Why We’re Obsessed With 2016 Beauty, A Decade Later

January 29 | 5 minute read

Words by Izzy Wight

Let’s set the scene: the year is 2016 and you wake up to your alarm, Zara Larsson’s ‘Lush Life’ blaring next to your head. After a night spent bingeing season six of Game of Thrones, you’re a little dishevelled – but yesterday’s space buns and matte plum lip remain perfectly intact.

With the dog filter on, you quickly fire off some Snapchats (keeping your streak is everything) before opening Pokemon Go, for some reason. After catching a Snorlax next to your roommate’s 1975 poster, you get ready for the day, pulling on ripped skinny jeans, ankle boots, a sports bra and an army-green bomber jacket, finishing the look with a black velvet choker. Content, you walk out the door with a smile on your face. It’s a great day to see the Chainsmokers.

While admittedly, it’s difficult to believe 2016 was an entire decade ago, I understand why social media spent this week fondly reminiscing. It was a simpler time, a more sincere era of the internet and the year so many of us fell in love with beauty.

Guided by YouTube’s biggest beauty gurus, we spent our time perfecting cut-crease eyeshadow and recreating King Kylie’s iconic overlined matte lip. It was a time of experimentation and play, a year of makeup maximalism, glitter and whimsy. At MECCA, we’ve seen the 2016 renaissance play out in real time – contour kits and liquid lipsticks are in high demand, with more beauty nostalgia on the horizon. Here, we break down some of the biggest beauty trends of 2016.

Matte Lips

Arguably the biggest trend to come out of 2016, matte finishes were everywhere in makeup but most notably, on our lips. Popularised by Kylie Jenner and her iconic beauty line, pouts were overlined and carefully sculpted, painted in vampy shades of deep purple and rich berry red. This time around, we’re bringing back those same true matte shades, but with the proper prep to ensure no dry lips at the end of the day. Start by exfoliating with Frank Body’s Lip Scrub, follow with a coat of Gisou’s ultra-hydrating Collagen Therapy Lip Mask, and finish with Kylie Cosmetics Matte Lip Kit – yes, it’s still that good.

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Bold Brows

For some, over-shaped, blocky brows remain one of the more haunting beauty trends of 2016. But if we’ve learnt anything over the last decade, it’s the impact that specific year had on our makeup – and those thick, ultra-sculpted arches were the predecessors of the eyebrows we have today. So, while some are now moving towards a thin, Gabbriette-esque shape, we’re choosing to pay homage to the year we really started to pay attention to eyebrows.

And what better way to do that then with the brand that started it all, Anastasia Beverly Hills? In true 2016 style, begin by carving out your shape with NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, fill your brows in with DIPBROW® Pomade using a small, angled brush, and finish with a layer of Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Treatment Gel.

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Icy Blonde Hair

It was a huge year for the follicles of natural brunettes, as some of us (me) endured hours in the hairdressers’ chair in pursuit of Targaryen locks. Nothing made your makeup pop quite like a good bleach-and-tone, and after years of ‘copper cowboy’ and ‘buttery bronde,’ it’s time to return to our unnatural roots. This time, we’re doing it the right way – with high-quality haircare to keep bleach-affected strands in mint condition. OLAPLEX’s strengthening No. 3 Treatment is the quickest way to bring damaged hair back to life, while Kérastase’s Elixir Ultime L'Huile Originale Hair Oil glosses over everything.

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Light-Reflective Skin

Remember ‘strobing’? Before all-over luminosity was hot, extreme highlighter – concentrated on the cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, nose and browbone – was everything. In hindsight, the near-blinding effect might’ve been a little intense for everyday wear, but that didn’t stop us from layering M·A·C Cosmetics’ Strobe Cream with a generous coating of Mineralize Skinfinish in ‘Soft And Gentle’. A decade later, it’s less about a shine you can see from space, and more about a soft, subtle glow. Strobe Cream mixed with foundation creates a perfect lit-from-within glow, while a light dusting of ‘Soft And Gentle' doubles as an ultra-radiant finishing powder.

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Full-Coverage Foundation

In 2016, complexion was about coverage above all else. And if you were wondering, some of the year’s star foundations are just as good (if not better) than they were back then, having been refined with careful reformulations and skincare-infused ingredients. The next time you’re going for all-out glam, save the excess concealer and opt for a base with more coverage, like Estée Lauder’s buildable Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup or M·A·C Cosmetics’ Studio Fix Fluid Foundation.