Power to the palette

MANILA, Philippines — This season’s makeup trends are all about power. From the subtle power of look-elevating highlights to the attention-commanding effect of the revised red lip, makeup is a means to subvert conventions and challenge even modern notions of beauty. MAC announced four trends that dominated the autumn/winter 2018 shows: Bold, Big, Washed and Rouged — each of them a response to a previous trend. “Washed” is a shift from severe shadows to flawless highlight transitions. “Rouged” gives red back its rebelliousness. “Bold” is a haphazard, anti-Eighties approach to wearing color. “Big” banks on our desire for bigger, brighter eyes to cartoonish extents. Here’s how you can wear them, from subtle to daring to “look what you made me do,” according to MAC makeup artists.

BIG

“It’s a brave amplification of lashes more than a pretty approach. There’s a lot of attitude to the modern lash,” says Terry Barber.

BOLD

“It’s still about one bold statement; one color, one idea, a monochromatic moment. The idea is really about using primary and secondary colors as an opaque, velvety stamp of color on the face,” says Val Garland.

ROUGED

“The spectrum of red is the one color that blends almost effortlessly into every skin tone. Applying red to the face is the most ancient of beauty gestures but right now it feels really new,” says Lyne Desnoyers.

WASHED

“We’re using a matteness and shine to give elevation to the features rather than a lot of makeup. A peachy matteness dressed with emollient pearl and sheen accents bring a very open effect to the face,” says Mark Carasquillo.