As the '80s began, it was the neo-punk/Gothic movement, with its black lip color and very pale faces that defined style.

With the advent of MTV everyone in the age group from 16 to 26 began copying the avant-garde makeup they saw in the Robert Palmer videos, with the red-lipped, retro-'40s look. This is not unusual. There have always been makeup and fashion trends in the various age groups that make our culture. In the '70s, the disco set created the fashion tone of the moment. As the '80s began, it was the neo-punk/Gothic movement, with its black lip color and very pale faces that defined style. There has always been an anti-establishment sector of society comprised of people who refuse to fall into the norm and go to the extreme with eccentric, trendy makeup applications. They paint themselves up with purple lips and pale faces, black eyelids, in an attempt to stand out and visually state: 'I don't like what's going on and I don't really care what you think about the way I look." It's a cosmetics rebellion that seems to be a trend among women and men within the ages of 16 to 26, and I have no reason to believe it will not continue.
Now, as the '90s recede and we approach the new millennium, music and television have become far more influential on style and fashion than film. Daytime TV soap operas and many of Aaron Spelling's series, like Beverly Hills 90210, have become today's new glamour code, offering a revitalized portrait of makeup perfection which was once in the domain of motion pictures. Today, makeup is a smorgasbord of various applications ranging from trendy to punk, Gothic to natural yet glamorous beauty makeup.
Today, the natural colors of the '60s and '70s are no longer used. The natural colors now are earthy pastel tones and deep dark metallics in exotic tones worn by more rebellious women. They are confidently wearing very bold, very dark colors in grayed tones that do not reflect a lot of light. This should continue into the new millennium. A trend has also begun toward a reduction in the use of shading; and I believe there will be a complete eradication of shading after the year 2000.

New Millennium shades around the world
In the new millennium, makeup will be more conservative, more natural, not as colorful, with a tendency toward more drab, darker earth-tone colors and bolder wardrobe colors. Even metallic tones are going to be deep and dark colors that will absorb, rather than reflect light. The trend has already begun as these looks have been seen at fashion shows in Italy and in France as little as a year ago. It's beginning to really take hold, although this look has not yet reached the Scandinavian countries. Because of the nature of the weather most of the year, Scandinavians have a tendency to gravitate toward brighter, bolder colors in makeup and conservative wardrobe colors. Women in Mediterranean countries are just the opposite. They use more low-key, understated makeup and vibrant wardrobe colors.
A good cosmetic company will try to understand what's going on in each country and analyze the various cultures in order to cater to them in an effort to not alienate any one group.