If I Don’t See These Beauty and Wellness Trends Emerge This Year, I Quit

2022 was a rollercoaster year for beauty, with brands launching products that had been delayed during COVID and micro-trends exploding on TikTok every 25 seconds (something I’ve complained about here, here, and here).

Usually, the month clocking over means a roundup of every beauty editor’s favourite product discoveries. But after the chaos of 2022, I have been feeling a beauty vibe shift that has nothing to do with product (well, there’s always something to do with product). Here are the trends I’ve been noticing and the developments I’m demanding in 2023.

Less, Please:

There was a lot of pent up beauty-energy in 2022 that saw our skin, hair, nail, and “self-care” routines get longer by the hour and the millimetre in some instances. As a Leo, I love maximalism and am willing to sacrifice my typing speed because I refuse to take off acrylic nails and to spend 1.5 hours blow-drying my hair extensions. But as a human being, I’m time-poor (partially due to my typing speed), and I’ve found my “self-care routine” leaving me stressed out.

What if instead of gua sha-ing and beauty tool juggling, I went to yoga or read a book? We’re about to find out. With “mini French manis” trending on Pinterest and Hailey Bieber chopping off her long locks for a bob, I feel fully justified in dialling back my beauty routine. 

Products That Work: 

Emma Lewisham told POPSUGAR Australia that the avalanche of trend-driven launches can mean we’re missing out on the best products possible, explaining that the pressure to release newness diverts attention and resources from research and research development. This means the products we’re buying might not be the most effective ones.

Ultimately, one product that actually works beats a thousand products that “kind of” work. For example, I was introduced to FaceGym and the FaceGym, Active Blast Concentrated Collagen 7 Day Daily Treatment ($83) just last week. These bioengineered yeast-based targeted treatments were 10 years in the making — and after just seven uses, I’ve seen a massive difference in my skin.

Indeed, I’ve been skipping foundation and concealer ever since starting the treatment. This shows how one simple bioengineered yeast-based addition can beat out a slew of layered serums, eye creams, and moisturisers in a matter of days. Yes, they’re pricey, but I would wholeheartedly recommend a seven-day indulgence if you have a big event coming up.

Related: No More Neutrals: 2023 Will Bring About the End of Beauty As We Know It

Skin Texture:

On another note, skin texture will be officially chic in 2023. I’m declaring it.

I have always equated leaving the house with wearing foundation, concealer and powder. It’s a rote habit born of 9 years of working in beauty, fashion, and advertising, and of having cystic acne in my 20s. At this point I don’t really think about why I’m doing it; I reach for the bottles and tubes of beige every morning like I reach for my coffee, and apply the same amount no matter how my skin looks.

Lately, though, I’ve been skipping it and feeling… fine. Turns out a bit of Ultra Violette, Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum ($47) and some mascara are enough to make me feel put together enough for the office. Lately, I’ve loved the Rare Beauty, Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara, ($35). If I do need some coverage, I’ve been opting for lightweight skin tints like the Summer Fridays, Sheer Skin Tint ($63).

Plus, there’s a certain satisfaction in not faking it. Feel tired? Look tired. Have a stress blemish? Life is stressful! Of course, not everyone is comfortable with bare skin, and that’s fine, but I’ve found a certain satisfaction in looking exactly I feel.

“Do What You Feel” Makeup:

Julia Fox declared 2023 the year of “trashy alien vibes”, and I personally am embracing this. Let’s reconnect with using makeup for play. The annual Instagram trend forecast told us that Gen Zs in 2023 are more likely to “use makeup to express their personality than augment their feeling of beauty.” I have found a lot of freedom in expressing my personality by dressing like a killer AI this year, so I couldn’t agree more. On the flip side, gun it if you want to cover yourself in Rare Beauty, Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter ($44) like the princess you are. 

Dropping Tanning

There have been several tanning scandals in the last 12 months. While TikTok is cracking down on viral trends, and petitions are swirling to pause tanning advertising, designers and brands are re-embracing a perma-tanned look.

Related: Sign the petition to stop this deeply unsexy trend here.

As noted by NSS Magazine last year, the Y2K revival saw the resurrection of the neon orange mid-00s glow, which is even more problematic than exposed thongs and belt skirts. While NSS was discussing the return of fake tan, the rise of tanning imagery seems to have spurred an increase in “real tan” culture, as well as the blonde, hyper-toned Bondi-beach aesthetic that, as we noted last year, was always inherently exclusionary.

Related: I Got Naked and Talked Body Image, Self Acceptance and Toxic Tanning Culture With Jules Von Hep

A Holistic (i.e. Realistic) Approach to Wellness

The word “wellness” was thrown around a lot last year, with everyone understandably looking to get back on the fitness bandwagon, struggling with the anxiety of managing their first bout of COVID, and remembering how to interact with people IRL. But now we’ve finished “new year, new me” January, I’m focusing on the things that actually make me less stressed — rationalising my spending (yes, it was satisfying revisiting all my favourite restaurants in 2022 and yes, it did eviscerate my savings) and my time.

According to Headspace, 50 percent of people considered personal finances their most significant stressor, and 36 percent said stress about money kept them awake at night. Meanwhile, being back in the real world means we’re back on “real world time” and feeling burnt out. If I don’t feel like going to Pilates, I’m not going. If I want to block out a day of my weekend to talk to nobody and play with my cat, that’s what I’ll be doing. 

CBD Beauty (and Sex Products) Australia 

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It’s a long shot. When I was in America, I could indulge in CBD beauty products currently restricted under Australia’s TGA guidelines. For a more in-depth explanation of the CBD beauty products Australians can currently access, head here. Brands like Saint Jane, Khus + Khus, and Lord Jones are killing it. Meanwhile, CBD lubricants, anecdotally, provide a host of sexual health benefits, particularly for people with vaginas who experience chronic pain, inflammation, anorgasmia, and vaginismus. Ingredients in CBD lubricants can act as muscle relaxants and decrease anxiety. One of the original “weed lubes”, ‘O’ By Dani Pepper, has rave reviews like “made me too wet” and “had such an intense orgasm I cried.”

With this in mind, I hope the TGA can prioritise getting the hard stuff on Australian shelves, stat.