You wake up and put on your low-waisted jeans. “Oops! I Did It Again” by Britney Spears is playing on the radio. Your phone is… a Blackberry. Welcome back to the Y2K era.
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We’re definitely in the 21st century, but our fashion and beauty trends seem to be going back in time. Currently setting (or should we say reclaiming) the trends are looks that our favorite celebrities donned in the 90s and early 2000s, or also known as the Y2K era.
Y2K originally referred to computers malfunctioning at the dawn of 2000, but nowadays it’s an era, a mood that is setting up the beauty and fashion scenes on fire. Icons included Britney Spears and Paris Hilton showing up to red carpets wearing skirts over pants, low-waist jeans and “going out” tops; it was a time difficult to forget. Truly iconic, the hashtag #Y2K now has 1.8 billion views on TikTok, while #Y2KAesthetic has 247 million views.
From brightly colored eyeshadow to dark lip liners, here are some Y2K beauty trends you need to try right now:
Bright Colored Eyeshadow
Y2K era was all about pops of colors and that, of course, included eyeshadow. From blue to purple to any other color in the rainbow, you can just take whatever color fits your look, pop it onto your eyelids, and you’re good to go! You can look at Britney Spears from the 90s, or currently, Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez for inspiration.
Glossy Lips
Remember in 2015/2016 when everyone was crazy about matte liquid lipsticks? Well, now everyone is all about glossy lips—and the glossier the better. Lip gloss was a beauty staple in the 90s and early 2000s that almost all pop celebrities including Beyonce donned glossy lips!
It’s now such a beauty trend that celebrities like Ariana Grande and Kendall Jenner are also pulling off red carpet looks with glossy lips. Plus, beauty brands like Fenty Beauty and Kylie Cosmetics have their own collection of lip glosses!
Zigzag Parted Hair
We don’t make the rules, but having zigzag parted hair means you’re cool, as seen on 90s icon Christina Aguilera, and now Bella Hadid and Vanessa Hudgens. A subtle yet easy way to insert some late ’90s aesthetic to your look, this hair trend is definitely the perfect nod to the iconic era that was Y2K.
Supermodel Lips
Aka having visible lip liner, was totally a thing back in the 90s. To achieve “supermodel lips,” you need to get a lip liner a couple of shades darker than your natural lip color, and then put on a lighter shade of lipstick to match.
From Naomi Campbell in the 90s and now to Megan Thee Stallion and Kim Kardashian, this is definitely a trend you need to try!
Extra Hair Accessories
From barrettes to bandanas, hair accessories were a big deal in the 90s. Whether you’re going to school or going to the mall with your friends, extra hair accessories are a must.
From icon Hillary Duff aka, Lizzie McGuire, this trend has made its way to the 21st century with Lizzo and Kylie Jenner seen wearing hair accessories from the 90s.