I knew beauty trends were officially headed in a different direction when latte makeup dominated social media last year. Everything about it gave the appearance of soft features, making this millennial appreciate the ‘no makeup’ look more and more. And while I'm working on staying up-to-date on all the latest makeup trends, it also reminded me there are outdated trends that unintentionally age people...and definitelyneedto go.
Wanna look younger and more on-trend, too? From super metallic eyeshadow to contour that dominates your face, here are the 8 outdate makeup trends to leave in the early ‘90s to mid-2000s.
The 8 outdated makeup trends you need to stop ASAP!
1. Full Coverage Foundation
KoolShooters
There was a time where wearing full-coverage foundation was all the rage. From drugstore to high-end brands, it seems like they were consistently shoved in consumers’ faces to help us achieve a ‘full beat’ without sitting in a makeup artist’s chair. Also, those of us with dark spots or hyperpigmentation may have relied on them when we were in the thick of our skincare woes.
But these days, wearing too much foundation isn’t as popular as natural and skincare makeup are prioritized. If anything, more people are interested in wearing light-to-medium coverage foundation, skin tints, or tinted moisturizers.
2. Too Much Concealer
George Milton
It wasn’t until I watched this video by makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes that I realized some of us have been too heavy-handed with our concealers. There’s no reason we should be slapping products under the thinnest parts of our face, but we didn’t know any better!
Now that you know you can still get the desired effect with a minimal amount of concealer, don’t revert back to painting your under eyes!
3. 'Baking' Your Setting Powder
Chidi Young
Before you throw away your setting powders, step away from your makeup drawer and have a sit-down chat with me. There isn’t anything wrong with applying them to your face to help ‘set’ your foundation and concealer. However, spending over 10 minutes ‘baking’ your powder (AKA letting it sit untouched) doesn’t work for everyone.
It can lead to creased makeup which can derail your look, plus it’s a pain to correct when you’re halfway through your routine!
4. Overlining Lips
Kaboompics.com
I love a good lip liner, especially if it mirrors my favorite ‘90s makeup look. But, there’s such a thing as overdoing it. The key to lining your lips is following the natural flow of them. Going out of your way to draw above and under your lips’ lines comes off as comical and exaggerated. If anything, use a lip plumping gloss to help your lips look fuller.
5. Overtweezing Your Eyebrows
Getty Images
I don’t even have the words for this outdated makeup look besides wanting to say “no” 20 times in a row. But, I’ll bite and say why this shouldn’t be on your 2025 beauty moodboard.
Some people naturally have thinner eyebrows which is A-okay! However, purposely tweezing your eyebrows to smithereens is cringey. If you truly want to wear this look, here’s what you can do instead of tweezing:
- Create a faux bleached look by applying a skin tone colored setting powder all over your brows.
- Once they’ve ‘disappeared,’ take an eyebrow pencil or eyeliner to draw a thin line over them.
I’m…wondering what the ramifications of telling you how to do this will be, but only use go for this look if it’s a part of a themed party…like Halloween.
6. Exaggerated Highlighter On Cheeks
Milad Farhani
The shimmery look is in since it’s winter, but please don’t make it look like you dipped your cheeks into a vat of glitter. You can lightly dust highlighter onto your cheeks for a more natural glow that flows with the rest of your look. Otherwise you’ll look like a walking disco ball which could be the opposite of what you were going for.
7. Heavy Contour Or Bronzer
Laura Garcia
I know the ‘sculpted’ look is popular, but too much contour or bronzer can overpower the rest of your makeup and face. While it’s not impossible to fix if you do it by mistake, using the wrong shade of contour or bronzer may still peep through no matter how much you try to buff it out.
When in doubt, be gentle with your contour or bronzer application!
8. Incredibly Matte Makeup
Nataliia Yatsiuk
Matte makeup that didn’t budge was the ‘It Girl’ look for oily and combination skin girls! We thought it was the answer to our skin’s incessant need to hydrate our faces instead of actually using skincare products that focused on combatting that issue (psst…Vitamin C serums help!).
But now’s the time to break up with this look for good for one reason: dewy skin looks healthier.
While we have you here, learn about the outdated shoe trends you shouldn't be wearing in 2025 either.
