From New York City: What's Trending In Beauty This April
January 1 | 4 minute read
Words by Brennan Kilbane
Originally published on | April 9
8
Yapper’s delight
It's funny how everything old becomes new again. And on that note – young people have reclaimed the word ‘yapping’ to mean, as it always has, to talk on and on about nothing. “In the internet context, I would say somebody that’s a ‘yapper’ is somebody that talks too much or is an over-sharer,” a 27-year-old recently told the New York Times. Luckily, matte lipstick – the perfect way to punctuate an overactive mouth – still reigns supreme, carrying over from the March list. (It’s hard to find a better one than Charlotte Tilbury’s version.)
7
Unseen, unknown?
Just flagging for all of my tech-y skincare enthusiasts that a recent article in Science casts a little doubt on the growing market for at-home microbiome testing, which has been employed toward various ends in our human race-wide quest for total bodily understanding. That’s not to say any start-up whose marketing mentions microbiomes is lying to us, but it is a good reminder to read that marketing closely, with a touch of healthy scepticism.
6
Back to class
In-person fitness has rebounded from the pandemic, according to a report from the Global Health & Fitness Association, with boutique classes now accounting for almost half of all gym memberships. (FaceGym counts, according to me.) Anecdotally, my Pilates classes have never been fuller, and two of my workout-averse friends have downloaded ClassPass!
5
Stamp collecting
Tattoos are migrating southward once again – the latest flare of the white-hot early-aughts style comeback. HighSnobiety’s beauty section covered the trend with a shoot published in late February: around the time Saturday Night Live coined the term in 2004, “Tramp stamps became synonymous with a certain kind of woman: promiscuous, trashy, and, by extension, morally corrupt,” explains beauty writer Alexandra Pauly. (One artist she spoke to has been inking four lower backs a week since 2022.)
A week later, Katy Perry showed up to the Billboard Women in Music Awards with a lower back butterfly seemingly made of scar tissue, forecasting a short life for this particular trend.
4
Say it with your chest
‘He-vage’ – cleavage, for him – is an unignorable breakout trend, evidenced by the parade of chests at the Oscars: Gosling, Liu, ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and more, all without a strand of body hair between them. I am going to skip the waxing appointment, personally! However, I don’t mind telling you I’ve started reusing the Kosas Kosasport AHA-infused body wash my sister got me for Christmas. It makes my legs a little gleamier, though it does nothing for my neckline.
3
Nicer teeth
In preparation for my dentist appointment next week, I’m cramming a year’s worth of flossing into a few days – I wither under a dentist’s judgement. (Mine is very attractive.) The Officine Universelle Buly cucumber toothpaste that I savour for special occasions makes this slapdash process feel less like a boot camp and more like a spa-themed rehab.
2
Littler lips
I recently talked to a bunch of dermatologists and plastic surgeons on the topic of lip fillers, and all of them told me: they’re over. (Or, “I think we’re past the peak,” as Dr Shereene Idriss diplomatically put it.) The global numbers indicate that lip augmentation is on the downtrend; yet in America, they’re more popular than ever. The overfilled, ‘duck-like’ look is apparently an all-American fascination.
1
Upgraded sunscreens
Dressing up a health necessity in a more attractive package – like a bouncy hydrating serum, or a photostable vitamin C with a lowkey tint – can lead to better habits; not unlike a hot dentist.
