It’s 2019, and the millennials’ reign as the most incorrigible generation of all time is finally coming to an end. World, get ready to roll your eyes and roll out the red carpet for the latest litter of even-more-incorrigibles: Generation Z.
For a long time, (and much to the disdain of our predecessors) us millennials have been wooed by the marketplace with products and trends tailored specifically for us. But Gen Z’s come in on a wrecking ball, disrupting everything from the way brands communicate to the way we view ourselves and others around us. New-age revolutionaries and connoisseurs of cool, they face the world on their own terms – and it’s had a huge impact on the beauty industry; reshaping the beauty ideals, trends and philosophies we prescribe to.
Say what you want about the kids, but they’ve changed the game and we’ve got to learn quickly how to play by their rules.
Struggling to catch up? We’ve rounded up some of the best beauty lessons we’ve learned from the young‘uns – and they’re pretty damn cool, if we’re honest.
Best Beauty Trends By Gen Z
#1 Multitasking erry’thang
Between Quinoa salads and creating culture, being digital influencers and calling out bulls**t, Gen Z ain’t got no time for elaborate, hours-long beauty rituals. Besides, why wait when you can do it all at once?
Take the time-saving joys of multi-masking that help target a zit on the forehead, dryness around your mouth and an errant eye wrinkle in one fell swoop. Or multi-use makeup that needs a sleight of hand to transition from one task to the other.
Targeted at this impatient but anal-retentive (in the best way) audience, new age beauty products like GlamGlow’s MultiMasking Kits offer small tubes of their trademark masks that can be mixed and matched for a variety of skin types and concerns; while MyGlamm’s entire brand ethos is based on the ‘time is of the essence’ philosophy, with almost each and every product being double- or triple-use.
Nykaa recommends: Glow Essentials: Mask + Moisture Set, MyGlamm 2 in 1 Lipstick & Lip Gloss, theBalm Stainiac Lip and Cheek Stain
#2 Up your bath-time R&R
Gen-Zers like to chill as hard as they hustle, so when it comes to R&R, they’re lock, stock and smokin’ Epsom salts.
Put away your plastic duckies and get serious about your soak time with hippie-happy, wellness-based bath essentials that hark back to slower and simpler times. We’re talking Dead Sea and Rose Geranium salts, Pina Colada bath butters, Irish Mint bath oils and all manner of exotic ingredients that go beyond the lather & rinse to combat stress, sorrow and --- skin.
The vital difference, of course, between our hippie ancestors and us is the urge to ‘Gram it, because if a bath bomb fell in your tub and no one saw it, would you really be relaxing?
Nykaa recommends: Bomb Cosmetics Pina Colada Shower Butter, The Nature's Co. Irish Moss -Mint Bath Oil, Khadi Natural Rose & Geranium With Rose Petals Herbal Bath Salt
#3 Millie Bobby Brown your beauty routine
Millie Bobby Brown, recently announced her new pet project – and it isn’t a demagorgon. Everyone’s favorite Gen Z, Brown is launching her own beauty line called Florence By Mills. Surprised? Well, stranger things have happened.
True to her ‘less is more’ motto, the makeup and skincare line focuses on clean, simple beauty for young skin types that are prone to growing pains and transitions. That means no parabens, no sulfates and no nonsense – just the way we like it.
Until you can get your hands on one of her babies, you can practice your restraint with the gamut of chemical-free skincare brands available on the market.
#4 You do you, boo
Sometimes, we might find ourselves cringing at the extent of over-sharing our juniors subscribe to online. The idea of submitting every excruciating detail of your existence for public consumption isn’t entirely new to digitally-native millennials – after all, we invented the game. The difference is that our lives online were always curated with a select bouquet of manicured moments.
Gen Z, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered. From live-streaming a panic attack and breakups hosted on social platforms to soul-searching diatribes – their entire existence is fed to social media like a live journal. And it’s definitely debatable whether that’s healthy or not.
But if we had to look for a positive takeaway, it’s the fact that they are fearless about embracing their true selves – the good, the bad, the ugly; the zit, the heartbreak and flaws. Gen Z’s “realness” disrupted not just the beauty market and its representation of women, but revolutionized self-love and self-acceptance in a way we’ve never seen before.
Nykaa recommends: Iba Halal Care PureLips Moisturizing Lipstick, Kama Ayurveda Kumkumadi Brightening Ayurvedic Face Scrub
#5 Get your dose of Euphoria
If dystopian realities are your jam, you’ve probably already seen Netflix’s new show Euphoria. But even if they aren’t, you should watch it just for the drool-worthy beauty inspo.
Between statement siren lips, glitter, white liner and arty or neon washes, the show’s characters look like they’ve walked right off Fall 2019’s runways with their no-holds-barred aesthetic and devil may care attitude.
Euphoria’s stunningly styled cast evokes a characteristically Gen Z quality – being fearless and having fun – and when translated to your makeup palette, it makes for quite the statement. It seems the kids are down with ‘less is more’ for their skincare (we see you, Millie), but they don’t mind applying a little ‘more is more’ to their makeup every once in a while.
Nykaa recommends: Makeup Revolution Glitter Paste, Wet n Wild Color Icon Kohl Liner Pencil - You're Always White, L.A. Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow - Neons
#6 Give your role models a Gen Z upgrade
Look, it’s not like we had any shortage of good role models as millennials. But Gen Z’s icons are of a different order. So who are Gen Z’s Britneys and what are they preaching?
There’s the likes of Kylie Jenner, the world’s first self-made billionaire and makeup mogul; Zendaya, an actress, singer and shoe designer who teaches her fans to be comfortable in their own skin; or award-winning singer Billie Eilish who talks openly about her struggles with autism. Then there’s Malala, influencing world politics; creative prodigies like Luke Sabbat, or social activist and style icon Yara Shahidi.
But there’s also a ton of nano-influencers working backstage to create the culture we see proliferating our world, and they’re preaching about everything from inclusivity and self-love to gender politics, mental health awareness and eco-consciousness. Might be time for us bitter ol’ cynics to sit up and pay attention.
#7 Align your beauty routine with your chakras
Woodstock is long over, but the hippies never really checked out – they might have reincarnated as our kid cousins, though.
Kids today are summoning their Buddha nature (and best skin yet) with crystal- and cannabis-infused beauty, aroma therapy and ingredients like witch hazel. Who needs to pray for good skin when you have CBD Oil – a natural acne and age fighter? Or Witch Hazel – a miracle herb that fights inflammation and tightens pores? Then there’s crystal-infused beauty products that boast not just beauty, but holistic benefits, or jade rollers that sculpt, tone and boost circulation.
Integrating spiritual wellness with physical beauty seems to be all the rage, and as kooky as it might sound to pure science nerds, it kind of makes sense that inner wellbeing translates to outer beauty. And what better way to do it than harness the earth’s natural gifts?
It seems a new age of witchy & wonderful beauty is upon us, and it’s about time you joined the coven.
Nykaa recommends: Makeup Revolution Skin Nourishing Oil - CBD OIL, House Of Beauty Jade Roller, Indulgeo Essentials Rose Geranium Witch Hazel Toning Mist/Toner, Oriental Botanics Prosperity Aroma Therapy Diffuser Oil, Seer Secrets Ruby Gemstone Bath Bar
#8 Get a ‘Gram-approved glow up
After years of dulling our shine with pressed powders and mattifying lotions, the enemies of shine have now become the enemies of state. All of a sudden, we woke up and found our makeup kits full of dewy foundations, glow-boosting creams and gloss – but when and how did this happen?
Well, blame it on the kids, of course. ‘Dewy dumpling’ or ‘chok chok’ skin came in on the heels of the K beauty wave and athleisure, replacing g Kim K’s airbrushed chisel on our feeds with a fresh-out-the-gym glow up. Then Glossier came around, to show us that imperfections are just fine, as long as they’re covered in a sheath of healthy gloss and pastel packaging.
So how do you achieve that next-Gen, nubile glow? Enlist the help of plenty of clean skin food including moisturizers, facial mists and serums to nourish from within, and buff the outside with creamy highlighters, gloss and lightweight, hydrating BB creams and foundations.
Nykaa recommends: NYX Professional Makeup Honey Dew Me Up Primer
