Tori Attwood checks out the 2017 beauty trends shaking up the internet
FOOD porn, bikini bods and 'outfit of the day' selfies are just a few of the addictive rituals born out of the Instagram phenomenon. Thanks to over 600 million active users, the app is a hotspot for those looking to scout out the latest do’s and don’ts from the social sphere. But, with every image carefully filtered to remove any nasties, identifying the good trends from the bad can be a little trialling.
Which is why the internet is in a kerfuffle over what to make of the latest Instagram beauty trend, which appears destined to take-off (quite literally). Forget winged eyeliner, as this season it’s all about making your eyebrows fly.
Introducing #featherbrows, the new Instagram look that has would-be sane beauty gurus carving out feather-like effects into their formerly HD eyebrows. According to Glamour mag, the hot new look was crafted by Finnish make-up artist Stella Sironen, though it’s not quite clear whether it was intended as a joke.
Sironen created the look by parting the eyebrows to resemble a bird's feather, using a glue stick (as you do) to keep all that plumage in place.
From barely-there lines to fear-mongering fuzz monsters, and now to this avian-inspired trend, brows are getting more than a bit of TLC on today’s beauty scene. Why can’t we leave them just as they are? Although marginally more natural than the inked-in predecessors, these carefully sculpted feather brows still seem a little ridiculous.
As much as we love Instagram’s bank of daily inspo, feather brows are one SS17 trend we’d rather steer clear of this season. And true to Instagram’s 'alternative' nature, there’s a couple of other peculiar beauty trends out there too.
From unicorn hair to glitzy glitter butts, here are more beauty trends shaking up Instagram.
Unicorns as style icons
We must have died and gone to our 90’s childhood heaven because it looks like My Little Pony has become somewhat of a style icon. Pastel rainbow hair, unicorn-themed accessories and unicorn-inspired nail art now mean it’s possible to relive all your childhood fantasies of finally joining the pretty pony clan. But that doesn’t mean you should. Prancing around with candyfloss hair, stick-on face jewels and a large pink horn protruding out of your forehead will certainly make people think you’re something, but it isn’t a unicorn…
Neon and glow-in-the-dark hair
Trust one of the Kardashian clan to dream up yet another bizarre beauty trend; hair that is so bright, it practically glows in the dark. Inspired by Kylie’s highlighter yellow hair showcased at Coachella, keen followers of the reality TV star have tried to recreate the look with hair dye that glows in the dark. We’ll admit it looks kind of cool, and would come in handy during a power cut...
Painful face masks
Though there is something undeniably satisfying about the thought of peeling off blackheads from your face, the appeal of Charcoal facemasks ends there. Just a quick search of #charcoalmask on Instagram throws up videos of girls wincing, whining and heck sometimes even whimpering as they try to remove tiny fractions of the mask from their red-raw faces. Pain is not gain when it comes to looking after your skin.
Smudged lipstick
Cutely coined ‘Lollipop lips’, this smudged lippy is supposedly meant to emulate how your lips look after you’ve eaten a massive ice lolly and managed to get it all around your mouth. It is not supposed to suggest you’ve been tashing off again behind the bike sheds or reapplied your lippy after a heavy cocktail sesh. Which is exactly what it reminds us of. The smudged-up look might have debuted on the runways of this year’s London Fashion Week, but we think it’s a look best kept for that final drunken selfie.
Glitter butts
Wondering how to revamp your festival look this year? Get some glitter and stick it on your butt. That’s right ladies, adorning your derriere with glitter is genuinely a new beauty trend. Inspired by that special sand-stuck-on-your-butt feeling you get at the beach, the team over at The Gypsy Shrine decided to create a more glamorous post-beach look consisting of oodles of glitter. Whilst we admit it might glam-up the sea of saggy under-bum guaranteed to be on show at the UK festival scene this summer, it doesn’t half seem daft.
Keep up with the beauty trends that are worth following with @bodyconfidential on Instagram.
