Makeup Trends I Have Yet To Master

So, there are some beauty trends out there (I'm mainly speaking of Instagram, because runway or high fashion trends are very different) that I either can't seem to get right, or that just aren't for me.  Now that I'm on Instagram, I think I'm much more aware of these "popular" trends.  Many (but not all) blogs I read do more reviews and new collections coverage (which is why I read them -- for information on that kind of thing).  Instagram is more single photo and brief caption friendly, so showing a makeup look that doesn't need a whole lot of explanation (except for maybe what products were used) on Instagram makes sense.  (Part of me even wonders if I should start putting my face of the day posts on Instagram instead of here on the blog.  Personally, I like to read blogs that feature face of the day posts, which is why I put mine here.)

Anyhow, there are a few "trends" that I see on Instagram that I have yet to master/figure out/decide if they are really for me.


1) Perfectly shaped/perfectly filled in/perfectly arched/perfect brows -- You probably know what I'm talking about.

from @elymarino (on Intsagram)

Yeah, my brows will never look like that.  Every time I try to fill in and shape my brows like the above tutorial shows, it looks just plain weird.  I probably use too much product to try to change the shape of my brows, and they end up waaaay to thick.  Furthermore, I'm not used to the way it looks.   I also think the fact that I have long brow hairs (that I don't want to trim) makes it particularly difficult to do right.  My brows also grow in totally different shapes from each other, and neither has a particularly strong arch.  I think I have to accept my weird uneven brows and give up on really trying to reshape them.

2) Contouring -- I think Kim Kardashian is the most well-known contour-er, and hers does flatter her.  At least in photographs.  Who knows how it looks in person, right?

I do think slight contouring can bring some depth to the face, especially after applying a full coverage foundation that kind of flattens everything out, but I don't really know how to contour my face in the manner seen in the above photo.  I'm never sure that my contour is in the right place or blended well enough.  However, the contouring trend may be on the way out, which leads me to...

3) "Strobing" -- Ok.  Strobing is just highlighting the high points of the face, and leaving out the dark contour.

This does look pretty.  However, when I do it, I feel like either I put too much on (I'm usually heavy-handed when it comes to cheek products), or I apply it in the wrong places, or it emphasizes my skin texture too much.  I've been using a fan brush with the new Becca Champagne Pop highlighter (it looked so gorgeous that I really wanted it, even though I wasn't overly excited with the Jaclyn Hill (a YouTube beauty "guru") collaboration -- I don't dislike her, but I can only stand to watch a few of her videos at a time because of all the gushing she does), and it seems to be going a little better.  This is a trend I can get behind, and I think I can get pretty good at it with practice (which means using my gorgeous highlighters -- which is the best part, isn't it?), even if the name is stupid.  I kind of wonder if MAC had something to do with it, just so they could sell more of their Strobe Cream.  What do you think?

4) Overdrawn lips -- We most likely have Kylie Jenner (Kim Kardashian's little sister) to thank for this one.

Overdrawing the lips is a not new technique to make them look bigger (hello Joan Crawford), but it seems like the extent of how much lips are being overdrawn is greater.  Both in the amount of liner being applied around the lips, and in the number of people doing it.  When I try to do it (more just for fun, because I'm happy with my lips), it looks so goofy.  It's probably another one of those trends that looks in photographs or on camera, but not so much in real life.  Or I'm doing it wrong, which is totally possible.

5) "Unusually" colored lip products -- This is more of a trend that is just not for me.

Kat Von D Studded Lipstick in Poe -- her own swatch

I sound like an old fogey, I know, but I don't really want to wear blue (or green, or grey, or whatever) lipstick.  It looks amazing, modern, and fashion-y, but I'm not cool enough for it.  The closest I could get would be using Lipstick Queen's Hello Sailor (which is blue in the tube, but is a cool-toned berry on the lips) or Frog Prince (which is Kermit green in the tube, but transforms into a sheer light pink on the lips).  I guess I'll be boring and stick to my pinks, peaches, corals, and nudes.  (I don't wear red -- my husband is not fond of it, and I figure he's the one who has to look at me the most, so I don't bother wearing it.  Besides, there are so many other beautiful lip colors that I love.)

6) False Lashes -- It seems like every "face of the day" or "eye of the day" or "makeup of the day" or tutorial post includes the use of false lashes.

http://www.maryammaquillage.com

I have only worn false eyelashes maybe twice in my life.  One day, I wasn't planning on going out of the house, so I decided to try some.  They were actually labeled "natural style" or something, but I wanted to practice using them, so I put them on, but only one eye.  They felt pretty weird and heavy (which I'm sure is something you get used to).  I think I didn't tuck in or stick down the inner corner well enough, because it started to lift fairly quickly.  So then my husband came home, and I asked him if he noticed anything.  He didn't.  I told him I was wearing fake lashes on one eye, and he couldn't tell which one.  I hope this doesn't come across as bragging, but I don't think I really need them.  At least not the "natural" looking ones.  I did wear a much bigger pair for Halloween a couple of years ago.  I do want to play with false lashes more, though.

7) Perfect Winged Liner -- Oh how I wish I could do this.  I practice and practice, but I think my eye shape just won't allow it.

I want to master this trend.  Without losing my mind.

Here are some of the trends as seen on Jaclyn Hill (that YouTube celebrity I mentioned earlier):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TNEb1YTS-o
This is her go-to smokey eye look video.  1.2 million views!  (Including mine.)

How many of these trends have you tried/mastered?  Are there any others you are interested in?

I actually just thought of another: cut crease eyeshadow.

Cut crease by Linda Hallberg

I do not have those skillz.