Is It 2016 Again? The Resurrected Beauty Trends Music's It Girls Can't Stop Wearing in 2025

In early August, I found myself back in Chicago on the trampled-grass lawn of Grant Park at the Midwest music spectacle that is Lollapalooza. The festival that I saved my pennies for nearly 10 years ago suddenly looked eerily similar to my first years as a concert-goer—and I’m not talking about the place itself.

With the crowds growing unbearably larger each go-around (seriously—I was almost trampled leaving Chappell Roan’s record-breaking show last year), a lot has changed on the lakefront scene. The stars are bigger and the brand activations more extravagant, but the one thing that felt familiar was the undeniable return of 2016 makeup trends worn proudly on Chicago’s biggest stages.

Before you call me crazy, hear me out. The first strike was Marina Diamandis’ matte pink pout blown up on the big screen, sculpted in the pillowy, perfect way that Kylie Jenner’s was in the “King Kylie” era. (Just days before, Jenner posted a TikTok video trying on her old, and dare I say iconic, electric blue Skylie Lip Kit.) The next offender was Doechii—her brow bone dusted in a slew of blinding highlight that threw the summer sun like a mirror. Last came Sabrina Carpenter’s eye makeup: a cross between graphic liner and a modernized cut crease. What do all of these things have in common? They’re all classic calling cards of makeup circa 2016.

Why are 2016 makeup techniques trending nearly 10 years later?

A few things likely come to mind when you imagine the beauty landscape in 2016. (Mental images of Coachella-inspired flower crowns, block brows, and Kylie Lip Kits may ring a few bells.) But while the exact trends that marked this era might not be making repeat appearances, C-suite members of mega beauty retailers and celebrity makeup artists have backed up my budding theories.

Kaitlin Rinehart, Vice President of Merchandising at Ulta Beauty, has noticed a shift (or rather a boomerang) in the shopping habits of the modern consumer. “While the way our guests engage with beauty continues to evolve, some trends from 2016 are resurfacing in exciting ways,” says Rinehart. “Back then, bold, brushed-up brows, matte lips, contoured faces, and richly pigmented eye shadow dominated social feeds and runways. Today, guests are revisiting these iconic looks, but with a modern twist—think softer edges, blurred lips, and multidimensional eye looks.”

The summer of 2025 alone has informed the beauty megacorp that the beauty tides are surely shifting—with shoppers swapping glassy, glowing complexions for soft matte finishes and reinvesting in no-budge lip products. “While tinted balms and glossy textures are [still] leading sales, guests are layering them with lip liners and stains for depth and dimension, echoing the 2016 era of defined lips,” Rinehart states, calling out the editor-loved Sacheu lip liner stain and Milk Makeup’s Jelly Tints as some sales-based standouts.

Celebrity makeup artists, too, tell me their in-the-know clientele are requesting modernized versions of dated looks. “I've seen so many creators [start doing] true cool-tone contouring again,” says celeb MUA Kasey Spickard, a stark deviation from the no-makeup makeup and “toasty” glam that swept the scene over the past few years. Think: Gabbriette and Jenna Ortega’s edgy, cool-girl makeup or Julia Fox’s alt-nude concealer lips. “This type of contouring really personified a lot of the 2016 aesthetic,” he adds, reminding me of the cultural phenomenon that was the Kat Von D Shade & Light Palette. Sigh, better days.

Marina’s Matte Lipstick

Marina Diamandis (formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds) was a must-see for me—not just because she’d be performing Princess of Power, her latest album and my personal earworm—but because of her trademark girly style and bejeweled set designs. What I didn’t expect to see, however, was a pillowy (dare I say, “Bubblegum Bitch”) pink matte lip in King Kylie style on the jumbotron.

“The matte lip [is] definitely starting to come back,” Spickard affirms. He notes the influx of velvet and demi-matte finishes taking over other categories like complexion, too, “which honestly haven't been in fashion for the last few years.” Celebrity makeup artist Kirin Bhatty feels refreshed by this rather nostalgic return. “We’ve been entrenched in glosses and cream products the last few years, so it’s nice to have a new (old) trend reenter the chat,” she notes.

Marina performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois.

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Doechii’s Blinding Brow Highlight

Another trend that took me by surprise (not only because I haven’t touched the shimmery stuff in years, but also because it was as bright as the August sun) was Doechii’s galactically glittery brow bone highlighter. Bhatty calls out brow highlight as one of the most significant 2016-esque trends to resurface in the modern age; its cream and powder iterations being easy to wear in a subtle, natural way or intensified for a more glamorous effect, like the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess.

This stark contrast of light and dark is accentuated by Doechii’s trademark cool, gray-toned makeup, which first caught my eye during her performance at the 2025 Grammys. But here, she paired the fairy dust highlight with intense bubblegum blush and blinding body glitter, which you can recreate with a sheer body shimmer for something more everyday-appropriate. (We can’t all be touring hip hop icons, after all.)

While highlight may not have ever fully gone out of style, this radiant look is officially back and better than ever. “I think regardless of trends, beautiful, natural, healthy-looking skin is always the moment,” Bhatty attests. “Paired with any trends of the past, [luminous skin] looks really current and chic.”

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Sabrina Carpenter’s Contemporary Cut Crease

Sabrina Carpenter performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois.

Now, our favorite five-foot-tall pop star has given us several looks to fawn over—from her wintry fairy dust eye shadow to her baby doll-inspired blush combo—but the facet of her Lollapalooza look that had whispers of 2016 eye makeup magic was her floating graphic liner-slash-cut crease. Carpenter’s makeup artist, Carolina Gonzalez, once walked us through a very similar look where the graphic liner was achieved with liquid eye shadow, which happens to be a category that Rinehart sees exploding on the retail side of things at this very moment. “Eye shadow sticks, liquid shadows, hybrid formulas, and multipurpose products are trending as go-to products for quick, bold looks,” she vouches.

Bhatty expects the return of bold eyes to keep picking up steam as 2026 approaches. “I think we’re going to see an emphasis on eyes and eye shadow looks again, which is so exciting,” she exclaims. “Creases will be cut again, but in a softer way.” Spickard would have to agree, and TBH, he’s ready for it. “After years of the clean girl aesthetic with neutral lids, soft liner, and a touch of shimmer, people are leaning back into dramatic eye looks… [and] I’m all for bold eye shadow looks coming back.” After posting a TikTok recreating internet-famous cool-toned eye shadow looks, Spickard saw a surprising increase in demand for more. “The response on my socials was huge, with so many people asking for tutorials and loving a full, dramatic eye shadow moment again,” he explains.

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How should we do 2016 makeup going into 2026?

If you’re not quite sure how to modernize this era of “social media starlet” makeup (as Terry Barber, MAC’s director of makeup artistry, once called it), here are a few fun ideas below.

• Smudged Under-Eyes: “What I’ve really noticed [coming back] is that mid-aughts trend of smudgey, smoky shadow on and under the eyes,” says Bhatty. Try gray, black, and deep brown shades to really make this look scream “dated,” but in a cool way.
• Swipe of Lipstick: If you’re not yet ready to dip back into matte finishes (we know, trauma), Bhatty recommends that you at least give lipstick another shot. Pro tip: If you don’t have any more matte lippies left, tap your finger onto a matte eye shadow and dab it atop your lip combo to complete the look.
• Try Underpainting: Contour has evolved eons since 2016, but something old, yet feels new again, is a technique called underpainting. Renowned celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips just released a palette for this very technique, and Spickard is a fan of it for modern-day contour. “Using those types of tones and creams [is] how I would bring this trend into 2026,” says Spickard.