The intense eyeshadow, heavy contour, defined carved-out brows, matte base and liquid lipsticks are all features from 2016 makeup trends. This makeup is not typical for today. Now, it’s the fluffy brows, glitter eyeshadow, glowy base, blush and lipgloss. We have stripped away the heaviness of 2016 makeup and opt for a more “natural” look.

Makeup is constantly changing. A reason for that is how society views makeup techniques and trends. If everyone is doing a makeup trend, then we feel the need to follow it. I’m even a victim of this. In 2016, I followed the trends of heavy contour and the fully matte face. I did it all. Now, I have tried the recent “clean girl aesthetic.” This aesthetic focuses on natural beauty by achieving “no makeup” makeup looks.

For me, this makeup trend just wasn’t my thing. Makeup is all about expression. Even after months of trying the new style of makeup, I just couldn’t stick with it. I’m sure many people feel the same way. If you do old makeup styles, you feel out of the loop from what is popular today. Your face should be a canvas for what you really want to do and express yourself with the makeup you feel the most comfortable with.

In 2016, we had the freedom to be as creative with our makeup as we wanted. It felt free of judgment, doing dramatic eyeshadow looks and a full face “beat”. Now, we conform to what society feels is the best way to do makeup, which is achieving that “natural” look.

“I’ve seen people on TikTok doing the trend where they do half their face makeup from now and half of it makeup from years ago,” said Taylar Slaughter, a senior criminology major. “A lot of people are saying they like the makeup from years ago because it added more expression and allowed people to do what they want when now we conform to trends and only what is popular.”

Skincare is becoming increasingly popular, which could contribute to why the “clean girl” makeup trend today is so popular. “I feel like more people care about their skin today than in 2016,” said Olivia Clause, a beauty advisor at Ulta Beauty in Stow. People try to focus on their skin needs, which usually means not wearing as much makeup to reach their skincare goals. Doing the “natural” look can enhance someone’s natural beauty, while still making them feel confident.

Clause also talked about how social media affects people’s confidence and the way we do makeup. She misses the freedom to do the makeup she loved and thought was fun to do.

“Society affects almost everything in today’s world and especially makeup. Most people care more about what others would say rather than doing whatever they want with their makeup,” she said. “People always think they cannot do makeup but who is to say what the right and wrong way is.”

If 2023 is your favorite way of doing makeup then do your thing. 2023 makeup reminds me of a very feminine and natural way to do your makeup. 2016 makeup was more of a way to be creative with your looks, like adding colorful eyeshadow and colored lips. Now with the new makeup trends, it’s more of a one style fits all. Although the makeup looks “clean” and beautiful, it is the same throughout almost every makeup look you see now.

2016 makeup trends have been making a comeback today. More and more people are starting to miss the freedom to be creative we felt back then. That year allowed people to work with their makeup freely and create makeup looks they felt confident in. Makeup changed over the years, going from a full face of matte makeup to a natural “no makeup” look that involves a lot of cream blush and lipgloss.

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Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.