The guarded optimism of the New Year is often directed towards self-centred pursuits of ‘improvement’. Cajoling and coercing (read: forcing) every aspect of our outward selves into a shiny, new version of Christmases past, with flawless skin, a toned physique and glossy hair – or thereabouts.
Athletes and dancers, amongst others, have long been aware of the phenomenon of the ‘body as machine.’ To continue the metaphor, a well-oiled machine makes for optimum performance, and thus ‘looking after’ our bodies means more than the odd scrap of lettuce and a half-hearted jog around the park. Rather perversely, as the pursuit of the body beautiful marches forward into a new year, it’s with an increasingly familiar laziness. Out with the old (diet and exercise) and in with the new (science, technology and ‘miracle’ treatments) has been the unsung mantra of the 21st Century, and boundaries continue to be pushed.
A fusing of the organic and man-made is nothing new; our living, breathing and imperfect bodies have long been honed and altered through the technological and scientific advancements of pharmaceutical companies, dermatologists and surgeons. What is new, however, is the attitude amongst those in the beauty industry and the consumers of it, that incredibly complex and innovative treatments are de rigueur, everyday… the norm. Magazines gleefully exclaim “we don’t understand how it works – but it works!” as the latest age-defying products become evermore astounding. Increasingly, the quest to mimic the images of beauty we see on the catwalk and in the media stretches beyond the superficial effects of make-up or styling. The key to striking a balance between superficial ‘finishing touches’ and more permanent image overhauls lies in the power of products that aim to affect lasting changes in addition to their instantaneous boosts.
The look for the New Year, of angular, fresh faces and luminous, flawless skin unfortunately relies more than heavily on good genes as well as good intentions. January heralds expectation, and the prevalent sports aesthetic with its connotations of looking good from the inside out means there is never a better time to embrace the helping hands of science. At the less invasive end of the techno-beauty spectrum, make-up and moisturisers now come armed with some extra ingredients to improve the appearance of skin and even promote the growth of lashes whilst also delivering the usual, surface results. Utilising the bodies’ natural electrical current, moisturisers such as RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream and Biotherm Biopur containing zinc and copper mimic the skin’s electrical frequency to encourage collagen production. Before the application of make-up again, primers now do more than prep the skin for foundation and give it a glow; products like Dior Skin Flash Primer contain hyaluronic acid to work on erasing signs of fatigue whilst you wear it throughout the day. In addition to useful acids and minerals, peptides and proteins in serums, eye-liners and mascaras stimulate the growth of lashes as an alternative to false eyelashes or semi-permanent extensions.
Armed with such complex innovations in our beauty regime, the styling of the fresh-faced sports-modern trend is conversely simple. The androgynous hint to the look lends to sleek, clean lines and pared-down make-up, but the SS12 and AW12 Preview runways brought a futuristic twist to the classic slicked ponytail, as seen at James Long and Marc by Marc Jacobs, so associated with the aesthetic. At Rick Owens SS12, tightly gathered, streamlined up-dos saw ponytails fashioned into finger-waved quiffs across the length of the head, whilst at Gucci, two ponytails were fastened underneath themselves to create a loop effect. A flash of contrasting hair make-up toughened up the look with a black or gold stripe that played against heavily made-up, dark eyes. Angular faces were again pinpointed on the runways of Giambattista Valli and Alexander Wang SS12, this time replacing the sleek ponytail with slicked back wet-look hair.
The SS12 take on wet-look was all about high-shine finishes, with Redken’s All Soft Argan-6 Multi-Care Oil creating the effect at Alexander Wang, a layering of Phyto Shine Defining Wax and Phyto Professional Workable Holding Spray adding a lacquered sheen to the ponytail styles at Derek Lam and L’Oreal Professionnel Fix Max Sculpting Gel, Gloss Shine and Definition Wax creating a high-shine potion at Giambattista Valli. With luminous skin as a base and focal point, strong, greasy eyes and shaped brows were all that was needed at Gucci, with MAC Gloss Texture adding a sheen to skin. At Giambattista Valli again, focus was on a glossy finish to a look that was stripped-back and refreshingly simple. Make-up accentuated angular face shapes, creating definition and structure with reflective, skin-enhancing highlighter on the cheekbones, nose, temples and brow bone. Eyes and lips were enhanced with subtle taupe and pale pink shades to complete the ‘barely-there’ – yet new and improved.
