By: Shyema Azam

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to look back, reflect…and ponder on some of those “what were we thinking??” moments. Such was the case in the world of beauty in 2009. We saw new trends on the runway and red carpet that were inspiring – and others that were just plain awful. Here’s a look back on some of our favorites:

1)   NO EYEBROWS - With the Twilight craze, vampire nation easily spilled over into the realm of beauty. Unfortunately that included getting rid of your eyebrows . Scary. We say: Leave it behind in 2009.

2)   BOLD LIPS - What vampire nation did do for us is bring back bold lips. No more meek or washed out neutrals that only work for some of us. Get loud, make a statement. Note: We love the blood red lips – just leave the bloodshot eyes behind. We say: Keep it going in 2010

3)   EYESHADOW FOR LINER – Last year’s runways taught us how you can get the classic smoky look with gorgeous shades, sans liner. Labels like Anna Sui and Erin Fetherston sent their models off to the runways that way and we likey. We say: Keep it going in 2010

4)   BLACK LIPSTICK – With the release of the limited edition YSL Beaute’s Pur Gloss in black , everyone went gaa gaa over black lips – literally. Celebs like Lady Gaga and Rachel McAdams herself has given into noir puckers. We’re still a little confused if this will really work without people thinking we joined the Goth movement. Until we do figure it out, we say: Leave it behind in 2009.

5)   MATTE NAILS – Knock Out Cosmetics had the right revolutionary idea with the more subdued but still statement-making take on nail polish by going matte. OPI and Zoya soon followed suit, and we’re totally OK with that. We say: Keep it going in 2010.

6)   TWO-TONED HAIR – Drew Barrymore, why?? Yes, your short hair dipped in black dye grabbed our attention, but more in a “does this remind you of a skunk too?” kinda way. We say: Leave it behind in 2009.

7)   FAKING SHORT LOCKS – Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian were both spotted last year with faux bobs on the red carpet. We love that long-haired gals have inspiration to go short without reaching for scissors. Our favorite so far though is the looser version Sandra Bullock kept for the Golden Globes this year. We say: Keep it going in 2010.

8)   PURPLE LIPSTICK– Designers like Zac Posen were digging purple futuristic purple lips last year. It’s fun, but we’re not sure it has the same staying power as other trends, really. We say: Leave it behind in 2009.

9)   BRAIDS – We’re pretty sure Lauren Conrad and the Gossip Girl cast had something to do with the braids everywhere. Whoever’s responsible, it’s adorable and we say: Keep it going in 2010.