Sali Hughes: forget smooth and glassy – glam beauty is back

Makeup textures embrace the flash and clash of formulas that you can ‘smoosh on carelessly’

I’ve always judged the Pantone colour of the year to be way less interesting to readers than to journalists. But the 2026 winner (an unremarkable off-white called Cloud Dancer) struck me as even less relevant when trends are finally looking interesting again.

Around the time of that news, Mac named glam pop queen Chappell Roan as its new global ambassador. The appointment of Roan – all grunge glitters, colourful face jewels and clumpy mascara – celebrates the experimental, edgy and playful Mac aesthetic, and signals what may be the end of what industry figures often describe as the “beige buffet” of post-Covid fashion and beauty.