We’re not talking makeup trends here (FYI: ’80s, glitter and braids). Rather, these are our predictions for products and categories that will be making waves through the next year – the high-tech, innovative, space-age stuff we can’t wait to try.
More fancy devices
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen cleansing brushes, home lasers and LEDs, ultrasonic devices and more. And as the tech gets more advanced, the devices are able to do more. One of the latest (launched in September 2016) is Tria’s Positively Clear 3-Step Acne Skincare Solution. This ‘zit zapper’ uses blue light to kill acne-causing bacteria without drying out or damaging the rest of your skin. The science behind it is good: Dermatologists have used blue light in acne treatment for decades. The device comes with a cleanser and spot treatment. $199, at Triabeauty.ca.
Ultra-customization of products
This has been a growing trend for the last couple of years – brands like Skin Inc allow you to mix your own serum, while Nyx, RMS and The Estée Edit have top coats that can be applied over any lipstick to adjust the colour. Now, things are getting really smart. Last year, Lancôme introduced Le Teint Particulier in the States. It’s a custom-blend foundation that’s mixed for you on-counter and will arrive in select department stores here in May 2017. A couple of years ago, Toronto brand BITE Beauty launched its NYC Lip Lab, in which you can make a personalized-from-scratch lipstick colour. Now it’s gone for rapid expansion: Last November and December, it opened a further two stores in the States, plus one in Toronto, with more to come in Canada.
Natural brands get technical, and Canadian companies are best in class
In days of yore, natural, cruelty-free and organic brands were nice to use, but didn’t promise the dramatic results of their hi-tech counterparts. Now, those brands are starting to move into the cosmeceutical space. Montreal-based Nannette de Gaspe’s latest ‘Techstile’ masks are all-natural, but deliver dramatic and long-asting results. 2017’s innovation is the Plumping & Lifting Infusers – dry pads that you stick inside your bra or pants that promise to boost your bum and breasts ($225, at Holt Renfrew from February).
Calgary’s Plume hopes to rival prescription-only Latisse with its Lash & Brow Serum ($95, at Plumescience.com, Project Skin MD and Murale). Latisse boosts lash growth, but can cause itching, redness and staining of the skin and iris. Plume Lash & Brow Serum is 100 per cent natural, causes none of those side effects, genuinely boosts lash growth (we’ve tried it) and, unlike Latisse, can be used during pregnancy or by people undergoing cancer treatment. In March, the brand will launch an eyebrow product, Nourish & Define Brow Pomade, which colours the brows and also contains the same actives as the serum, so will have long-term brow-boosting effects.
Asian brands keep innovating
The best and most innovative product of recent years, from cushion foundations to BB creams, have been from Asia. The cushion trend has expanded now to blushers and eye makeup and, most recently, an ultra long-lasting, sweat-resistant eyebrow product from Korean brand Laneige. There are no plans to bring that to North America, but Laneige will be launching the second iteration of its cushion foundation at some point in 2017. There’s also much excitement about the brand’s forthcoming Two Tone Lip Bar, which gives a very cool ombré effect. If you can’t wait for that, fellow Korean brand Iopé has the Dual Lip Blender ($32, at Aritaum). And Hong Kong is now getting in on the act with startup Molly Cosmetics Shop’s SiliSponge, a silicone alternative to makeup sponges that blends foundation perfectly without absorbing it, so there’s no product wastage and it’s easy to clean. The downside? It does look like a silicone breast implant – a talking point if left out in the bathroom. $16, at Mollycosmeticsshop.com.
Wearable beauty is a thing
Last year saw the introduction of La Roche Posay’s UV patch – a band aid that changes colour when exposed to UV rays and uploads data to an app that keeps tabs on your level of UV exposure. Also in the pipeline are hairbands that promise to make your locks grow, and devices that will allow you to measure levels of hydration or pollution, so you can see if your skincare really does live up to its claims.
