TikTok Is Bringing 2016 Makeup Back & My Beautyblender Is Shaking

2016 was a time.

YouTube tutorials were in their prime (looking at you, Manny MUA and Jaclyn Hill), and beauty-obsessed Millennials spent hours replicating the heavy-handed glam that came to be known as “Instagram makeup.”

Did it look much better on social media than IRL? Yes. But did that stop people from walking around with eyeshadow that could be seen from outer space? Absolutely not.

The chokehold that matte foundation, sharp cut creases, and Kim Kardashian’s “number 3” contouring method had on this era cannot be overstated. And now, in true throwback fashion, TikTok is dusting them off for a new generation of beauty obsessives.

Enter: The Return Of 2016 Makeup

Roughly 10 years after its heyday, 2016 makeup is trending again. Its comeback combines Gen Z’s two favorite hobbies: resurrecting nostalgic beauty looks and trolling Millennials.

Naturally, the Internet has some thoughts (I, for one, am triggered). But if you’ve had a Morphe Eyeshadow Palette and a jar of Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow in the back of your drawer for the past decade, it’s officially time to dust them off.

Unlike today’s endless TikTok aesthetics, 2016 had one very specific look that the beauty girls were trying to nail. Social media makeup was still new — Instagram had only just taken off — and creators leaned into glam that 1) photographed flawlessly, and 2) stopped you mid-scroll. Think: matte finishes, overdrawn everything, and a rainbow’s worth of pigment. Basically, everything that would make today’s “clean girls” run screaming out of Sephora.

It wasn’t fast, subtle, or practical — but it sure was fun. Spending 40 minutes painting on a full face felt like play, and now creators are rediscovering that joy by pulling out the era’s most iconic techniques.

The Era’s Defining Beauty Elements

Matte Finishes

2016 makeup was all about being as mattified as possible, which makes sense given that the whole point was to look good under bright camera lights. This meant prepping your skin with a smoothing primer, using a matte foundation (Too Faced’s Born This Way was a favorite) on every inch of your face and locking it all in with a heavy-duty setting spray.

Overstated Contour

Though Kim K didn’t invent contour, you can thank her for making it the defining beauty move of the 2010s. Her signature method — a dark, orange-toned chubby stick traced in a “3” shape from forehead to cheek hollow to chin — quickly became an influencer staple. The look wasn’t complete without concealer (ideally Tarte’s Shape Tape) in the lightest possible shade, painted on in giant triangles across the forehead, cheeks, cupid’s bow, and chin before being blended into oblivion with a Beautyblender.

“Baking”

Getting all of that heavy product to stay put required a technique called “baking.” This involved applying a thick layer of loose, translucent powder to areas of your face that needed extra highlight and crease-proofing — like under your eyes, on your forehead, and along the jawline — then letting it “bake” for five to 10 minutes. The idea is that heat from your skin would help lock in the powder and anything underneath it — and when you dusted it off, you’d be left with a bright, matte, photo-ready effect.

Beautyblenders

Forget brushes or fingertips — the best way to blend in all of this makeup (according to creators, at least) was with a Beautyblender. These iconic sponges are known for their ability to create even, full-coverage finishes, which made them the perfect pick for applying the layers upon layers of product that 2016-era makeup required.

Highlighter All Over

To avoid looking washed out under layers of matte makeup, this aesthetic demanded an ungodly amount of highlighter — the sparklier, the better. This was applied to the cheeks, forehead, nose, and cupid’s bow using a fan brush, and often involved layering shades of white, purple, and gold shimmer for maximum iridescence. If you looked vaguely like Edward Cullen when the high points of your face caught the light, you were doing something right.

Extreme Pigment

In the age of Instagram makeup, bright, bold eyeshadows with super precise application were the star of the show. It was all about highly-pigmented lids decorated with every color of the rainbow, from sunset-inspired gradients to shimmery blue and purple hues. Sharp cut creases reigned supreme (as opposed to the smoky diffused styles of today), and no look was complete without a touch of glitter on the lid and a spot of white shadow on the inner corner.

Overstated Eyeliner & Fake Lashes

As if rainbow shadows weren’t bold enough, they were almost always paired with a swipe of jet-black liquid liner — thick, winged, and dramatic as hell. The finishing touch? A strip of false lashes that stretched to the heavens.

Block Brows

“On fleek” brows in 2016 looked more like a caricature than anything you could possibly grow naturally, and required construction, not grooming, to achieve. They were defined by graphic shapes with long, pointed tails and extreme arches, which were painted on and meticulously filled in. Don’t forget the concealer along the edges for a hyper-defined finish.

Liquid Lips

In 2016, the matte mania extended to the lips. The process usually started with a smear of foundation or concealer to erase any trace of natural color (and moisture) — read: concealer lips — followed by a swipe of matte liquid lipstick. Bonus points if it came from Kylie Cosmetics.

TikTok Is Divided

The consensus about 2016’s comeback? If the comments section is any indication, there’s a mix of nostalgia and horror.

“This just healed something in me,” wrote one Millennial TikTok user. Another said, “The only people that hate on this makeup are people that wish they could do it.” On the other end of the spectrum are quips like “We didn’t know what blush was in 2016,” and “We were blending until our wrists broke off.”

Just like the first time around, today’s TikTok creators are reviving 2016 makeup more for the feed than for real life — and whether it’s a genuine love letter to Millennial glam or an elaborate troll, the result is the same: an unapologetic, maximalist return to play.

Love it or hate it, the renaissance is here — and my Beautyblender is officially back in rotation.