90’s Minimal Makeup Is Out, 2010’s Maximal Makeup Is In. Here’s How To Pull It Off.

If the 90's and early aughts were all about restraint, the 2010's were about anything but; think full coverage matte foundation, colorful or smokey eyeshadow looks, a bold, statement lip, and all contour all the time.

"In the 2010s, beauty vloggers were entering the zeitgeist, and Zillennials were finding community by experimenting with makeup," writes Bryce Jones for Allure. "The bolder the better—especially when it came to the eyes. The lids were treated as a "playground" to test out the newest shimmery, smoldering shadows popularized on YouTube, and we showed them off without a second thought."

For those of us who came of age in the 2010's, rekindling our relationship with some of these heavy-handed makeup looks will be like riding a bike–once you learn how to properly apply a winged eyeliner, it's practically muscle memory. But for anyone experiencing these trends for the first time, there are a few critical elements to master. Beyond that, it's helpful to know too, how to adapt this aesthetic so it looks like a fresh take on the trend, and not an out of date look.

Nude Lips: While you might associate nude lips with the 2010's, concealer lips have been in Natasha Denona arsenal since the 9o's she tells me. "Back then, brands didn't make products specifically for this—or if they did, the pigments were quite dry, and the coverage for concealer-like shades was either very sheer or heavily creasing, so I never used them," she tells me. Denona is a Makeup Artist, and the Founder, Chief Creative Officer & Formula Developer for Natasha Denona, which just released a line of nude–or as they call them, 'milky' shades in their lipstick and lip gloss formula. ""The modernized way to wear a concealer lip is by creating an ombre contour," she tells me. "You start with a lip pencil slightly darker than your natural skin tone, blend it out, and then apply the My Dream Concealer Lipstick or the HY-GLOSS Milky on top. You can also layer the milky gloss directly over the concealer lipstick."

Natasha DenonaSmokey Eye: "How could we ever forget the raccoon eye trend?" writes Alexa Dark for L'Officie. "The heavy smokey eye was featured everywhere–red carpets, Ke$ha music videos, in high fashion magazines–making that "still wearing last night's make-up" look seem cool." To achieve a more contemporary take on the classic smokey eye, try buffing out a soft kohl eyeliner like Lisa Eldridge's Seamless Eye Glide Pencil and her eyeshadow palette in Vega. And Denona suggests that this dramatic eye is perfect to complement a nude lip. "The concealer lip is all about balancing a super dramatic eye," she says. Back when I first started doing this look, I paired it mostly with an intense smokey eye. A concealer lip allows the eye makeup to really pop because it doesn't compete for attention—it shifts the focus entirely to the eyes, making them stand out. The ultimate combination for a concealer lip is, without a doubt, a classic smokey eye."

Contouring: Though using contour predates the 2010's, it was makeup artists like Mario Dedivanovic popularized the technique of using shading to slim certain features of the face on celebrity clients like Kim Kardashian. Rhode's Pocket Bronzer delivers a natural glowy finish that lasts all day and for a powder option, Saie Beauty's Baked Bronzer creates a natural finish that still delivers on the pigment.

MILAN, ITALY – JUNE 17: A makeup artist works on a model in backstage at the Dhruv Kapoor fashion show during the Milan Menswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 on June 17, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images)

Glitter Everything: Whether you're applying glitter eyeshadow to your lids or adding a swipe of highlighter to your cheeks, a touch of sparkle is the perfect way to channel the 2010's with your makeup. KJH.brand's Hyper Shine Lite All Over Highlighter is a one-stop-shop product that you can use to add a glow to your eyes, lips, and cheeks. And for an ultra golden glow, Natasha Denona's Golden Highlighter Trio is bright enough to see all the way from the 2020's.

Dessert Inspired Body Care: Were you really around in the 2010's if you didn't have body lotion that smelled like vanilla cake and body spray that smelled like just ripened berries? For a more sophisticated take on the scented body products of the 2010's Phlur's Vanilla Blackberry smells good enough to eat, and there's a reason that Bath & Body Works' Warm Vanilla Sugar remains a staple from the brand after all these years.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com