What started as a hashtag for charity (#nomakeupselfie) back in March 2014 has now morphed into a full-blown trend.  While it seems that fewer people wearing makeup could have translated to many lost sales, for fall the beauty industry wisely chose to embrace the no-makeup fad by rolling out a slew of "nude" or neutral-colored items for those of us who wouldn't dare post a makeup-less picture on social media.  Of course, the new nude isn't purely the beauty industry's response to an online craze; neutrals and earth tones tend to be perennial autumn favorites.  This fall, however, the feel of these products is less heavy and muddy, with more of a glow to them, than in years past.  This gives them a bit of an oomph so you don't end up looking washed out.

Fall 2014 color trend: neutral

  1. NudeStix Eye Pencil in Burnish
  2. MAC Artificially Wild collection Lip Glasses
  3. Becca Ombre Nudes eye shadow palette
  4. Tom Ford eye shadow quad in Nude Dip
  5. Bobbi Brown Smoky Nudes eye shadow palette
  6. Zoya Naturel Deux collection nail polishes
  7. Urban Decay Naked2 Basics palette
  8. Stila Eyes Are the Window eye shadow palette in Soul
  9. Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheer Lipstick #114 (Incense)

Additionally, as evidenced by several magazine spreads I came across, the look is a monochromatic, all-over-nude face (and nails, for that matter) rather than neutral eyes paired with bold lips or smoky eyes with a nude lip shade.

Harper's Bazaar, August 2014:

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Allure, September 2014

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InStyle, September 2014:

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Maybelline ad, September 2014:

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While I like this on others (Armani's spring 2014 promo in particular made me swoon – it remains the most beautiful glowy nude look I have ever seen), it doesn't appeal to me personally.  The only times I've ever worn a totally neutral face were for job interviews, and I felt rather lifeless and blah, even with a dab of highlighter or shimmer.  Plus, I feel as though my features and coloring lend themselves to shades beyond neutrals – jewel tones are especially flattering – so no matter what products I use whenever I do a neutral look I'm supremely unimpressed with the results.  I tried to replicate the aforementioned Armani spring ad, but it simply didn't look good on me.  Given all the items I have in my stash I doubt it was only a matter of not having the right shades and textures.  But I am intrigued by all these new releases so I may invest in a palette just to give it one more shot and see if I would become a convert to the all-neutral face.

What do you think about this trend?