The Biggest Hits And Misses in Beauty Of 2015

As another year draws to a close (how on earth did THAT happen?!), it’s time to reflect on the biggest hair and makeup triumphs and disasters for 2015. From hair colour gone mad, to cult makeup products, foxy crops, and a lip trick to bring tears to your eyes, here’s what stunned and amazed us this past 12 months. And not always for the right reasons. 

The Hits

The In-Shower Self Tanner

We almost fell off our La-Z-Boys when we heard the tanning gods at St. Tropez had come up with an in-shower self tanner. Apply when wet, leave on for approximately the length of a T-Swift song, then rinse away. Repeat for a few days to build a lovely, natural colour.

The DIY Nail Art

Nail art has been hitting the mainstream for the past year or so. And now it’s reached such great heights that its inevitably gone DIY. When cult US nail wrap brand Jamberry arrived on our shores this year, we were pretty rapt (geddit?). These nifty nail shields come in a load of great prints, are super easy to apply, and chip and smudge-proof. Too easy.

Lara’s Mega Crop

When she first cropped her fine, flaxen locks into that choppy bob, we swooned. Now that ‘the bingle’ (or should that be ‘the worthington’?) has reached max saturation point, Lara’s upped the ante with an even more covetable super-short crop. The ultimate ‘do for an easy, breezy summer.  

Image source: larabingle

Korean Cosmetics

If the past few years have been about French beauty products, this year has been alllll about Korea. From scary looking sheet masks to cushion compacts and quirky two-toned lips and heart-shaped fringes, those Korean babes sure know how to push the beauty envelope. Our latest obsession? Peel-off lip tints, like this one from Monomola that gives your lips a lovely, long-lasting, budge-free stain, kind of like you’ve been sucking on a raspberry or orange icy pole.

Gigi’s Faux-Bob

The award for best actress goes to Gigi Hadid, for convincing us her killer AMAs bob was real. While she certainly rocked the do, created with a partial wig and her own hair, we can’t really blame her for hanging on to those gorgeous, thick lengths.

Image source: Stylecaster

The #onfleek Brow

The power brow continued its reign in 2015, with Cara Delevigne, Bambi and Lily Collins poster girls for the sexy look. If you’re lacking in the brow department, fake the full effect with a brow tint, and invest in a good quality brow powder, pencil or mascara to fill in any sparse areas. The cool-girl way to style them right now is to brush the hair upwards with a clean mascara wand.

Image source: huffpost

Contouring

By far and away the standout beauty trend of the year was contouring, and its spin offs – strobing, clown contouring, and baking. While we’re not really into the super-heavy approach, we definitely love the result of some well-executed contouring and highlighting tricks to play up cheekbones, open our eyes, and streamline our jaw. This amazing Chella Contour & Highlight Kit has all the essentials for nailing a flawless, sculpted face.  

THE MISSES

The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge

This horrifying home lip-plumping trend spread like wildfire this year, with over 31,000 posts on Instagram of, typically young, girls trying to emulate the uber-enhanced lips of the youngest Jenner. It basically involves popping a shot glass over your lips and sucking to create a suction effect. The result? Possible bruising and scarring from broken glass, and generally odd-looking lips.

Image source: Giphy

The Clip-On Man Bun

Living on Melbourne’s northside, I am firmly in the pro man bun camp (#sorrynotsorry). But even I draw the line at a clip-on version, available through US Groupon for just $9.99. Considering it’s still on sale a few months later, methinks they weren’t as popular as expected. Except maybe for KK presents. Speaking of man buns, enjoy. 

Image source: Groupon

Mermaid Hair

There were some seriously cray hair trends going ‘round this year – from granny hair, to pixelated hair, hair burning and oil slick colour. While we’re all for some eye-catching colour (check out this vid of bb staffers playing wish wash-off hair chalk), the rainbow-hued, mermaid hair trend was just a bit too much for dry land.

Image source: Pinterest

The Thighbrow

Haven’t heard of the latest ludicrous Instagram trend, the #thighbrow? As seen on curvy celebs like Khloe Kardashian, Beyonce and Rihanna, it’s the crease between your upper thigh and body when your leg is bent. Unlike the bikini bridge and thigh gap, the #thighbrow is at least attainable for mere mortals. But, seriously, have we nothing better to do than comment on women’s bodies?

Image source: Beauty desk

Crazy-Ass Nails

2015 was the year we got way too experimental with our talons. Stiletto nails look downright deadly, and less than ideal for an office job that involves typing. And 3D acrylic ‘bubble nails’ and the longer ‘hump nails’ look pretty ridiculous IMHO.

Image source: dolledupnickinails

#sunburnart

The most STUPID, deadly, unattractive beauty trend ever. 

Image source: charlottejcho