the supermodel's beauty look, but also in even more extravagant and futuristic variations.

Although certainly original, this trend has emerged in a context where beauty seemed above all to be embracing more vibrant colours, as if reflecting a need to rise up against the prevailing mood of gloom.

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Grey – a neutral colour symbolising elegance and futurism, but also monotony, melancholy, even sadness – is ultimately part of a broader trend marked by a certain nostalgia.

In beauty, it's becoming clear – as evidenced by social networks – that grey is gradually becoming the flagship colour of the season, and for all types of beauty looks.

Notching up no less than two million and one million views, respectively, the hashtags #greymakeup and #greyeyeshadow show just how much social media users are starting to see themselves in grey this winter. – AFP Relaxnews