Create a forecast of next season's beauty trends

Sourcing Trends

Distinguish the proper sources for accurate “trend spotting.”
We live in a social media age, with access to a ton of information, so your job is to figure out which information is real and accurate. Begin compiling 5-10 trend sources that are trustworthy and frequently update, so that you know that the data you are referencing is current data. Check out some of my go-to’s here and here to get you started, and I’ll discuss more tips of what to look for in my video.
Always stay current
The thing about trends is that they come and go, so you need to be on top of them. This means immersing yourself in everything from magazines to television, so that you can compare trends across the boards.
Compile your favorite trend sources
Your go-to spots for searching out trends will always change, but compile your final list and discuss with your classmates. Is it Style.com? A trending hashtag during a red carpet event? A niche beauty blog? Finding the right sources can help you later when trying to distinguish the real trends from the fads.

Spotting Trends

It Takes Three to Make a Trend
Study a red carpet or runway show from a recent event. As a general rule in the industry, you can’t call anything a trend unless you spot it 3 times. So, create a Pinterest board and practice spotting trends from particular events – spot one hair trend and one makeup trend.
Study and Compile Your Trends
Now that you have a good knowledge of what has been going on in the industry since you’ve immersed yourself with tons of data over the last few weeks, it’s time to start compiling your trend board. Pick either a runway focus or celebrity focus (red carpet and high fashion trends differ – we’ll discuss that later) and create a Pinterest board of 7-10 trends, breaking it up into categories such as bold lips, metallic eyes, graphic liner and more.
Distinguish a Trend From a Fad
Obviously all of the trends that we see on the runway won’t be worn by celebrities or by us! The gold eyebrows at Dior SS 14? Not likely. It’s our job to determine which trends are simply a runway fad, and which ones will become real trends. Create another Pinterest board of looks that you think are simply runway fads – but the catch here is that they must have appeared on the runway multiple times, they just simply won’t be “wearable” enough to become real life trends, in your opinion.

Forecasting

Runway to Real Way
Find examples of trends on the street or on celebrities – straight off the runway. Like I mentioned earlier, a runway trend tends to be different than a celebrity trend (because we all know not many of us look like models) so the beauty looks are adapted. Now that you have a trained eye for the trends, you’ll be able to see the metamorphosis of it. Find an example of a runway trend that has been adapted for the “street” or red carpet.
Do Your Trends Have Longevity?
Now, go back to your original trend board that you created on Pinterest, of your 7-10 trends in Unit 2. Decide which ones you think will have enough longevity to make it through a full season – and narrow your board down if need be, or add to it if you have learned about a trend that you think is a better fit. This will be your final trend board, so make it great! Like any magazine or site, we review all of the trends after an event and decide which ones will truly live on to make the most impact for women each season. Once you’ve decided that these trends are the best, submit your boards!
Transition Your Trends to the Shelves
Your trends not only impact how women may change up their beauty looks, but they also affect what we see on the drugstore shelves. When graphic liner was all over the runways, liquid liners went flying off the shelves. Currently, metallic shadows are huge for fall, so new metallic eyeshadows are popping up everywhere. For your final trend boards, submit a list to predict what new products will be brought into stores to boost beauty sales.

Sharlyn Pierre

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