5 UNFORGETTABLE BEAUTY TRENDS FROM THE MID 2010s
From the infamous blocky brows to the bright and colorful cut-creases of the mid-2010s, the past decade has provided a plethora of unique beauty trends. Some of these trends we'd love to see a revival of, and others we wish we could forget. Here, we'll take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the most memorable beauty trends of the mid-2010s.
1. Highlighter. Like, a lot of Highlighter
Sources: Jaclyn Hill on Instagram and mmmmitchell on Instagram.
The year was 2015. Every beauty influencer at the time was layering multiple highlighters to achieve that "glazed donut look." This was once seen as very glamorous, but in hindsight seems exorbitant. The most notable contribution to this trend was when Jaclyn Hill just released the iconic Champagne Pop highlighter. The internet was going crazy trying to get their hands on this sold-out collaboration between Hill and Becca Cosmetics. This limited edition collab was so popular that it eventually became a product in Becca's core product selection. Upon Becca's bankruptcy announcement in 2021, the brand Smashbox collaborated with Becca one last time to make this product live on forever. It can still be purchased from the Smashbox website.
2. Glitter Cut Crease
Sources: makeupbyariel on Instagram and Patrycja Stankiewicz on Facebook
From neutrals to bright, bold glitters, the cut crease had a chokehold on everyone and their mother on Instagram in 2016. From proms to birthdays to weddings, the glitter cut crease was ubiquitous at any important event. Countless YouTube tutorials, special events, and selfies later, the cut crease began to wane in popularity. However, a more natural version of this trend lives on today through the clean girl aesthetic. People are now defining their creases with a slight bit of bronzer or a neutral eyeshadow in order to achieve a similar look in a much more natural way.
3. Liquid Lipstick
Sources: Sophie Li Ying on YouTube and MakeUpImportado on Twitter
From LimeCrime to Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, the multi-colored liquid lipsticks ruled the early-mid 2010s. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar was the first product of its kind, and following the release of these brightly pigmented liquid lipsticks, many other brands followed suit. As the popularity of these products continued to increase, the "try-on" style YouTube video came to be. In this type of video, a user would upload a video of them trying on every shade of liquid lipstick that a brand carried. Liquid lipsticks were one of the most sought-after products at the time, whereas now glossy lips seem to have come out on top.
4. Block Brows
Sources: Mario Dedivanovic on Instagram and James Charles on Instagram
Also known as the "Insta Brow" (named after Instagram,) the block brows trend is one that most view as horrific when looking back upon it. This incredibly defined brow was typically created using a brow pomade, like the Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow. This product is now infamous in the beauty community for its contributions to this trend, which many already view as dated and tasteless, despite it only losing popularity around 2017.
5. Contouring with Literally Any Household Item
Sources: sadiaslayy on Instagram and ayleenehair on Pinterest
From sculpting with Christian Louboutin's "So Kate" high heels to kitchen utensils, this crazy contouring trend thrived on shock value. Most of the content from this trend consisted of viral videos on Instagram and YouTube that accrued engagement in the form of hate comments. The creators involved in this trend knew these social media algorithms well and were striving to create viral content. With the mantra of "all publicity is good publicity," these creators went viral and achieved their end goal. For Instagram user sadiaslayy, contouring with a high heel certainly seems to have paid off, as she now sits at 1.2 million followers on the platform. As for fork contouring, this has recently re-emerged as a trend, appearing again on Pinterest and for the first time on TikTok in mid-2020.
While I fondly reminisce on brightly colored liquid lipsticks and cut creases, the other three trends are ones I'm glad we left behind. Looking back at this list, which trend do you miss doing on a daily basis? Which made you cringe the most? Let us know on Twitter @IssuedMagazine!