The 11 Biggest Beauty Trends of 2016

It's hard to believe that 2016 is just about over! This was a pretty insane year—it brought us our share of celeb feuds, a major '90s style resurgence, epic Snapchat filters, Kylie Jenner lip kits and so much more.

Kylie Jenner lip kits

(via Shutterstock)

And if there's one area that sure made major waves this year, it was the world of beauty! We've recapped the biggest, brightest, and boldest beauty trends of 2016—take a look below.

1. Glitter Mania

From lids to lips to cheeks, glitter made its way onto just about everything this year. And while we dipped into sparkles here and there, this bold trend is a messy one we don't mind avoiding.

 

2. Faux Freckles

Whether or not you were blessed with angel kisses, you were able to rock freckles thanks to the faux freckle tutorials that dominated youtube this year. We have to admit, we were pretty amazed by this trend, and we even did our own tutorial here. The idea of being able to splash on a few beauty marks sounds like a win in our book, and we plan on busting these out for years to come.

 

3. Kylie Jenner Lip Kits

Kylie Jenner gave the beauty world a makeover with her insanely popular Kylie Cosmetics lip kits. Her lip kits not only made lip liner cool again, they launched a mega beauty empire for Kylie that now expands into brows, shadows, and merchandise! We were some of the first people inside her new pop-up that just opened, and needless to say, Kylie Cosmetics is here to stay.

A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on

A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on

 

4. Fuller, Feathered Brows

Bold brows have reigned supreme for the last few years, and 2016 was no exception. However this year, brows became fuller, feathered and more natural looking. Boxy, over-drawn in brows moved aside for pretty feathered brows thanks to brow growth serums, the anti-tweeze movement and better brow products.

 

5. Pink Eyeshadow

Whether or not you actually tried out this trend, there's no doubt that pink shadow was big this year. This isn't an everyday look, but we sure like to dabble with brilliant colors like pink every now and then!

 

6. Rainbow Lips

Brilliant, bold lip shades were the mantra this year—the bolder, the brighter, the better! No color was off limits, even crazy hues like blue, magenta and black.

 

7. Gloss

Whether it was a glossy lip, lid, or cheekbone, gloss made its way back into our makeup routines thanks to the '90s trend. Brands like Glossier showed us less can definitely be more, and a fresh, hydrated look is a no-fail option.

A photo posted by Glossier. (@glossier) on

A photo posted by Glossier. (@glossier) on

 

8. Ice Queens

Just about everyone we know tried the icy blonde, bleach-and-tone look. Sure this color has been in vogue for years, but it gained major traction in 2016. While we love the look, it's really tough on the hair, so we think (well, hope) that 2017 will focus more on natural hues like rich browns and golden blondes.

 

9. Non-Toxic Nails

Beauty has been getting more and more natural, thanks to brands like Honest Beauty and Juice Beauty, and we saw the same movement happening with nails as well. RGB and Base Coat offer non-toxic nail polishes that are safe and resilient. Sounds like a win for us!

A photo posted by thenailsaloon (@thenailsaloon) on

 

10. Natural Curls

This year, we saw people really starting to embrace their natural side, especially in the hair department. Rocking natural hair reigned supreme, and we hope this trend is here to stay!

A photo posted by @rudegyalcurls on

 

11. Talon Nails

Super long nails were still everywhere this year, and while we're more of the short nail type of gals, we've gotta hand it to the women who are able to maintain the wilder looks!

 

So those were our top 11 biggest beauty trends of 2016! Now, check out THESE nail designs that are full of holiday cheer.

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