What makes us beautiful? Is it the famous thigh gap? The perfectly shaped bottom combined with a narrow waist? Full lips, pearly white teeth, and miraculously long eyelashes? All these are trends in the past couple of years, but that has not always been the case. Do you know what beauty standards looked like a couple of decades or even centuries ago? Some of the things we ridicule today were considered beautiful, and others we don’t even notice were incredibly important.

Makeup trends

Whether you are a minimalist who only applies mascara and lipstick, or a makeup-enthusiast who has perfected the art of contouring, makeup is here to beautify you. Lipstick trends change:  in the early 2000’s it was all about lip gloss and metallic blue eyeshadow, and today we are more retro: winged eyeliner and bold red lips. It seems that the trend of dark lipsticks is not nearly over, and today simply wearing one shade of lipstick is not enough. Ombre lips are also a rising trend, and some really bold colour combos can be seen: black and pink, orange and red, turquoise and navy… the possibilities are endless!

The importance of eyebrows

The sad truth: people who have well-shaped and full eyebrows seldom realize just how important they are on the face. Those who have weak eyebrows, or do not have them at all, struggle continually with eyebrow pencils, powders, or permanent makeup. Eyebrow shape trends have also changed drastically in the past decades: for example in the thirties, incredibly thin and arched eyebrows were considered beautiful. Leaving home without tweezing was a huge no-no. In forties and fifties they become somewhat fuller and more naturally arched, while in the fifties and sixties Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor promoted full, if a bit busy eyebrows. This trend is slowly returning, with different models and celebrities choosing to have their eyebrows just a bit shaped and tweezed, and left full and bushy. Natural look is slowly making a comeback.

Shapes and angles

One of the most drastic changes over the decades are body shape trends and ideals. Thigh gap was overlooked up until last year, but today celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj have made round thighs and shapely bottom popular again. Certain facial features have also considered beautiful now more than before: for example incredibly full lips. According to experts in cosmetic surgery from Perth more and more women are looking for Kylie Jenner lips, while several years ago the most desired body shape was the one of Pippa Middleton.

Peek-a-boo

Fashion trends are also something that keeps changing every minute of every day. No matter what, fashion always follows beauty trends and aims to emphasize the attributes considered attractive, flattering, and beautiful. Remember disco era and their long, flowy pants with incredibly tight waists? Or shockingly short mini-skirts of the sixties? Just a couple of years ago crop tops and boyfriend jeans were the hottest trend, and now we are all about minimalism and monochrome. Revealing your best assets while simultaneously covering those you do not consider flattering by using fashionable pieces has turned into a real art – no wonder fashion bloggers and stylists are so popular.

Remember, the face of beauty is always flawless, but it is also ever changing. If you’re prepared to meet current beauty standards, you should always keep in mind the fact that those standards will eventually change. The bottom line is: make sure that beauty of your heart and soul matches the beauty of your face and body – this way you will become a beautiful human being, and that truly is something to strive for.