While I’m all for an ultra-chiseled contour, an ombré brow, and a neutral cut-crease, it can get a little tiring seeing the same looks on the same well-known faces. To pull away from the overdone looks, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite under-the-radar Instagram beauty influencers, who we’ll hopefully see a lot more of this year.
Rocio Cervantes (@rocioceja_)
Cervantes is a makeup enthusiast from Mexico known most recently for incorporating stickers (yes, stickers!) into her eyeshadow looks. Cervantes blends soft pastels and bold neons around heart and star-shaped stickers, then lifts the stickers to create a perfectly crisp, cutesy shape untouched by eyeshadow. She has also been experimenting with creating what look like neon signs on her lids, using a combination of white cream paint and bold pink shadow.
Poeticdrugs (@poeticdrugs)
Known especially for his editorial, high-shine looks, Poeticdrugs should be on everyone’s radar. He features glossy lids and blindingly bright highlighter on his cheek and brow bones in almost every post, which make even his simpler looks, like a blown-out smoky eye or nothing but fluttery lashes and defined brows, really pop.
Divina Wong (@divinamuse)
As a makeup artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wong curates her Instagram page to be a treasure chest of inspiration; not one of her looks is the same. From bold brushstrokes of color all over the face to galaxy-inspired contour to a cool-toned paint splatter effect on the eyes, Wong’s makeup style is always evolving.
Allysonn Kolb (@allysonnkolb)
Kolb is a 16-year-old rising cosmetology student whose work is characterized by full, fluffy lashes and unconventional use and placement of color. It’s not often you see young artists breaking the makeup “rules” by placing shimmers and bold colors in the crease and highlighting the inner corners with something other than the standard neutral shimmer. Kolb’s work is beyond unique.
Mackenzie Jacobi (@mackenziejacobi)
As another young makeup artist on the rise, Jacobi often does looks with bold eyeshadow extending above the brow bone, reaching up towards the forehead. She’s also played with abstract winged liner and bold negative-space cut creases.
by Ariel Wodarcyk