10 Y2K Makeup Looks That Defined the 2000s + How to Wear
These Y2K makeup looks that where all over the runways and red carpets of the early 2000s will make you nostalgic for the noughties.
- 26th October 2023
- By Charlotte Tilbury
7 minute read
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10 Iconic Y2K Makeup Looks
1. Milky Lip Gloss
The first thing I think of when reminiscing about 2000s makeup is the lip gloss, darlings! Everyone would slather on their favourite gloss to give their lips a high-shine, plumped-up look, and you would always have a shimmering shade waiting in your handbag for regular touch ups! The shade that was the most popular in the 2000s was a playful pink with plenty of shimmer. Milkier, frostier tones were all the rage, with some glosses having a creamy base colour and others having iridescent blue and lilac shimmer to capture the frosted look of the moment.
Get the look: Any sheer and sparkly lip gloss can capture the Y2K aesthetic, darlings. I recommend my Pinkgasm Jewel Lips to get a wash of glimmering 2000s-inspired lip gloss, or Lip Lustre in the shades Candy Darling and Blondie for a glossy finish with more base colour.
2. Frosted Eyeshadow
The 2000s was a love affair with shimmering, frosted eyeshadows like icy white, silver, turquoise and lilac. I remember going through so many of these iridescent, frosted shades in my makeup kit at that time – they were just that popular! Whether they were used to highlight the brow bone and inner corners or swept onto the entire lid to create an icy veil on the eyes, frosted eyeshadows were seen on everyone, everywhere!
Get the look: The frosted eyeshadow shades in the NEW! Beautyverse Palette are perfect for creating a Y2K makeup look. Use Cyber Silver to create an iconic silver eye or Digital Lilac for a frosted purple look, then use the party topper shade Beautyverse to deliver stratospheric sparkle.
3. Smudged Eyeliner
The pop punk aesthetic of the 2000s is all about sultry, smudged eyeliner. There’s beauty in this magically messy makeup style, darlings; it enhances and defines the look of your eyes like a classic Feline Flick, but it has the more rough-edged, rock star quality that was everywhere in the 2000s. Whether it’s a kohl eyeliner smudged along the lower lash line or a smokey winged eyeliner that’s been buffed out with a fluffy blender brush, these Y2K eye makeup styles perfected the grunge look.
Get the look: My Colour Chameleon cream eyeshadow pencils swipe along the lash line and blend out effortlessly to create a hazy smoke of eye-defining colour, and my Rock N Kohl eyeliners are perfect for creating a rockstar smudged liner. Just swipe and smudge to unlock your dream Y2K-inspired eyeliner look.
4. Candy Pink Blush
People were as head over heels about blush in the 2000s as they are today, darlings. Y2K makeup took a more-is-more approach to blush; celebrities and stars would be seen with glowing, rosy cheeks in pearlescent, pastel shades of candy pink. Powder blush was applied with a large, fluffy brush and swept generously across the apples of the cheeks and onto the cheekbones to give the face a luminous, flattering flush of sweet pink.
Get the look: Cheek to Chic blushes are perfect for getting the Y2K blush look, darlings. Choose the perfect shade for your skin tone: I recommend Love Glow for fair skin tones, Love Is The Drug for medium skin tones, Ecstasy for tan skin tones, and The Climax for deep skin tones.
5. Blue Eyeshadow and Eyeliner
In the 2000s, everyone, everywhere had a blue eyeshadow or eyeliner in their makeup bag – it was a Y2K staple! Along with the frosted colours that were popular, the masses were wearing pops of blue on the lids and lash line including eye-enhancing navy eyeliners and smokey eye looks in cobalt, cerulean and grey-blue hues. Blue eyeshadow is an iconic beauty statement, darlings, and it always reminds me of the cool-toned icy eyes that ruled the 2000s.
Get the look: To give your eyes a subtle pop of blue, take the matte side of my Super Blue Liner Duo and glide along the lash line. If you want to dial up your blue eye makeup look, use the shimmer side to light up the look of your eyes with metallic sapphire pigment.
6. Bubblegum Pink Lipstick
Pink wasn’t only on the cheeks during the 2000s, darlings, it was the shade on everyone’s lips, too! After the nude obsession of the 90s, it was time for makeup lovers to dip back into the lipstick drawer for their perfect shade of pink. Before applying a mega-shine lip gloss, Y2K beauties would apply a bubblegum pink shade of lipstick that helped their pout look fuller and captured the playful, vibrant style of the era.
Get the look: Swipe on a dreamy pink lipstick to beautify your lips with the perfect bubblegum pop. I recommend Hot Lips lipstick in Dancefloor Princess for a creamy, popstar-pink pout, K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in Chic Pink for a muted, mauve-pink lip, or Matte Revolution lipstick in Sexy Sienna as a gorgeous coral-pink lip colour.
7. Bronzed Skin Forever
We didn’t apply bronzer sparingly in the 2000s, darlings! In pursuit of forever-bronzed skin, we would reach for powder bronzers and tap them onto the skin liberally to achieve a sun-kissed, sculpted-looking complexion. I would swirl a dense complexion brush into my bronzer and sweep it around the perimeter of the face – including beneath the jaw and into the hairline – to warm up the complexion and define the look of the natural facial framework.
Get the look: Your perfect shade of my Airbrush Bronzer will unlock the bronzed bombshell Y2K makeup look you’re coveting, darling! Just swirl The Air Brush into your bronzer then apply it generously.
8. Dark Lip Liner
Another lip trend that was all around in the 2000s was using a darker shade of lip liner to create a more pronounced lip shape. The aim wasn’t to blend your lip liner with the natural shade of your lips, but instead to create dramatic contrast that leads to the illusion of fuller-looking lips. Commonly used shades included browns, saddles and suedes that would pair well with your signature Y2K lip gloss.
Get the look: Lip Cheat in Foxy Brown is the quintessential lip liner colour for creating this Y2K makeup look. Overline your lips with this rich, velvety liner, then add a pop of lip gloss to send your look straight to the 2000s.
9. Thin Eyebrows
The pencil-thin eyebrow trend of the 90s carried through into the 2000s, with barely there brows being the norm for Y2K makeup. The most popular brow shape was a fine, groomed brow with a pronounced arch that left plenty of space to add an icy, iridescent brow bone highlight.
Get the look: Use my Brow Lift eyebrow pencil to sketch out a thin, defined brow shape. The spoolie will help comb hairs downwards to prevent brows from looking bushy and fluffed up.
10. Glitter
Y2K makeup never lacked in sparkle, darlings. Whether you were attending an event, walking a red carpet or on set at a photoshoot, you could guarantee that there would be glitter everywhere! Before you left the house, you’d dust your chest and shoulders with body shimmer as though you’d been showered in stardust! Glitter for the eyes, glitter for the cheeks and glitter for the body; the 2000s were every sparkle lover’s time to shine!
Get the look: Darlings, we’ve come a long way since the 2000s, and today you can get the glistening look of glitter without the mess! My Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighters are perfect for illuminating the look of your face and body, and my Hypnotising Pop Shots give the eyes a spectacular shot of shimmer for glowing, glittering party eyes.
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Author Details
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
