Spring/ Summer 2020 Makeup Trends

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The spring/ summer 2020 makeup trends are here, and all of you makeup-phobes can let out a sigh of relief. The defining makeup style for this upcoming season is minimal and effortless.

It seems to me that this year the makeup artists of the fashion world rebelled against mainstream beauty. This year’s runway was just as starkly marked by absence, as it was by presence. Gone were the thick eyebrows and graphic lips of yesteryear. Heavy cream contour was nowhere in sight.

The fashion makeup trends for 2020 are all about moving away from the heavy makeup style of Instagram. Instead, the spring and summer season will have makeup styles that are quick and effortless, and naturally beautiful.

The upcoming beauty trends aren’t just about natural looks, however. Many of them are quite bold and feature lots of color. The difference is that shadows and lipsticks were applied quickly; sharp edges and fleeky wings were given nearly zero consideration. Additionally, most of the bold colors and funky shapes were kept to minimal areas, while the rest of the face was done in the winning style of the season: extremely natural.

This is the season for the lazy girls and the brave women, those who act quickly and spontaneously, those who decide to go all out with neon eyeshadows two minutes before leaving the house. This is the season of fearlessly flawless makeup.

#1. No Makeup Makeup

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Sometimes, achieving that perfect no makeup makeup look takes just as long as that heavy makeup for a night out. Of all the gorgeous beauty looks we saw this year, the totally natural makeup look reigned supreme. This is more than just one of the 2020 makeup trends – this is a forever beauty trend. It’s timeless.

#2. No Powder, No Problems

The biggest current makeup trends were all about skipping the powder. Almost everywhere we looked on the runway this year, we saw impossibly dewy skin that was completely powder free. I really hope this minimalist makeup trend catches on, because it’s beautiful and easy, and makes for an excellent departure from the oh-so-popular powder baking trend that leaves the skin looking super matte.

#3. Strobe Over Contour

As part of this minimalist trend, we’ve seen a lot of makeup artists spit in the face of the mainstream contour obsession. Instead, it was all about dewy highlights that really brought out the models’ best features, and created an ethereal effect.

#4. Soft, Warm Contour

While over most of the runway, minimal base makeup trends for summer 2020 reigned supreme, with highlight much more popular than contour, a few makeup artists weren’t willing to give it up. However, instead of a cool or reddish contour, the preference for yellow-based bronzers and neutral taupes was clear.

#5. ’80s Makeup Touches: Eyeshadow? Blush? What’s the Difference?

We saw a touch of the Eighties coming back, as really bold eyeshadow was swept from the crease, all the way past the eyebrows, and into the temples and tops of the cheeks. I adore this kind of blurring of the definitions- why does it matter if it says blush or eyeshadow on the packaging? If the color is right, apply it wherever it’ll look good!

#6. Face Art Galore

Every season, a few designers have to really jump out of the box, and do something unusual with the makeup. Surprisingly, the face art that made up so many of the spring/ summer makeup trends was subtle and beautiful. I think some of these gorgeous face art looks could even be adapted towards the every day style.

#7. Bringing Nature to the Runway

Many designers adorned their models’ faces with flowers.

This kind of style utilizes the beauty of nature in an unexpected way, and while it is certainly unusual, it is just so soft and pretty that I don’t see a reason why it couldn’t work in day-to-day life.

To try out trends like this one, you can try to keep it small, like gluing just a couple of dried petals either to your eyes, or along the cheekbone. Alternatively, you can try to mimic the look of dried petals with eyeshadow!

#8. Bold and Graphic Eyeshadow

Colorful, graphic eyeshadow is an opportunity for the makeup artists of the runway to showcase their creativity, steady hand, and ability to work with color. This season, some graphic eyeshadow styles were the same from model to model, making for very impressive cohesion on the runway.

#9. Frosted Eyeshadows

Many of the spring/ summer makeup trends are all about texture rather than color, and this season one of the predominant eyeshadow finishes is the frosty jewel tone. Hopefully, this officially signals the death of the matte eye, and brings back much needed shine, luxury, and radiance.

#10. Pastel Eye Makeup

The matte finish for eyeshadow has not completely disappeared from the makeup trends, but rather than previous years’ ubiquitous matte beiges and taupes, this year the predominant shades are all soft ’50s-esque pastels.

#11. Subtle Smokey Eye Makeup

A smokey eye is a true classic, and if all we were seeing this season was traditional smokey eyes, maybe it wouldn’t count as one of the spring/ summer 2020 makeup trends. However, the smokey eyes of this upcoming season are light, subtle, and mostly kept around the lash line  the kind of smokey eye hastily drawn on in the car, to bring a day look to night when heading to the bar straight from the office.

#12. Glossy Eyes

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Photo Credit: @katiejanehughes/Instagram

Will glossy eyes ever fall out of favor with the high fashion makeup artist crowd? Alas, this is going to be one of the makeup trends, as well. It’s no surprise, since gloss is easy to apply, and it looks positively mesmerizing and fresh. Only drawback? It is very difficult to keep it from creasing throughout the day.

#13. Blue Eyeshadow

I’ll be honest here- this is probably my least favorite of the makeup trends. For years high fashion makeup artists are trying to make blue eyeshadow happen, and every year I hope they fail because blue eyeshadow is just so hard to pull off. However, if your skin is perfectly neutral, and your blending skills are flawless, by all means give this trend a try.

#14. Warm Statement Eyeshadow

I might hate blue, but I really appreciate the makeup trends of summer that utilize really bright, neon shades of red and orange. These warm and bright shades are super fun, and there is no risk of looking dated!

#15. Liner Only On the Lower Lashes

Few makeup looks say “don’t mess with me’ as much as dark liner on the lower lash line. This is a lovely addition to our collection of makeup trends for summer, because it creates a big effect while being extremely easy to achieve.

#16. Cool-Highlighted Inner Corners

One of the benefits of the natural beauty trends of spring/ summer 2020 is that little touches of glamour here and there really stand out. That is one of the reasons why highlighted inner corners of the eye are likely one of the most luxurious makeup trends of the season. This time around there were no champagne or gold highlights to be seen, artists choosing silvery and frosty beige shades instead.

#17. No Mascara for the Pale Girls

Those with sensitive eyes, rejoice! As part of the minimalist set of spring/ summer makeup trends, a lot of makeup artists were skipping mascara, especially on models with naturally pale eyelashes.

#18. Thick Brows Brushed Up

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Makeup artists this season kept it easy on the eyebrow pomade, opting for the softer look of a gentle sweep of eyebrow powder. Forget the fleek, it was all about the gentle slope of natural hairs.

What was key this spring/ summer season was naturally thick eyebrows brushed up for a clean and natural, yet thick and luscious look that is not obviously made up. This definitely kept in line with the overall minimalist theme of the summer makeup trends.

This spring/ summer season, consider tossing your Dipbrow and skipping your waxing appointment, and instead invest in a spooley for your brows.

#19. Bee-Stung Lips

The summer makeup trends included less of the in your face lipsticks of the past. Instead, most makeup artists preferred leaving lips bare. Whether it was with a bit of tinted lip balm, or just the natural beauty of the models, full, bee-stung lips reigned on the runway.

#20. Red Lips

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Red lips are a classic, but unlike previous years’ big matte red lips, the red lip makeup trends of today are a little more understated, wearable, and easier to achieve. Also of note is the fact that we’re not seeing as much matte red lips – the satin lipstick finish is back in vogue, along with a ton of sheen everywhere else on the face!

#21. Glittery and Shimmery Lips

The last of the spring/ summer 2020 makeup trends is a versatile one. Depending on how you choose to do the glittery and shimmery lip trends you can be the very vision of high fashion avant-garde, or you might just look a little more dewy and fancy than usual.

Which spring/ summer 2020 trends did you love this season? Which trends weren’t your cup of tea? Are you also looking forward to a minimalist makeup season? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by Maya Adivi
Maya is a makeup artist and skincare expert based in Yerevan, Armenia. She eschews buzz words, in favour of giving accurate and science-based advice. A citizen of the world, she was born in Israel, and has also lived in the US, Canada, and, of course, Armenia. Aside from beauty, she is also passionate about literature, beer, politics, and playing the ukulele.