23 Early '00s Makeup Trends You Forgot You Were Obsessed With (2024)

It doesn't get more 2000s than heavy purple eyeshadow—especially when paired with skinny brows and pink blush, à la Britney Spears. I mean, your 2020 smokey eye could never.

If there was ever an opportunity to wear brightly colored eyeliner, an early aughts red carpet was definitely it. Celebs usually picked a color that matched their chunky accessories, like this teal eyeliner look from Rihanna.

You know that sparkly eyeshadow you sweep on every Friday night? Yep, you can thank the early aughts for that (and, like, this cute-AF red-carpet look from Brandy).

You can't think of early aughts makeup trends without immediately envisioning shiny, glossy lips. Here, Jessica Simpson paired the trend with soft purple eyeshadow.

Forget about the full, brushed-up brows of 2020—the early '00s focused heavily on pencil-thin arches (seen here on Beyoncé in 2000).

Was it really a 2000s red carpet if no one showed up with chunky white eyeshadow? Definitely not, as evidenced by this OTT look on Christina Milian.

The perfect addition to any '00s beauty look? Frosty lipstick, obvs. In 2000, Christina Aguilera paired hers with a heavy smokey eye and teeny brows.

Neutral, frosty hues weren't the only popular lipstick shades of the '00s. Warmer, shinier formulas were also a red-carpet staple, and celebs like Halle Berry liked to pair 'em with sunglasses and hoop earrings.

The emo scene was absolutely thriving in the early aughts, and singers like Avril Lavigne made it known in their makeup looks (think: thick black eyeliner, neutral lips, and matte foundation).

You know that natural-looking flush you see all over your Instagram feed? Yeah, the '00s blush trends were basically the opposite of that—celebs (like Tyra Banks) leant into bright-pink hues blended right on the center of their cheeks.

Matchy-matchy makeup trends were huge in the '00s, as evidenced by this cute look from Alicia Keys circa 2001. Don't those rich purple hues look so pretty together?

Are you sensing a theme yet? Early '00s makeup trends were all about color. Here, Jessica Alba swept bright-blue eyeshadow all over her lids for a fun little look.

Sure, this smudged-out eye makeup is still one of Lisa Bonet's signature looks, but there's no doubt that it definitely had a moment in the early '00s. The coolest thing about this smokey eye is that you don't need any brushes to recreate it—just smudge it out with your fingers.

The perfect addition to any early '00s lip gloss? Super-defined lip liner, as seen here on Mariah Carey. Bonus points for picking a shade slightly darker than your gloss.

Inner-corner eyeshadow is obviously still a thing, but the early '00s took it to a new level. To really nail the trend, your shadow had to be brighter and heavier than the rest of your eye—like Kim Kardashian's bright-white hue here—and as unblended as possible.

J. Lo's glowy skin still remains a major trend, but in the '00s, it was less about contouring and defining and more about highlighting (think: matte foundation with a couple sweeps of warm powder).

Bright eye makeup wasn't for everyone in the '00s—celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow opted for light foundation, bare eyes, and deep, brick-red lipstick for a nice contrast.

In the early 2000s, you couldn't go wrong with a few layers of candy-pink eyeshadow (and, okay, maybe a fedora to match if you were going for the full Nicole Richie effect).

All-over, inky-black eyeliner + pink lip gloss = a '00s makeup trend that not even Hilary Duff could resist. And, I'm sorry, but can we talk about this iconic poufy hairstyle for a sec?

When colorful eyeshadow wasn't an option, celebs like Ashlee Simpson went for a pop of color on their lower lash lines, like this lime-green look.