Every now and then I find myself itching to change up my look, but sometimes the commitment can be a little jarring. The question of whether or not I can pull off certain styles and trends is always in the back of my mind, and I end up sticking with what I’m already comfortable with. Now that I’ve been stuck indoors for a while, I’ve run out of excuses to not give a new look a shot. If you’re like me and you’ve been wanting to transform yourself, minus the permanence, here are a few things you can try.
Faux Freckles
No stranger to our Instagram feeds, faux freckles have become increasingly popular in recent years. When done well, they can add a little splash of summer to your face no matter the season, without the UV damage. After a lot of research and several failed tutorials, I personally feel like Rachel Tee Tyler’s method looks the most natural and is the easiest to execute.
All you have to do is use a small brush and dot various shades of brown eyeshadow on your face to your liking. For a more natural look, lightly press down on the faux freckles with a sponge to lighten them and blend them slightly with your base makeup, removing any harsher dots.
1. Tarte Tartlette In Bloom Clay Palette, $61. Available at SEPHORA.
2. Sephora Collection Sephora Pro Warm Eyeshadow Palette, $93. Available at SEPHORA.
3. Sigma Beauty E10 Small Eye Liner Brush, $16. Available at SEPHORA.
4. Sephora Collection Multi-Texture Sponge, $8. Available At SEPHORA.
5. Sephora Collection Charcoal Makeup Sponge, $15. Available At SEPHORA.
For Sun-Kissed Skin
A glowy tan after a beach day can enhance your look in many ways. It can provide a more natural contour, increase muscle definition and sometimes even out your skin tone. However, achieving a natural tan does come with a few risks — UV exposure, possible unevenness and unwanted extra pigmentation. For the more outdoorsy ones amongst us, you may also be struggling with maintaining your skin tone while you’ve been stuck indoors this period.
While YouTuber Yoo Hee Joo, a.k.a. Yoo’s Beauty, uses a darker foundation to achieve this look, trying out a self-tanning oil or lotion may be a better investment. Since you’ll be darkening your skin from the shoulders-up, using a foundation to darken your skin may potentially look cakey, and may stain your clothing. A body oil or tanning lotion may be easier to work with — layering won’t result in a build-up and your clothes should be fine once the product has dried!
1. Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion, $68. Available at SEPHORA.
2. Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr Sun-kissed Glow Body Oil, $87. Available at SEPHORA.
3. Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation, $55. Available at SEPHORA.
Top the look off with a rosy blush, and you’ll look like you just stepped off a flight from an island paradise. Haley Kim uses her fingers to blend in a creamy, bright red blush, which provides a natural-looking flush. A light hand goes a long way — you want to look sun-kissed, not sunburnt.
1. Nars Blush in Exhibit A – Matte Red, $52. Available At SEPHORA.
2. Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion in Grapefruit, $49. Available at SEPHORA.
3. Sephora Collection Colorful Blush in 10. oh my gosh!, $22. Available at SEPHORA.
4. ZOEVA Blush Palette in Coral Spectrum, $35. Available at SEPHORA.
5. NARS Blush in Madly – Shimmering Tan Pink, $52. Available At SEPHORA.
Temporary Hair Dye
Now that a lot of us are limited to online classes and working from home, it’s probably a good time to test out out new hairstyles. Don’t like it? Dye it back! Think it looks bad? No one else has to see it if you don’t want them to.
Temporary dyes are a great way to test the waters and see how you feel about a new shade — most of them wash off and within a month or two, so don’t fret about being stuck with a colour you hate. However, unless you already have bleached hair, we recommend trying out a more natural shade. Not only is a natural shade easier to maintain, but colourful shades that require bleached hair typically fade faster as well. Additionally, self-bleaching can be harmful to your hair and scalp if you are inexperienced, and it may be difficult to get an even tone.
1. Etude House Two Tone Treatment Hair Color, $17.24. Available at YESSTYLE.
2. The Face Shop Stylist Silky Hair Color Cream, $17.24. Available at YESSTYLE.
3. Holika Holika Pop Your Color, $23.92. Available at YESSTYLE.
Faux Piercings
Piercings are definitely a huge commitment — it can cost quite a bit to poke a hole somewhere on your body, healing takes time, and every piercing comes with a health risk. If you’re thinking of jumping on the bandwagon, a commitment-free option would be to go with faux earrings.
Fashionable, affordable, and best of all, pain-free, these little accessories can add a bit more edge to any look. Who knows, these faux piercings may look so good that you decide to get them for real!
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