Lavender Makeup Is The 2020 Trend On Everyone’s Lips (& Eyes, & Nails)

No one is surprised when pastels make a comeback every spring. It's sunny, the flowers are blooming, and it's inevitable that people want to wear colors as light and pretty as their surroundings after a few months of dark, dreary days. So when beauty brands like Huda Beauty and MAC Cosmetics started to drop their spring collections for 2020, it made sense that they were yet again filled with soft pinks and light greens. What was surprising, however, is that out of the many new launches and shades hitting shelves, one color has taken precedence over the rest as of late: It's lavender makeup, the pastel trend that's reigning supreme for 2020.

As with all other pastels, this isn't the first time that the light purple shade has seen a surge in beauty collections and makeup artists' feeds. But it is seeing some new iterations thanks to many of the experimental makeup trends of the past few months.

Kaia Gerber's recent eyeshadow look is a prime example: The model used the hue to create a sheer effect on her lid that was reminiscent of the watercolor eyes that dominated the Spring/Summer 2020 runways. And J.Lo tested the lavender waters with two trends in early March, opting for the popular '80s-esque lids while matching those to her fingernails.

The list goes on, so keep scrolling; six inventive ways to wear the lavender makeup tried lie ahead.

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Lavender Makeup Idea: Watercolor Eyeshadow

Gerber was slightly ahead of the 2020 trend, opting for a taupe-y, watercolor-inspired lavender eyeshadow as early as November 2019. You can easily recreate this by swiping a small amount of matte eyeshadow on your lids, and sheering it out to the desired effect with your fingertips.

Lavender Makeup Idea: Matching Nails & Lids

While matching your makeup shades was once thought of as breaking an unspoken beauty "rule," the practice has reemerged in the past few years, with celebrities constantly finding new ways to try it out. And now, even Lopez is getting in on the action; the actor's longtime manicurist posted this photo in early March, showing off the monochromatic lavender look he created with makeup artist Scott Barnes.

Lavender Makeup Idea: Color Outside The Lines

Another take on watercolor eyes, this outside-the-lines version by makeup artist Ash K Holm is a brighter, more playful take on Gerber's earlier look. Holm used David's Boy Babe Palette from Buxom on Ariel Winter's eyes to create this effect, making sure to get the color on the inner and outer corners and under the eyes instead of just sticking to the lids.

Lavender Makeup Idea: Intense Metallics

The lavender trend was also a red-carpet staple this year, making an appearance in a variety of forms. And though in many cases it was almost too subtle to see, in others, like Maya Rudolph's 2020 Oscars look, it was bold and statement-making. Rudolph's makeup artist, Molly R. Stern, created the actor's look for the evening by swiping an intense lavender onto her lids to contrast her dress, finishing it off with Armani Beauty's Eye Tint Liquid Eyeshadow in shade 27 for a pop of rose gold.

Lavender Makeup Idea: Subdued Nails

One of the best parts about the lavender trend is just how subtle it can be. Sure, you can wear a near-neon light purple — but you can also opt for a taupe-infused version that veers into neutral territory, like the manicure Queenie Nguyen gave Saoirse Ronan for the 2020 Oscars.

Lavender Makeup Idea: Pastel Lines

Eyeliner is used for basically everything but lining the eyes these days, so why not try out the trend with a light lavender shade? Nikki Wolff, the makeup artist behind @nikki_makeup on Instagram, proved in a recent tutorial just how stunning this combination can be by lining the model's eyes in a light purple shade, and then adding another line just above the crease.