An enchanting world tour of colour trends

The spring-summer 2021 trends are set to be marked by a true colour explosion. In fashion, designers will go for dramatic floral shades. To show what fitting makeup products could look like, Eckart toured three destinations with interesting stories. What could be more desirable in 2021 than freedom to travel to a colourful destination?

After a difficult 2020 in too many senses, everyone is looking forward to a better 2021, full of positive vibes and energy. For the cosmetics industry,chances are good that after a year of lipstick abstention, consumers will rush to renew the contents of their makeup bags.

The spring-summer trends by Eckart, represented locally by IMCD South Africa, offer a preview of what to expect in colour cosmetics in 2021, piquing our curiosity about what is coming.

THE EPHEMERAL MAGIC OF EARLY SPRING

Pink, in all its shades, cannot be overlooked during the 2021 spring and summer season. Eckart has chosen Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom, to inspire its first colour trend for 2021. In March, this wondrous tree turns Japan into a sea of pink and white and resembles the beginning of the Japanese spring. During this time, friends and family get together to picnic in parks and admire the beauty of blooming nature.

The cherry blossom is considered a symbol of beauty and ephemerality in Japanese culture. Accordingly, this colour trend is reminiscent of the transient beauty of early spring and covers all shades of pink – from a very light mauve to a lively pink.

To achieve these delicate colours and romantic effects, Eckart played with combinations of Syncrystal and Mirage effect pigments. The result is a subtle pearlescent shimmer on skin, lips and nails, with an occasional sparkle.

SAKURA IDEAS AND APPLICATIONS

The innovative strawberry mochi lip tint in a bold pink colour uses Synafil and Ecofil fillers to deliver opaque matte tinting effects. On the other side, the picnic in the park lip gloss and topper, with a very subtle powdery pink colour, profits from the sparkle of Mirage pigments to stun with its transparent shine. These two lip products can be applied individually or in combination to obtain unrivalled colourful sparkle and gloss.

Hanami and cherry blossom are the two eye shadow gels of this concept. They differ in pink tone and lightness and are designed to be combined to achieve an individually suited rosy shade. The long-lasting, water-based formulation also fits in perfectly with the trend for low-solvent formulations.

Another goody of this concept is the coloured cheek powder, pink blooms. Easy to formulate with and offering a great effect, a combination of three different Syncrystal pigments provides the skin with a natural healthy glow. While the Ecofil B110 in the mix controls shine on the skin, Synafil S1050 creates a velvet-like skin feel and improves skin adhesion.

For the nails this concept foresees four shades: rose, pink, nude and violet. The results are intriguing.

The last highlight of this trend concept is the beautiful spring day body mist. This very light, sprayable formulation gives the skin a transparent rosy coloured sparkle. The colour trend Sakura is a homage to the influence of Japanese culture in beauty, yet it is indicated for all skin tones. The different pink shades with different intensities will provide a healthy or romantic touch for day makeup.

Joyful celebrations of a new season

La Primavera – the next colour trend for spring-summer 2021 – is also based on floral colours. This very colourful trend stands for exuberant blooming nature and is highly reminiscent of spring in Spain, or La Primavera, which is a festive season for Spanish traditions packed in bold and brilliant colours.

While Sakura is about delicate effects, LaPrimavera stands for temperament, radiant colours and high coverage. It celebrates the joyful mood in late spring with intense gold,sensual red, stunning purple and juicy orange.

Using Syncrystal pigments, in particular Supernova red, orange and gold, the trend achieves a new dimension of colour and shine. Where more drama is needed, Miragepigments are used to add sparkle. Needless to say, these colours look best on dark skin.

Talking about Spanish traditions in spring, one of the most impressive traditions is Las Fallas in Valencia. During this feast of fire colourful, satiric figures are first admired and then burnt to ashes, while people celebrate in the street. After a year of not wearing makeup, the energetic festival and a new beginning are certain to find their way into makeup looks.

The creamy eye shadow triple Las Fallas is a tribute to the dominant colours of the Valencian festival. The gold-yellow shade is reminiscent of the citrus fruits grown around Valencia and of the ornaments of traditional dresses. The natural green and the crocus violet are colours of lush nature. These three impacting shades are packed into a creamy formulation to accentuate a silky effect and make them more wearable.

La Primavera samples and formulations

For an authentic Spanish look, the lip smoothie red carnation with its amazing reddish pink shade and creamy consistency, accentuates the lips, while the lip gloss nit de la cremà gives a fascinating shine with an orange touch.

These colour effects wouldn’t be possible without Supernova effect pigments.

To illuminate the complexion, the water-based liquid highlighter el rocio – Spanish for morning dew – creates a magic skin glow.

To finish this look, nails are painted in one or more catchy colours named after Spanish cities well known for their joy of life: Barcelona (emerald), Seville (violet), Valencia (gold) and Granada (fuchsia). To balance the shine of the makeup, the nail polishes of this concept combine metallic effects with a chalky finish, obtained with Ecofil B110, a natural filler well known for this purpose.

The charming allure of music

Inspired by Caribbean flair in Havana, pastel-coloured Cadillac’s and intoxicating salsa sounds on the streets, the colour trend Havana Sounds represents the Cuban feeling of hot, lazy summer afternoons in anticipation of a party.

Havana Sounds builds on the impressions of the home of salsa and many other Latin music styles with brown tobacco tones mixed with blue and coral shades of colonial facades and sparkling effects alternated with matte and silky surfaces. To stage this colour trend, clean effect pigments with brilliant interference are a must. The Syncrystal pigment range from Eckart with its remarkable pearlescence is optimal.

Havana Sounds product ideas

The pink and bronze coloured lipsticks salsa club and Cuban cigar captivate with excellent applicability plus superb staying power thanks to Tixogel and Garamite rheology additives. For the eyes, this trend begins with Cuba libre, a shimmery eye all-rounder three-in-one with a warm bronze tone. This long-lasting, high-coverage, water-based formulation can serve as eyeliner, eye shadow or eye shadow base depending on how it is applied. The pressed eye shadow duo blue Chevrolet and coral Cadillac enthrals with its extremely clean coral and sky-blue colours. When used pure, these two shades look light and silky. When applied on the Cuba libre eye shadow base, they turn to warmer shades with high coverage and a metallic touch. These multipurpose applications capture the spirit of the time, as the demand for convenient, flexible products with top performance is growing among digital consumers. •

Eckart – www.eckart.net

IMCD South Africa – www.imcdgroup.com