MEGA Beauty Recap: The Best Trends of 2024 Take a Nod From the Past
Call it a game of reinvention—the 2024 beauty trends are yesterday’s statement looks from different eras, but better and more refined for today’s time
Beauty is a curious thing—always shifting, always reinventing itself, yet somehow never fully shedding its past. This year, we saw some trends becoming relevant again, revived with a more modern edge, while some players emerged. Nevertheless, this year is a comforting reminder that all great things never fade—they just get better. Here’s a roundup of our favorite beauty trends in 2024.
RELATED: Why Fashion and Beauty in 2023 Was Defined By Micro-Trends and Design “Cores”
Clean Girl Everything
In 2024, less isn’t just more—it’s everything. Dewy skin, brushed-up, laminated brows, and sleek baby hair-free tresses became the ultimate power look this year.
There’s a touch of irony to this, thinking that “clean” means less effort when it’s not the case. The sleek bun is not doable in a minute, as extra help is needed from pomades, styling sticks, and a boar bristle brush. Dewy skin, on the other hand, is not made of your natural oils that pool after hours, but layers of hydrating products to achieve that healthy, dewy finish. Either way, women were all about the clean girl look.
Model Jasmine Tookes and Filipino actress Angel Aquino are the poster girls for this polished minimalism. Their beauty is intentional, every detail accounted for, yet it feels so effortless as a Sunday morning brunch look. It’s much like the “woke up like this” trend from a few years back, but more difficult to master as it’s so flawlessly done.
Porcelain Finish
This year saw the official death of the matte. Instead, it was all about porcelain skin: smooth, glass-like, and reflective enough that it could double as a mirror.
Even on the runway, this trend dialed up to new heights. At the Maison Margiela couture S/S 2024 show by John Galliano, models sported flawless skin as if they’d been carved out from glass. Pat McGrath’s team used peel-off masks to achieve a “modern take on porcelain glass skin.”
But, off the runway, this isn’t about slapping on layers to fake flawless skin. It takes work—think ultra-hydrating tinted moisturizers, serums, creams, and glow-inducing treatments that focus on keeping the skin in its best, most glowy shape.
The Asian Glow-Up
2024’s Asian beauty influence is no fad. Here, we revisit East Asia, but a lot bolder and more glamorous this time around. It’s unmistakable—with distinct features that clearly define its style.
A defining feature of this trend is the aegyosal or the pockets of fat directly under the eye. While Westerners often strive to conceal them, in South Korea, they’re drawn on to appear plumper, bringing brightness and youthfulness to the face.
Japan and Thailand play into this Asian glow-up, focusing on hydration, dewy skin, and strategic highlight placements, plus a love for soft pastel blush tones—cool pinks and lilacs—that deliver a unique flush. Such trends have truly become global, and they’re here to stay.
The Rise of the Dark Femme
Bold is back. 2024 birthed the ‘office siren’ aesthetic—a TikTok-driven trend that’s all about smokey eyes, deep lips, and defined brows that let women inject attitude into any setting.
But beauty, much like fashion, loves a good comeback. This look has roots in the ‘90s, where the young Winona Ryder, Pamela Anderson, and Kate Moss graced red carpets and normal night-outs in dark, sultry makeup looks. It’s been around, just reworked.
Textured, Blown-Out, and Lived-In
The clean girl look may have had its moment, but the latter part of the year was all about going big. The signature 70s style, think Daisy Jones, was channeled—more volume, more waves, and a whole lot more drama.
We can blame it on the rising fame of Sabrina Carpenter and her voluminous butterfly cut that everyone cloned, or on our collective craving for a little more personality in our hair. Either way, sleek and sharp cuts gave way to something softer, fuller, and more fun.
Blunt edges were replaced with layers, messy waves, and blowouts that looked like they’d been lived in for days—but in the best way. Effortless perfection was in—as iconic now as it was in the 70s.
Atypical Blush Placements
Blush also took an unconventional turn this year, breaking away from the traditional cheekbone-only sweep.
It shifted under the eyes, doubling as a clever color corrector for dark circles, hugged the jawline for a subtle, more natural contour, and even swept across the temples for cohesiveness. But, of course, this isn’t groundbreaking. Asian beauty has championed these placements for years.
A nod to the bright and bold blush styles of the 80s, these placements also carry echoes of the “drunk blush” from almost a decade back. It’s a remix of past methods, blending lessons learned with modernity.
K-pop idols have made the under-eye flush iconic in the scene and the Japanese igari blush trend—designed to mimic a cute and fresh flush—has been trending globally. This year, we saw it crossing over to the West, with Patrick Ta using it on Jasmine Tookes and beauty influencers like Steph Hui adopting it for her everyday glam.
The Rise of Lip Treatments
This year, lips were about care, not just color. Thanks to brands like Rhode, Summer Fridays, Sunnies Face, and Laneige leading the way with their ultra-hydrating products, lip balms, glosses, and treatments became all the rage.
Its rise in 2024 is a natural extension of the year’s overall focus on wellness and self-care. This year was all about treating your lips to hydration—a simple yet effective way to show love to the skin we often forget about.
Cherry for the Cool Girls
After a year of the strawberry girl, this year took a deeper, richer turn with the cherry look. This shade of red infiltrated everything—lips, nails, hair, accessories, and even handbags—becoming the new signature of cool.
Kicking it off was Dua Lipa’s cherry-red hair moment earlier this year. As the trend prospered, it became less about the color and more about the vibe: fierce, energetic, and deeply unapologetic.
Rooted in the glamour of Old Hollywood, a hint of cherry red in a woman’s ensemble will always be a statement-maker, so it won’t be a surprise if it carries over to the new year.
The Return of the Nudes
The Pantone Color Institute may have Mocha Mousse as the color of the year, but in 2024, its shade sisters reigned supreme.
Flesh-like nails, brown lippies, and earthy-hued makeup looks made a solid comeback. No longer just a basic option, these nudes are rich and varied, from shades like a warm caramel to a deep mocha depending on one’s skin tone.
It’s a subtle rebellion against the bolder hues that have dominated the scene in recent years–a return to something grounded and timeless.
Healthy Nails
While nail extensions and press-ons—especially the ultra-embellished, 3D designs—had their moment, the timeless appeal of healthy nails quietly held its ground.
Russian manicures became increasingly popular in the country for their meticulous attention to detail and prioritization of clean cuticles. Nails were short, classic, and polished—not just for maintenance sake but to emit a well-groomed and maintained appearance.
Interestingly, there’s no cultural epoch to pin this trend on. After all, isn’t keeping your nails healthy a supposedly perennial thing?
Beauty, as you can tell, is a game of constant reinvention. What trends would rule 2025? Only time, TikTok, and the runway will tell.
Featured Image and Photos: PAT MCGRATH LABS, ANDREA BELDUA, JASMINE TOOKES, JANG WONYOUNG, EVANIE FRAUSTO, LADCHA PRAMPREE, NEW JEANS, STEPH HUI, DUA LIPA, TOM BACHIK, MARK QUA, ANNIS KAMARA, ASH LUXE NAILS (via Instagram), SUNNIES FACE, ELLE (via website), MEGA ARCHIVES
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