Beauty Trends in Illinois: How To Stay Ahead?
Beauty is one of these industries that has pretension, and everybody definitely wants his/her cut of the pie. In the past, we had makeup and hair brands made by professionals, now we have celebrities jumping on the bandwagon and making everything from makeup to hair care products to skincare and supplements. With so much competition, beauty trends keep coming and going, and if you’re in the field, you need to adapt, or you’ll be out of work.
But adapting doesn’t just mean switching out heavy smokey eyes and chiseled contouring to dewy foundations and clean girl aesthetics. Of course, that’s part of it, but you’ll need education to keep up with everything that’s happening and possibly even stay ahead.
In this article, we’ll get into the hottest beauty trends in Illinois and see how the local pros are staying relevant in this fast-moving world.
What’s Currently Hot in Illinois
The beauty scene is thriving in Illinois, as is the case with the rest of the modern world. The market already has everything you could possibly wish for, but still, consumers look for innovative, inclusive, sustainable products.
Clean cosmetics with organic ingredients are by far the biggest trend, and one that probably everyone can get behind. After years of inflated lips and microbladed cartoon eyebrows being the biggest hit, consumers now want refillable packaging, healthy ingredients, and sustainable sourcing. Skincare is currently huge, and personalized skincare is the latest fad. AI tools (e.g., SkinVisoon, YouCam Makeup, L’Oréal’s Perso, DermaAI, CureSkin, etc.) have given us the chance to customize treatments according to what each person’s skin needs.
It turns out that the transformation in technology has come at just the right time to complement a shift towards a more inclusive market. Salons across Illinois are now able to cater to different hair textures, skin tones, and cultural needs, making it possible for every client to feel that they’re attended to with a very personalized approach.
Today, minimalistic beauty is all the rage, and you won’t find too many people complaining about it. We’ve exchanged heavy, cakey foundations with lightweight, serum-like products. Baking is out; lightly powdering your skin with loose translucent powder is in. Matte makeup still has its place, though, but now your face is expected to have a touch of highlighter on the high points. And it seems like we’ve (thankfully) seen the last of long-wear matte liquid lipsticks, as more and more consumers are replacing them with cream formulas, lip oils, and lip glosses. It’s all about looking fresh and healthy, not heavily made up.
Men’s grooming has also been more popular, and you’ll see a lot of new barbers opening shops. In addition to this, the shelves in your local drugstore now have more men’s skincare than ever.
How to Keep Up with the Trends as a Beauty Professional
If you’re a beauty professional in Illinois (or really anywhere), being talented is just a starting point. Talent alone won’t make you successful. You’ll need to invest in your education on a continuous basis, plus you’ll need a forward-thinking approach.
Here’s how to keep up the pace.
1. Master New Tools and Technologies
Do you remember airbrush makeup? Today, we no longer care for it, but it used to be insanely popular. If you were a makeup artist and you were able to do airbrush makeup, you had more clients than you were able to handle. This trend went so far that companies made airbrush foundations (remember Dior’s Backstage Airflash?).
It’s the same situation now, only we have different trends. AI-powered skin analysis is getting big, and so is 3D color-mapping. Go to local trade shows and demonstrations to get hands-on experience with the newest tech. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll have clients coming in left and right.
2. Incorporate Sustainability
Clients love businesses that try to be as sustainable as possible. Use vegan, cruelty-free products, switch out your light bulbs with LED ones, etc.
Beyond this, you can do green initiatives like having beauty product refill stations or composting hair clippings.
3. Keep Learning
Education, education, education. You can’t overestimate the importance of learning and improving yourself all the time. New trends arise, new techniques are being developed, and if you don’t stay on top of those, you’ll (likely) struggle to stay on top of your industry. Plus, your certificates expire sooner or later (in the State of Illinois, it’s every 2 years), so you’ll need to keep renewing them whether you like it or not.
If you do decide to stay in your industry and decide to tackle that test, it’s always a great idea to prepare yourself for the cosmetology continuing education that you’re about to undergo. This way, you’ll get information on programs that can prepare you for exams when the time comes. And make sure to look at this as a positive thing – education is what keeps you in the business because who wants a hairdresser or an esthetician who has no knowledge of the latest trends or regulations?
Conclusion
Try not to look at the beauty world as a hectic place where everyone’s trying to get ahead however they can. Whether you’re a makeup artist, hairdresser, esthetician, barber, or anything else, your job isn’t to be on top; it’s to be creative.
Well, as far as work goes, put your all into it and have fun in it while acquiring knowledge and education. Not all of them will say that you have to adapt to every latest fleeting trend (feathery brows, anyone?), but you’ll definitely need to know/assess what will stay and how to do it for the sake of relevance.
