![2016 was the tipping point for a slew of beauty trends.](/web/20161229100950im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/o/5/i/image.related.landscape.460x307.gtiubq.png/1482900449443.jpg)
The biggest beauty breakthroughs of 2016
2016 was the tipping point for a slew of beauty trends. Some of them had been building for a while but they broke through in spectacular fashion this year.
2016 was the tipping point for a slew of beauty trends. Some of them had been building for a while but they broke through in spectacular fashion this year.
Yet, everything from a blow dry to a brow pluck, to a manicure to a bikini wax to a spray tan, now involves – gasp! – interaction with a stranger, or at the very least, an acquaintance.
The most expensive television series ever made didn't skimp on the makeup department, and it shows.
I first noticed it in my Instagram feed; women – and men – were holding a strange, circular device between their lips, like a futuristic mouth guard. A device that emitted a blue light. There were others who posed with a mouthful of charcoal, brushing it all over their teeth, and turning their mouths the colour of soot. If the mouth guard was the future then charcoal was decidedly medieval.
2016, what a terrible year you've been. As if Prince and David Bowie weren't enough, you took away Leonard Cohen? Should I even mention the US election?
Every six weeks, the same dance – until very recently.
Illuminisers, highlighters (call them what you will) have been used to great effect over the last few years to produce that luminous ideal.
With the rise of the current eyebrow feathering trend, "hair" is literally tattooed onto the skin. It goes without saying: be careful with this one.
While Eleven is guaranteed to be the most popular costume this Halloween, it's quickly becoming apparent that her overall look has earned her a certain fashionable status outside of fancy dress.
There's one way to tell the difference between a thirsty reality dilettante and a credible star: skin.
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