Matte Like That

Matte nails, matte lips, matte everything! 2015 saw the beginning of the matte trend, which sees no halt in the near future. But what is matte? What does it mean? Why does everyone want it? What else can we turn matte?

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Matte is a type of color, paint, or finish. It stands out because there is no shine, it is supposed to be dull. That is what is kind of eye catching about it. Things that are supposed to be shiny are not, like lips, nails, even cars. As far as makeup, things started becoming "matte" in the 1940's. In the 1920's, things were sparkly, shiny, and fun! Makeup was certainly no exception. Between the dark eyeliner, thin eyebrows, and bright red lips, no one was trying to dull anything down.

However, in the 1940's, many women suffered makeup shortages, in Europe. This was due to the fact that alchohol and petroleum were used in the war effort. As a result, women often turned to more natural products, such as petroleum jelly to shape eyebrows and lengthen eyelashes, (which is still a really cool hack if ever in a bind!). They were also fond of using powder in place of foundation, giving off a matte finish, as opposed to a dewy one. But, the main trend of the '40's was the super-red lip. It is iconic. Of course this could be acheived with beetroot juice, or normal lipstick. Women were often encouraged to blot lips on a tissue after applying, which took away the glossy finish. Thus, this created the matte lip.

But what about everything else matte? Why matte nail polish? Why now?

As far as nail polish goes, it has been around for quite a while. The oldest trend was, yep, you

guessed it, crushed beetles. However, they never really had any matte finish, necessarily. That is a newer invention. It has been made popular mostly due to the surge of nail art. In the 90's and early 2000's, nail art was considered pretty "tacky." But, many popular celebrities have sported the look and it has caught on, including Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and of course, Kylie Jenner.

The point of the matte is to purposely dull the look. Thus, it is used under certain designs or beading, to give off more of a tasteful pop of color. Because normal nail polish is shiny, it kind of catches the eye because it is so not like other nail polishes. It has become such a trend, that is seems like everyone is wearing it!

The look can be achieved by using a matte top coat from OPI. It is inexpensive and does the trick! But if you're not into it, there's always the option to DIY some for yourself. Either way, matte is totally cool. I am loving it and think it is a great idea to change things up! Why not? I think super cute green and pink nails will work well for the upcoming spring season! Maybe some light pink matte lips as well? Matte is all that, in my opinion. Try it out!