Ahhh, the 2000s. It was a simpler time, wasn’t it? There were no YouTube tutorials so if you wanted to create a look you just had to go for it. And go for it we did – with fake tan, body glitter, bleach, you name it! Some of the trends were good (So…? Kiss Me is still a killer scent!) but others were just plain cringe-worthy. Get ready to relive all the biggest beauty mistakes we made in the 00s.
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Thin eyebrows
When it came to brow grooming in the 00s, thin was in. Pluck them out, draw them on, it was all necessary to get that pencil-thin look. And now we’re scarred from years of growing them back . NEVER. AGAIN!
Poker-straight hair
The days when we all got a little too attached to our beloved hair straightener and wouldn’t leave the house without a little flat-iron action. Didn’t have a straightener? No problem! A regular household iron did the job just fine (EXCEPT THAT IT DIDN’T!).
Shimmer eyeshadow
Frosted eyeshadow was BIG. I had a palette that was shaped like a CD case and I would rotate the pastel, shimmery shades each day. Did they suit me? Definitely not, but that was hardly the point. The shimmer eyeshadows of today, however, are far more flattering.
Chunky highlights
Who didn’t have tiger stripes back in the noughties? Dark hair with blonde streaks was the classic combo, but colourful streaks (pinks, purples, blues) certainly weren’t uncommon either.
Body glitter
With midriff tops and boob tubes being the style du jour in the early 00s, it was only logical to make all that exposed skin extra pretty with glitter. Right?
Flicked-out hairstyles
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were my ultimate style icons in the 00s! These straight hairstyles with the flicked-out ends were on every head in the local Supré.
OTT lip gloss
If your pout wasn’t absolutely dripping with Bonne Bell Sour Lip Smacker gloss, you weren’t doing it 00s style.
Extreme side fringes
If your sideswept fringe didn’t cover one of your eyes at least partially, you weren’t rocking the look. This look was often a DIY job using just a simple leg razor, and caused the wearer to shake the fringe out of their face every 30 seconds. Very, very cool.
Concealer as lipstick
No nude lipstick? No problem! Some concealer or foundation would always do the trick in the 00s, keeping all the focus on those kohl-rimmed eyes. At least that was the logic – it mostly just made us look super strange.
Crimped hair
Crimped hair wasn’t a new trend in the 00s, but Britney’s half-straight, half-crimped hybrid ‘do was!
Orange fake tan
Fake tan was relatively new to the market back in the day, so we all slathered it on with abandon! Luckily, most formulas are now an orange-free zone.
Tendrils
No throwback beauty list would be complete without ‘those bits’ of hair we left out of our ponytail! A classic noughties ‘do.
Dark lipliner
Before the Kylie Lip Kit , dark lipliner paired with a lighter shade of lipstick was the way we all faked a fuller pout. And is it just us, or could this trend re-emerge any day now?
Top deck hair
Can’t decide between being a blonde or a brunette? Well back in the late 00s, there was no need to choose! Enter the ‘top deck’ trend, where your hair was bleach blonde on top but dark underneath – just like the Cadbury’s chocolate bar! Chic.
Can you relate to any of these beauty mistakes from the 00s?