TREND ALERT! TORTOISE SHELL MAKEUP IS IN

By makeup artist @artistrywithsarika, via Instagram

By makeup artist @artistrywithsarika, via Instagram

The nail art sensation is now cascading on makeup, taking Instagram by storm.

Have you heard of tortoise shell makeup? The blooming trend just made an entrance on Instagram (#tortoisemakeup) and is here to stay, according to Allure magazine.

It all started with nails last year , in a voluminous gel version, after Rodarte created the trend on the catwalk in September 2013.

 
Nails by Betina Goldstein, via Instagram

Nails by Betina Goldstein, via Instagram

 

SOPHISTICATION, INCLUSIVITY AND EIGHTIES VIBE

This new look is actually everything but new. Fashion yet edgy, it is directly inspired by 70’s and 80’ nostalgia, when tortoise shell eyewear was hot (remember the iconic frames by Diane Von Furstenberg). Just this summer, plastic or resin-based tortoise effects were hard to miss in jewelry, and tortoise shell earrings” have exploded in popularity on Pinterest, with searches up over 679 % reports Instyle.

 
Diane Von Furstenberg campaign, 1976

Diane Von Furstenberg campaign, 1976

 

Needless to say the burgeoning trend enters the “makeup art” category, and is embraced by both makeup artists and aficionados. It requires, if not technique, a great sense of patience. First, a layer of white, then yellow, then a warm-caramel topped with strokes of black, before lightly blending it out. This kind of subtle work highlights the wave of sophistication that has been infusing makeup since 2018, especially on eyes.

 
@anhface, via Instagram

@anhface, via Instagram

 

INSTA INSTANT

It’s not the first time a time-consuming eye makeup takes social media by storm: last year, Cloud Eye Makeup created cloud-like shapes along the creases on thousands of accounts.

So, what is all the fuss about? The key point is tortoise shell reflects how big Instagram’s influence is on the Beauty market, and how inspired is this new generation of consumers, always seeking freedom of expression through makeup…

By makeup artist Marija Mišković, via Instagram.

By makeup artist Marija Mišković, via Instagram.

Every month, the Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation agency publishes an Insta Book, a digest of the hottest trends on Instagram. Contact the agency for more information.