13 celebrity hairstylists, makeup artists, and other experts tell us their 2019 beauty trend predictions
In 2018, we saw A LOT of different beauty trends, ranging from the awesome (more brands being inclusive in shade range) to the creative (ultrasound nail art) to the questionable (halo brows). So with the New Year right around the corner, we’re more curious than ever to find out what fads are coming our way. For example, what will be the new glass hair? Are pencil-thin brows going to come back à la Rihanna on the cover of British Vogue? Will using jade rollers be out of style for skin care?
We reached out to 13 of our favorite beauty experts, including celebrity hair artists, nail magicians, and skin care gurus, to find out what trends they think will be hot in 2019.
Hair predictions
Cervando Maldonado, celebrity hairstylist and co-owner of 454 North Salon
“Haircut trends for 2019 will not be as long as they were and not as short as they were. I feel a modern length is somewhere between mid-neck and the chest either blunt or shaggy layers; it’s really more about the length. When it comes to styling, I see people working with more and more natural texture, even air-drying, to create a more relaxed and cool feel.
For color, I see more vibrant colors with plays on dimension and with more definition creating brighter blonde, red, and brunettes.”
Justine Marjan, celebrity hairstylist
“I Dream of Jeannie-style ponytails. Hidden Crown Hair Extensions makes it so easy to get the ultra-thick long ponytail that will be everywhere in 2019. Wrap a piece around the base of your ponytail for extra thickness and length, then use the GHD Platinum Plus Styler to get the hair super sleek and shiny. We’ve already seen this start, but hair accessories aren’t going anywhere. Expect to see more grunge and metallic versions at music festivals this year and less boho-inspired pieces. I’ve been using a ton of my new pieces from the Kitsch x Justine collection.
90s-style volume: Voluminous blowouts on medium and long hair cuts with minimal layers will be having a major moment. Expect to see Bardot-style bangs and short, above-the-eyebrows fringe that frame the face and open the eyes. Ask your stylist to use your facial features as a guide before going for the plunge. If you have cowlicks in the front, use a small amount of Tresemme extra hold gel at the roots before blow-drying the hair forward.”
Eloise Cheung, NY-based celebrity hairstylist
“A lot of stronger, shorter cuts are coming through in 2019. The bleach trend compromised the hair condition of a lot of heads before Olaplex saved us. Expect to see more bobs and shorter styles as people embrace healthy hair again. Natural hair texture is being worn more and the hair sponge is something that I have been seeing a lot of.
Hair jewelry and accessories are going to be popular. London designer Ashley Williams has all of her celeb gals pals wearing hers. We’ll also be seeing a lot more minimal shapes in hair, too, which won’t break the bank. For the adventurous, there is the imprinter, a different way of putting color patterns in the hair that Davines has been playing with more recently. Scalp scrubs have become very popular as they are so effective at cleansing, especially as we’re using so much dry shampoo these days. Christophe Robin’s Cleansing Purifying Scrub with sea salt is life-changing.”
Stephanie Brown, N.Y.C. Master Colorist at the Eddie Arthur Salon
“Lady Gaga in A Star is Born sported a fiery orange-red shade that inspired people to start rocking this attention-grabbing color. Other celebrities like Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and Teyana Taylor have also sported this fiery hue.
Shadow roots: We’re always looking for ways to extend our hair color. Effortless shadow roots with golden or dirty blonde hair, like you see on The Hills alum Kristin Cavallari, and The Hills: New Beginnings’ Audrina Patridge, will be super on-trend in 2019.
As Cher is having a moment with her new album and her world tour, so is her iconic inky black glass hair. The 2019 twist on inky black hair is rich and deep with a hint of blue. This shade is made for the glass hair trend because the black gives it that reflective shine. Lana Condor and Camila Mendes totally rock this look. On the opposite spectrum, we’ll see super pale, powdery blondes with a hint of blue, aka Snow Bunny Blonde. It’s a very cool, let’s-go-to-Aspen-right-now vibe. You see it on celebs like Julianne Hough.”
Makeup and brow predictions
Mary Wiles, celebrity makeup artist
“A boy brow—strong defined solid, not too perfect. And polished natural skin: it’s about beauty coming from within, healthy skin needs minimum cover. That’s what the aim should be. I would hope the full face of makeup/contour look will be over. It’s it’s all about enhancing your own natural beauty, not masking it.”
Ramy Gafni, N.Y.C.-based celebrity makeup artist
“Bold statement lips. This can be either rich shades, like burgundy or red or edgy shades like black or blue or neon. The key is that the lip is very well-defined and filled with a bold color that’s combined with neutral eyes and cheeks.
The trends of boy brows and power brows of recent years have morphed into the natural brow, which is about embracing your natural brow line. The brows are still groomed with a few stray hairs left behind for a less structured, anti-Instabrow look.
Glass complexion: this is a flawless complexion where the skin has a beautiful, all-over sheen resembling glass. This is achieved by blending highlighter into your foundation to create that glass-like finish and skipping the powder.
Giselle Soto, L.A.-based celebrity brow artist and expert
“The time when extreme contouring dies out can’t come soon enough. I personally believe you don’t need to ‘cake on’ makeup to achieve stunning results, but that’s just my opinion! I’m here for the au naturel looks. Even though I am young, I have seen trends come and go. The crazed look of excessive makeup has become such a fad that the individuals that have stood out to me have been going for more of the opposite with minimal makeup. And to go with the natural look instead of more of a defined style, I picture the brow hairs being less trimmed so they’re longer. This will create more of a feathered, upswept look when brushed up.”
Joyce Platon, makeup artist, host of Hello Beauty podcast
“It’s all about the natural look with a wash of colors. Natural, fluffy brows—brow brush/combs and brow setters will be your new best friend. Tip: Always brush up and outward to lift the eyes. And use light strokes to imitate hair strands. No contours. Instead, use bronzer or blush to add a subtle dimension and radiance to the face. Wash of color—on the eyes and cheeks for radiance, and bold lip colors such as pink or red.”
Nail art predictions
Gina Marie Kent, L.A.-based nail artist at Nail Swag
“Flames are still super HOT! I’ve created a ton of flame designs this year in ombré, chrome, glitter, and matte. Neutrals and metallics are always good and in fashion; nude and gold is a combination I’m always getting a lot of requests for. Studded nails are a hot trend, whether it’s with all over tiny charms, rhinestones, or both.
Overall, we’re seeing more nails with either lots of very small studs or just one really large statement charm. At Nail Swag, we continue to play with a lot of different techniques from stamping to custom charm molds to art inks. In the coming year I expect that airbrushing will be added to that list too, which I am very excited about! Something that I hope will become more of a trend with clients is people bringing more photos of paintings, fashion collections, even films or albums that inspire them rather than photos of nails by other artists that they’d like recreated exactly. This can lead to great collaborations that can be fun for the artist and client alike.”
Mary Wolf, L.A.-based nail artist
“I think we will continue to see innovations in hand-painted artwork and 3D embellishments! With more and more specialty products being produced specifically for nail artists, I think these two trends will continue to flourish at a next-level type of status, and we’ll continue to be wowed by the creative possibilities.”
Gracie J, N.Y.C.-based nail artist
“I’ve been really into the classic French tip lately. I would really love to see how we elevate this look in 2019; it’s definitely a trend to look out for. I need the over-the-top, clout chasing, nail clickbait to stop. I’m truly over it when people try too hard to go viral.”
Skin care predictions
Yolanda Mata (YoliGlo), celebrity facialist
“2019 is going to be all about the facial massage, because people really want to get that relaxed face since they don’t sleep and it really shows age! Facial massage really gets that relaxed glow and helps a distressed face.”
Dr. Ellen Marmur, dermatologist and founder of Marmur Metamorphosis Skincare
“In 2019, people will start to realize less is more when it comes to skin care. They will want less packaging, better ingredients, more sustainability, and streamlined skin care systems that combine at-home LED devices. New trend: simple skin beauty. Old bad habit: layering on products is unnecessary and can cause acne and rosacea.”
