4 Summer 2021 Hair & Beauty Trends to Try

When I think about how much money I’ve saved this past year and a half on hair and makeup products, I’m amazed. Sure, I had to purchase a few must-haves like an eyebrow pencil or bottle of moisturizer, but for the most part I spent way less than previous years due to COVID. I will admit that I do miss getting dolled up and am looking forward to small events this summer where I can try out a new lipstick or perfect using my new curling iron.

Here are a few beauty and hair trends that I’ve seen everywhere — from magazines to Instagram — that I expect to be big this summer, with tips and products to get the look yourself. Which one of these summer 2021 beauty trends is your favorite?

90’s Bouncy Hair

How to Get It

1. To fully get the 90’s bouncy hair look, it’s best to have lots of layers throughout your hair. Understandably we can’t all go run out and get a haircut at a moment’s notice, so this step is totally optional.
2. Apply a volume-boosting mouse all over your hair.
3. Blow dry with a large round brush, focusing on your roots for volume.
4. Take large chunks of hair and roll them up in self-grip hair rollers (larger rollers are better here), focusing on the pieces that frame your face. Keep them in until your hair has cooled, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Slowly remove the rollers and spray a volume hairspray all over. Don’t touch your hair too much — this is key! Too much touching will ruin the bounce.
6. Either flip hair over to the opposite side of your natural part (for more volume), or opt for a no-part look and let the layers fall where they may.

Products to Use

• Drybar Southern Belle Volume-Boosting Mousse
• Jumbo Large Self-Grip Hair Rollers
• Moroccanoil 55mm Round Brush
• Kenra Professional Volume Spray 25

For More Inspiration

Look at Danielle Fishel as Topanga on Boy Meets World, Claudia Schiffer, and Cindy Crawford.

 

Orangey Red Lip

How to Get It

1. Keep the rest of your face simple — use a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone, groom your brows, and apply a coat or 2 of mascara.
2. Choose the right shade of orangey-red for your skin, hair, and eye color. This post from a few years back is a good guide.
3. Choose the right formulation for your lips. If you’re low-maintenance or a lipstick newbie, opt for a tinted gloss or chunky crayon. Otherwise, a buttery, rich lipstick will be moisturizing enough (I’d steer away from anything too matte for a shade this bright).

Products to Use

• Gucci Rouge à Lèvres Satin Lipstick in “302 Agatha Orange”
• Hourglass GIRL Lip Stylo in “Lover”
• Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm in “Blood Orange”
• NYX Butter Gloss in “Orangesicle”
• Milk Makeup Lip Color in “Name Drop”

For More Inspiration

Look at Gigi Hadid, Kate Bosworth, and Jourdan Dunn.

 

Face Framing Mini Braids

How to Get Them

1. You can wear face-framing mini braids with straight, curly, or wavy hair, but for the purpose of this post I’ll focus on the look in the photo above. Start off by spraying a salt spray or wave spray all over hair (hair can be wet or dry, but look at the bottle’s directions for the best way to use).
2. Take random sections of hair and curl beachy waves with a curling iron like The Beachwaver. You want to just take random pieces of different sizes — you aren’t looking for uniform, perfect curls here.
3. Take two 1/2 inch to 1 inch sections (depending on how thick you want your braids to be) of hair that frame your face and braid. Tie with a mini clear elastic polyband. Pull apart the bread the make it appear thicker if you desire.
4. Spray hair allover lightly with a texturizing hair spray.

Products to Use

• OUAI Texturizing Hair Spray
• Goody Ouchless Clear Polybands
• Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray
• The Beachwaver Ceramic Rotating 1″ Curling Iron

For More Inspiration 

See Cintia Dicker, Margot Robbie, and Erin Heatherton.

 

Brushed Up Brows

How to Get Them 

1. Pluck any stray, obvious hairs with tweezers.
2. Brush eyebrow hairs up and out/over to the temples with an eyebrow brush first.
3. Take your product of choice (gel, soap brows, or wax) and apply to brows, continuing to brush the hairs up and out.
4. If needed, fill in lightly with a brow pencil, pen, or powder to cover up any sparse areas.

Products to Use

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Styling Wax
• Benefit Cosmetics Brow Microfilling Eyebrow Pen
• NYX Professional Makeup Brow Glue Stick
• PATRICK TA Major Brow Shaping Wax

For More Inspiration 

Check out Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber, and Lily James.