13 Beauty Trends We’re Happy To Leave In The Past

Experimenting with trends is part of what makes being a beauty lover fun. We love trying out new products, styles, and looks to see what works for us. But not every trend is a winner. In fact, some are so bad that we’re glad to see them go, and we hope they never come back. Here are 13 beauty trends we’re happy to leave in the past: Evie's product selections are curated by the editorial team. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love. Tanning Beds Tanning beds became a huge deal back in the 1970s as the beauty industry's response to dermatologists' warnings of skin damage done to sun worshippers of the earlier decades. In the 1980s, the FDA began to regulate tanning beds and their use, but that didn’t stop people from using them. In fact, in the 1990s and early 2000s, tanning beds became even more popular, with people (mostly women) of all ages using them to get that “perfect” tan year-round. Anyone else remember 'Tan Mom'? Nowadays, however, we’re much more aware of the dangers of tanning beds. The UV rays emitted from them can cause skin cancer and some other less dangerous but nonetheless unpleasant side effects like premature aging and wrinkles. So it’s no surprise that people are now steering clear of tanning beds in favor of a more natural complexion (and, okay , some help from self-tanning lotions here and there). Product To Try: Tan Luxe – Gradual Illuminating The Gradual Tan Lotion , $34 Sunscreen Contouring Sunscreen contouring was a popular beauty trend on social media that involved applying a lower SPF sunscreen to areas of the face that you wanted to tan and a higher SPF sunscreen to areas you wanted to keep light. When it first showed up, many people believed this was a safe way to get a “contoured” look without using heavy makeup, and what's the damage if you're still using sunscreen, right? Wrong! When you tan, your skin produces more melanin, which is the brown pigment that helps protect your skin from the sun. Therefore, just as white blood cells rush to an injury to heal it, melanin rushes to areas of your skin that are exposed to the sun to protect it. Thus, tan equals damage, no matter how mild it is. Needless to say, dermatologists were quick to point out the dangers of this trend, and we’re glad that it seems to be dying down. Product To Try: La Roche-Posay – Daily Face Sunscreen with Niacinamide SPF 70 , $35 10-Step Skincare Routines 10-step skincare routines are heavily influenced by the Korean beauty industry and their “glass skin” aesthetic. The idea is that by layering multiple products with active ingredients, you can achieve a flawless complexion. A 10-step skincare routine typically involves double cleansing, followed by the application of multiple toners, hydrating mists, essences, serums, moisturizers, and sunscreen in order to achieve hydrated, glowy, and "glass-like" skin. However, what started as a beauty trend soon introduced a bitter reality to most users who started experiencing massive changes in their skin, including breaking out in painful cysts, when they had perfectly clear skin prior to introducing multiple skincare products into their routine. It turns out that the active ingredients in all those products were just too much for most people's skin, and it quickly became clear that the beauty industry is yet again resorting to predatory ways and shady tactics of marketing these routines through beauty influencers with already flawless skin and making people believe they need to buy all of these products to achieve the same results. We’re happy that this trend is on its way out and that people are opting for simpler, more targeted skincare routines that help address multiple skin concerns while nourishing and protecting the skin. Product To Try: Paula's Choice – 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment , $62 The 2016 Brow The 2016 brow was a full, filled-in, and sharply arched brow that took over social media and the beauty industry. The trend was started by celebrities and Instagram influencers who would use multiple brow products to achieve the on-fleek brow look, and soon enough, everyone wanted in on it. However, the 2016 brow look is now considered to be outdated, and we’re moving toward a more natural, bushy, or skinny brow look. Product To Try: Kosas – Tinted Volumizing Eyebrow Gel , $24 Caking On Foundation Alongside the 2016 brow came the trend of caking on foundation to achieve a completely matte and poreless complexion. The problem with this trend is that it often leads to people looking unnatural and ironically emphasizes texture or imperfections on the skin instead of hiding them. However, nowadays, we’re leaning toward a more natural yet put-together makeup look with less foundation or opting for lighter-coverage formulas that still look skin-like. Product To Try: ILIA – Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 , $48 Exaggerated Highlighting Exaggerated highlighting in areas like the inner corners of the eyes, brow bones, cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, and even the tip of the nose was a big trend in the past. The problem with it? It only looks good in photos, and in real life, it just makes you look like you’re sweating glitter. Currently, we’re more subtle with our highlighting, using a lighter hand and choosing formulas that offer a natural-looking glow instead of an exaggerated one. Product To Try: Rare Beauty – Positive Light Liquid Luminizer , $22 Over-Contouring Another 2016 makeup trend popularized by celebrities like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian was over-contouring, which is basically contouring your face with much darker products in order to create the illusion of a slimmer, more chiseled bone structure. Again, the issue with this is that it only looks good in photos and can actually make you look like you have a ton of dirt on your face if not done properly (which, let's be honest, it rarely was). We are now moving toward a more natural approach to contouring, using liquid bronzer instead of dark contour powder, and sculpting our features in a way that looks natural and enhances our beauty, rather than completely transforming our face. Product To Try: MERIT – Sheer Sculpting Bronzer , $30 Using Too Much Powder Cakey, dry, and textured. These are the three words we can use to describe the effect of using too much powder. Powder is an important step in most people's makeup routine as it helps set our cream-based complexion products and control shine. However, using too much of it can make your face look dry, emphasizing any lines or wrinkles you may have and making your makeup look cakey and overdone. Now, we tend to use a lighter hand when applying powder, only using it where we need it and opting for formulas that are light and airy instead of heavy and dense. The result? A natural-looking complexion that doesn't look greasy or dull. Product To Try: Tatcha – The Silk Powder , $48 Dry, Matte Lips While matte lipsticks are surely not going anywhere anytime soon, the dry, matte lips trend is one that we are happy to leave in the past. Nowadays, consumers demand more comfortable formulas that don't leave their lips feeling dry and cracked, and brands have responded by creating lighter matte lipsticks that are more hydrating, comfortable to wear, and long-lasting. Product To Try: Rare Beauty – Kind Words Matte Lipstick , $20 Overlined Lips We're all guilty of overlining our lips at some point or another in an attempt to make them look fuller and more voluptuous, only to be left with a result that looks unnatural, overdone, and sometimes even comical. These days, we’re more accepting of our natural lip shape and size, and we’re opting for lip products that enhance our lips without changing them completely. Using a lip liner is still a standard, but using it in a subtler way is something that we've collectively gravitated toward in the past couple of years. Product To Try: Les Filles – En Rouje Le Stylo , $30 Excessive Nail Art Excessive nail art might still be many people's cup of tea; however, it's not something we're too sad to see go. While a little bit of nail art can be fun and add a touch of personality to your nails, going overboard with crazy designs and embellishments can result in a look that is tacky, gaudy, and just too much. Opting for a simpler and more elegant nail design, or even just a solid color, is something we are all happy about. Product To Try: Gucci – Glossy Nail Polish , $33 Bump Teased Hair Bump teased hair is a long-forgotten hairstyle that, hopefully, will never make a comeback. The trend consisted of backcombing your hair at the roots in order to create a voluminous, "bumped" effect (cue flashbacks of Snooki from The Jersey Shore ). The problem with this style was that it was damaging to the hair, and it often resulted in a stiff, unnatural-looking hairdo that couldn't look decent to save its life. Fortunately, we’re more conscious about the health of our hair nowadays, and we opt for styles that are gentler and won't leave our hair looking like a bird's nest. Product To Try: OUAI – Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner , $28 The Wolf Mullet We can forgive the wolf shag that had everyone in a chokehold during summer 2021, but what we can't forgive is its mullet-like cousin, the Wolf Mullet. This hairstyle, characterized by short, shaggy layers in the front and a mullet-like back, was a disaster many fell for, but no one could actually pull off. Thankfully, this trend seems to be dying a quick death, and we are all better for it. Product To Try: Verb – Curl Foaming Gel , $20 Closing Thoughts We are all for trying new trends and experimenting with our looks, but there are some trends that we are just happy to leave in the past. What are some of the beauty trends you are happy to see gone? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t miss anything! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get curated content weekly!