This Asian import makes tinted moisturizer seem so uninspired. BB Cream (short for Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm) gives you a similarly natural-looking finish, but it's also jam-packed with skin conditioning ingredients to brighten your complexion, fight acne and decrease lines and wrinkles.
Forget leaving the house with a bare set of nails. 2012 is all about the statement manicure, and anything goes. From simple ring finger manicures to glitter ombré effects, this year's trends make undressed nails just look too naked.
Celebrities from the A-list all the way down to the D-list (ahem, J-Woww) won't stop launching fragrances and other beauty lines. Even one of Tiger Wood's ex-mistresses has a nail polish collection. But this year we're leaving it to the designers (hello, Tom Ford!) to keep us looking gorgeous.
There used to be a time when oil was a scary word in the beauty lexicon, but now argan, olive, almond and other oils have become buzzy ingredients in haircare, skincare and body products. The new scary word? Silicone. Now more and more product labels are proclaiming their contents "silicone-free."
The androgynous makeup looks that populated spring's runways showed us a whole new (non-80's) way to sculpt the cheeks. Meanwhile, there's something so "early aughts" about sparkling skin. Keep it matte this season, please.
Hair plumage had a major moment this year - the trend even caused a feather shortage for fly fishermen. But we’ve moved on to a more classic adornment: the plain, silver Goody barrettes that made an appearance on spring 2012 runways from Victoria Beckham to Marc by Marc Jacobs and Ports 1961.
IN: Pearls and Body Jewels OUT: Temporary Tattoos Kaitlyn Dreyling
If Chanel’s glued-on pearls and Givenchy’s eyelid sequins are any indication, 3D embellishments are spring 2012’s new body art du jour. As for temporary tattoos? Chanel showed those for spring 2010, and that's where we're leaving them.
Stylists and beauty writers have been heralding the death of ombré hair color for, what, a couple years now? Yet the look remains highly requested at salons and a staple for style icons like Rachel Bilson and Alexa Chung. For 2012, it’s all about ombré in moderation: not a harsh two-toned contrast, but a subtle gradation that mimics natural highlights.
From the mounting Kardashian backlash to the soft, feminine makeup spotted at spring 2012 shows like Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and Marc by Marc Jacobs, it's clear that full-on face paint is falling out of favor. We say, hallelujah!
Remember the theory that lipstick sales spike in times of economic crisis? So old school. While our economy remains shaky, nail polish sales are surging - up 59 percent this year, according to industry reports. Lip color, meanwhile, was up only 8 percent.
