It products come and go—we know this. But when certain trends from our schooldays suddenly become cool again, we can’t help but be excited. The cosy feelings of nostalgia are a force to be reckoned with, so you can’t imagine how happy we are to witness the return of hair accessories we glorified thanks to the Spice Girls and those jars of body glitter we once hoarded from Claire’s. We’re very much embracing the trending onslaught of products previously dubbed outdated, and right now, there are a lot of them.
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From nail and hair trends to makeup and skincare must-haves, there has been a resurgence in outdated beauty trends. In fact, brown lipstick and butterfly-bedecked strands are practically taking over our Instagram feeds (and by association, our shopping carts). To celebrate—and because we’re secretly hoping they never fall back out of vogue—we’re highlighting all the must-try viral beauty trends we previously considered outdated. Keep scrolling!
Sure, the crimped-hair trend has taken on more of a beachy (versus small and compact) identity in 2020, but the resurgence of crisp mermaid bends and S-wave hot tools is impossible to ignore.
We don’t have to remind you of how important your collection of glitter-crusted rainbow butterfly clips was back on the playground in primary school. But we are here to remind you that a more subdued take on the outdated trend is currently blowing up on IG in the prettiest and most whimsical of ways. Hairstylist Justine Marjan created this mesmerising look using paper butterflies she found at the craft store (before attaching them to clear string and pinning into the hair), but there are also tons of cute clip-in options available right now as well if you’re not feeling super crafty.
Remember how happy you used to be when your headband gained you an extra few inches on your class’s height scale? Same. In 2020, however, we’re more here for the trend in regard to how fun and playful it makes any outfit.
To be honest, we didn’t see the pastel and rainbow hair colour trend lasting more than a few months or a year. However, we’re still seeing so many of our favourite influencers and celebrities trying out different shades on their strands—even if it’s just temporary. The below pick is inspired behind Zendaya’s recent red streak, and the brand also has other playful tones, from teal to rose gold to magenta to green.
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Remember the fake hairpieces you’d buy complete with tinsel, tiny braids, rhinestones, and maybe even a streak of blue for good measure? Well, they might not be quite so ornate, but statement-making faux ponytails have had a major comeback and are actually a two-minute solve for a bad hair day.
Another hair trend that’s had surprisingly long legs? Scrunchies. In fact, the fervour only seems to deepen as more and more brands are getting on board and debuting the prettiest looks. We’re collecting them faster than we collected Pokémon cards on the football field, especially since the trend has graduated from ho-hum silk to velvet, crystal, sherpa, and more. Lizzo, we love you.
Sure, chunky glitter was all the rage a few years ago during Coachella (still a little scarred, tbh), but right now, the glittery hair trend is more about bold tinsel looks and sheer mists of fine glitter. We’re obsessed with trying something like Kacey Musgraves’s look for Halloween, but for your basic night out, we suggest one of these hydrating shimmer sprays for a barely there glimmer that’s still stunning and perfectly on trend. This one from IGK is still my fave.
Yep, you heard it here first. Demure (and not-so-demure) French manicures are making a comeback. However, unlike our burn-worthy prom vibe complete with press-ons, our nails aren’t long and squared-off. Instead, we’re keeping this previously outdated beauty trend fresh with bold colours as additional options to chic white while also playing with your nail shape. Try short and rounded, or long and almond. Or try a reverse French mani, as shown above!
Of course, dove and navy-blue nail polish are iconic staples we always have in our kits, but metallic blue? We can’t say it’s been high on our request list in the nail salon in recent years. That said, the tides are changing, and metallics in cooler hues like purple and blue will be big for autumn and winter.
Yep, we’re serious. Brands such as Mood Maker are resurrecting colour-shifting nail polish, and trust us when we say it’s way more elevated than the stuff you’d chip off in a matter of seconds back in grade school.
Nail stickers were cool, and then they became quickly outdated for a spell with the influx of cool freehand nail art, as well as embellishments like crystals, pearls, and rhinestones. Now, however, luxe brands like Elegant Touch are making stickers cool again and reminding us how handy they are for making our nails look like a professionally perfect paint job in less than 10 minutes.
Remember when our favourite ’90s women like Naomi, Drew, and Winona wore blue eye shadow, and we thought it was so, so cool? The trend didn’t last long, and quickly thereafter, baby blue and pastel purple were pretty much the most outdated shadow shades you could sport on your lids—until now. We’ve been seeing the colour family all over the internet and in the talented hands of some of the industry’s most illustrious makeup artists. And, of course, it’s become way cooler in the form of bold graphic shapes and lines.
Juicy Tubes: We loved them then, and we love them today. Though, now our favourite glossy tubes come in less-sticky consistencies and slightly less-saccharine scents. You know, so you get a hint of nostalgia without feeling like you need to go out and buy book covers and scented gel pens. We’re happy the lacquered shiny lip is here, and we’re hoping it’s here to stay.
Even before the makeup hysteria spurred by Euphoria, glittery eyes were having a major moment on the makeup artist front. We couldn’t be more excited that it now feels especially socially acceptable to wear chunky AF glitter during the day, and we’re pretty sure it’s one previously outdated trend that might actually stick around for a while. Brands like Stila and Lemonhead.LA were ahead of the curve, making some of the most cult-loved glitters and glosses on the market, but now more and more major makeup brands are catching on, and pretty much each line has its own version of a disco-ready eye in a jar. Pick your poison, but we still hold Lemonhead.LA as the crème de la crème of wearable glitter.
In case you didn’t know, ’60s Hollywood icons like Diana Ross were the queens of graphic liner. Almost 50 years later, the graphic-liner trend has come back with the most exciting surge of vengeance. Every makeup artist is doing it, every celebrity is wearing it, and every makeup brand is debuting cool new pencils and pens to help us achieve it. Up-and-coming stars such as Ella Balinska are favouring the trend as of late. Her makeup artist, Vincent Oquendo, used Shiseido.
Like it or not, brick-brown lipstick is a major trend, and it has been wheedling its way into our hearts for a while now. Yes, it feels painfully ’90s, but paired with glowing skin, luminous hair, and lots of lashes, it’s fresh—not outdated. Gigi Hadid has made an art of it, and brands like Huda Beauty keep churning out more and more lippie options for us to choose from.
Glowing, healthy-looking skin is always en vogue, but we’d go as far as to say that we’ve surpassed “glow” at this point and treaded into very shimmery, very glittery, very glossy territory. And honestly, we love it. It’s fun, it looks damn good in photographs, and all our favourite brands taking part—Dior, Huda Beauty, Patrick Ta Beauty, and Fenty. Best of all, they’re spiking their glimmering products with good-for-your-skin ingredients.
Next: The exact products makeup artists use on celeb clients to make their skin glow.
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