Instagram has always been at the core of beauty trends, with 67% of beauty buyers admitting to buying products as a result of scrolling through the app. Paving the way for consumers throughout the 2010s, Instagram has presented multiple statement looks we've stuck with, and now, more than ever, content creators are looking for the next big trend to catch the community's eye. From washing machines made to specifically clean beauty blenders soaring in sales on Amazon to a 621% rise in searches for at-home treatments and old-school Egyptian beauty rituals, BeautyMatter has the lowdown on the trends that have captivated Instagram this month.
Mini Domestic Appliances
Amazon has seen a 45% increase in beauty sales in the past year, with 77% of beauty consumers claiming they go to Amazon to make their purchases. This comes after a surge of several Instagram beauty bloggers trying and testing questionably pointless beauty products for their dedicated followers. During lockdown, multiple bloggers transformed their pages to being solely dedicated to Amazon makeup product reviews, with no intent to review the products’ wearability or longevity, but instead stating simply how "cute" and "extra" they were. With various users still presenting such “reviews” to their millions of followers daily, it seems this trend has not yet shifted.
This month's viral Amazon beauty find: lip balm fridges and beauty blender washing machines were scouted by @imjuliekay, who presents her opinions to her 1.5 million followers. The lip balm fridge is nothing like previous beauty fridges: miniature in size, the refrigerator fits between 4-8 small lip balms, and beauty fans are going crazy for it. The beauty blender washing machine, also made famous by the aforementioned Instagrammer, is slightly more practical. On par in size with the lip balm fridge, the washing machine is excellent for beauty blenders and reusable micellar pads, making a mundane cleaning process much more exciting.
With review videos of such nature receiving an average of one million views a turn, it seems now more than ever is the time for beauty brands to create quirky, aesthetically pleasing accessories.
Wonder Blading
Wonderskin's Peel and Reveal lip stain kit has been every beauty blogger's go-to for the past few months. The kit, named People's "Number One Product Worth the Hype in 2021," applies as a futuristic electric blue and peels off in one of nine available shades. The lip stain first came to light after catching the attention of Hollywood award-winning MUA Carola Gonzalez, who took to Instagram in 2019 to praise the brand, claiming she uses it on herself as well as her clients.
The product hype then picked up again in the summer of 2021 and similarly went viral across Instagram. The process of applying the lip stain became so well recognized that it was given the name "Wonder Blading," a nudge to the idea of the product being so long-lasting it was almost as permanent as microblading. Several beauty bloggers and their followers have tested the product's longevity, which contributed to a spin-off trend altogether, seeing bloggers purposely eating greasy foods to push the product to the limit.
After high demand for several months, Wonderskin's Peel and Reveal became available in the UK through Amazon and, as a result, is now Amazon’s bestselling lip stain.
Adhesive Eyeliner
Two-in-one products have been a statement in the beauty industry for many years, with adhesive eyeliner being the latest to take Instagram by storm. Both an eyeliner and an eyelash glue, adhesive eyeliner is perfect for those trying to free up space in their makeup bag.
Vegan and cruelty free, with over 83K followers, Lola's Lashes have paved the way for Instagram lashes. The stand-out product comes from Lola's Lashes, a UK-based eyelash company whose adhesive eyeliner pen encourages customers to "ditch toxic lash glue for good." Tested by many, the eyeliner perfectly attaches falsies to the lash line. The brand claims the eyeliner is completely waterproof; to prove this, users have poured cups of water over their lashes and tugged them extensively. True to the brand’s claim, the product does what it says on the tin and can only be removed with micellar water or makeup remover.
With #adhesiveeyeliner garnering 19K posts, a large number of lash companies and technicians have jumped on the trend and attempted to create their own variations of the product, with one student, Iris Smit, creating her own version for her $15MM brand "Quick Flick." This may be the end of eyelash glue as we know it.
Dermaplaning
Instagram has been obsessed with dermaplaning for quite some time, with consistent videos from salons uploaded daily. However, since beauty salons closed last year during lockdown, the trend shifted to self-service at home. During this time, Treatwell reported a 621% rise in searches for dermaplaning treatment tips.
With one quick search on Instagram, over 200 accounts with the word “dermaplaning” in them come to light. Many users’ comment boxes are filled with followers sharing their opinions on the process, with many commenting on how satisfying it was to see the process happen. This has led to several oddly satisfying accounts sharing dermaplaning videos, furthering the trend's exposure.
A majority of users have turned to WWD's favorite dermaplaning tool, the Pure Luxury Skin Smoothing Trio Tool by Jenny Patinkin. Much to the liking of many Instagrammers, the device is fully biodegradable and comes with three refill blade holders for $18. With over 218K posts under #dermaplaning, it would seem everyone is giving the trend a go.
Almond Eye Looks
Almond eye makeup, originally an ancient Egyptian beauty secret, has recently surfaced on many beauty Instragrammers’ grids. Consistently questioned in the comments box (who realistically has a spare almond in their makeup bag?), the highly natural trend only requires two products: an almond and a lighter.
Instagrammers are divided, with some commenting on the fun side of the trend and others outright questioning why they're even following bloggers with such content. However, although questionable, the trend is great for Gen Z Instagrammers, of which 70% say they enjoy when content is not perfect and a little more fun.
Aside from using the almond as the product, others have taken to Instagram to use the almond as their base shape for eyeliner, holding the almond against their eyes and tracing the form to get the perfect wing. After Adele's November Vogue cover sparked a 9,930% rise in Google searches for eyeliner tutorials, it will be interesting to see where this trend goes.