Beauty trends come and go. One day you’re scooping up the latest holy-grail products, and the next, you’re looking back at old selfies like, “Did I…really think that was cute?” Just like how skinny jeans once dominated our wardrobes (and still do for some of us) there are certain makeup trends that just won’t let us go. Some of these looks were bold, some were baffling, and others just need to be left in 2016. Let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
1. Winged Eyeliner
No matter what’s trending—fox eyes, smudgy liner, or pastel shadows—winged eyeliner is always hovering in the background. And I get it! We spoke to Sonakshi Sinha the other day, and she is a firm stan of the winged eyeliner, she wishes it stays forever and never goes out of style. Sure, when done right, the winged liner is classic and powerful, giving the illusion of longer lashes, wider eyes, and an extra shot of sass. But it’s rarely done right. The perfection of those wings takes the precision of a surgeon. For every flawless winged look, there are five where you try to even out one side, then the other, until your “subtle flick” looks more like a thick Nike swoosh. Still, we’ll never really let go of winged eyeliner. A good wing gives you that “I know what I’m doing” vibe—even if the only thing you know is that you spent 20 minutes on just one eye.
2. Thin Brows
Remember when everyone wanted brows that looked like they had been tweezed to within an inch of their life? The thin brow was the pinnacle of “cool girl” beauty in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. This trend took over like wildfire, with tweezers in hand as we plucked away any hint of fullness. Fast-forward to today, and there are entire industries built around growing those suckers back (eyebrow serums, microblading, lamination, you name it). We’ve finally embraced our natural brows, so let’s leave the skinny brows in the past where they belong.
3. Rainbow Highlighter
I was one of those people who lost her mind over rainbow highlighter. I’m a sucker for anything that promises to make me look like a unicorn in human form. But most of us found ourselves walking around with a stripey, vaguely purple sheen that looked way better in an Instagram post than in daylight. Do I still own my original compact? I sure do. Will I ever wear it again? That’s debatable. But just like our nostalgic memories of glittery butterfly clips, it’s fun to know it’s there if I need it.
4. Heavy Contour
In the age of Kardashian dominance, contouring became more than just a makeup technique, it was practically a rite of passage. We all scrambled to learn the tricks of shading our faces into something sculpted, airbrushed, and chiselled. Suddenly, everyone was an amateur makeup artist, stacking on layers of taupe, brown, and bone-white cream to redefine what their face actually looked like. Sometimes it worked but a lot of the time, it just looked…heavy. While contouring isn’t going anywhere, the newer trends toward softer, lighter sculpting are taking over.
5. Concealer Lips
Concealer lips are a horror story for anybody who loves makeup. There was a time when people thought that dabbing concealer on our lips would give us a cool, natural look. Newsflash: it doesn’t. It makes you look like you accidentally walked through a sandstorm. Concealer lips did have their brief shining moment in the mid-2000s, but let’s not tempt fate. There are way too many beautiful nude lip shades out there now that don’t make you look like a beige blob.
6. Full False Lashes
False lashes give an instant boost of confidence, and there’s no shame in that. Yes, sometimes they’re big and a little over-the-top, but that’s part of the fun! Sure, they might come with a side of irritation, both in application and when they inevitably fall off mid-dinner, but they’re worth it.
Some of these trends may fade, but we’re probably always going to have a soft spot for them. So let’s throw on those (metaphorical) skinny jeans, rock our favourite old-school look, and keep experimenting—because beauty, is all about the fun.
Photo Credits: Pexels, Deposit Photos
