June 25 | 4 minute read
Words by Danielle Gay
With July not even upon us, it might feel premature to sum up the year in beauty – so let’s call this our End of Financial Year wrap-up instead. A little internet sleuthing and a scroll through our screenshots reveals a prevailing trend: 2026 is the year of experimentation, with our makeup kits hitting pause on pared-back beauty (sorry, clean-girl loyalists) in favour of graphic shapes and brighter colours.
A spirit of nostalgia underpins the moment, with smudged liner, ’90s brows and berry tones making a return. It has also been the year of new application techniques – call it the ‘Nina Park effect’ (more on that later) – and the 'intentionally imperfect’, with filter-like perfection swapped for a more lived-in finish.
As the year unfolds, here’s MECCA’s guide to the makeup looks dominating 2026 and how to recreate them.
