Dopamine Glam is All the Rage – Here’s How to Pull It Off

As the Clean Girl aesthetic takes a much-needed hiatus, more and more make-up enthusiasts are embracing bold, bright, and colourful looks, in a style the internet has dubbed “Dopamine Makeup.” Simply put, Dopamine Makeup is a beauty trend centred around colours, textures, and finishes that spark joy – the antithesis to the popular “Clean Girl” aesthetic if you will. Alongside its sister trends, Dopamine Decor and Dopamine Dressing, the makeup trend adopts a “what makes you feel happy” approach to makeup application, colour, and product selection. Bright tones that uplift your mood and glittery, glossy themes are pretty common to see in this feel-good trend. Think brighter lash lines, bolder blush tones, rainbow-coloured eyeshadow, and more!

Dopamine makeup is also about nostalgia and embracing the joy you first experienced with makeup – whether it be the bold blush of the ‘80s, the shimmery lids of the ‘90s, or simply adding a pop of colour to your daily glam. If you’re still clutching onto your black liner and not sure where to start, we recommend starting with the little things.

With that said, we have compiled our favourite dopamine glam looks to try when you need a little extra happiness. All inspo pictures are from astounding beauty brand, Danessa Myricks Cosmetics.

Blush Please!

The bold and bright blush trend was seen everywhere during Fashion Week. An essential part of Dopamine Glam, the trend gives a beautiful glow over the skin in a unique way and can be added to any makeup look.

Maybelline Cheek Heat Liquid Blush 25 Fuchsia Spark

179, 95 ZAR

Scribble Graphic Liner

Your face is your canvas, and this scribble liner look is the perfect way to get your doodling fix – plus, it’s great for a festival look.

Catrice Calligraph Artist Matte Liner

88, 95 ZAR

Infinite Chrome Flakes – Cupid

25, 00 USD

80s Nostalgia

An ode to the best era in pop music (apparently)modern-day day twist on the 80s colour pop is a great way to express your boldest self. This includes bright-coloured eyeshadow, a bold lip, and any other beauty trend that is nostalgic of the 80s.

COLOUR BOMB EYESHADOW PALETTE

448.48 ZAR

SHOW UP LIQUID MATTE LIPSTICK

184.00 ZAR

Shimmer & Sparkle

Nothing screams dopamine louder than some sparkle and shine. For those weary of the trend, this may be a great first style to try as it’s less in your face and more of a subtle shimmer. This look is simple to achieve – add a metallic eyeshadow from Revolution on your eyelids with either a firm brush or your finger and then build up as desired for extra sparkle.

Revolution Pressed Glitter Palette Diva

286, 00 ZAR

Electric Liner

For eyeliner, we recommend yellows, blues, and greens – the more colourful the better! Perfect for a quick burst of personality, you can achieve this look with MAC Cosmetics’ blue gel pencil eyeliner. To add a bit of sparkle (because why not?), you can build the look with a shimmery eyeshadow colour.