Woman Recreates Differences in How She Did Makeup in 2016 Compared to Today

One key thing to know about trends is that they come back, and, whether you loved it or hated it, 2016 makeup styles seem to be the latest throwback to find themselves back on top.

While we’ve moved away from the blocked-out brow, and many prefer a more natural, ‘clean girl‘, it’s time to prepare for the 2016 revival. To remind us of which switches we need to prepare to make, makeup artist Ashlee Day shared a side-by-side video showing how base makeup has evolved over the last eight years.

The viral video, which has gained over 3.4 million views, saw the Australian MUA split her face down the center to give a clear view of the differences between the two makeup eras.

In the video, Day said that “2016 for me was an overly heavy full coverage matte foundation… I deliberately chose a foundation that wasn’t my shade on this side, because that’s how I genuinely used to do my makeup.”

She keeps the 2024 side “super nice, glowy, and youthful,” opting for a luminous complexion booster in place of a foundation for a flawless finish.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a similar pattern when it comes to concealer, with Day applying a full coverage, with light shade under her eyes, using the then-popular ‘triangle’ method—as well as across the rest of her T-zone and eyelid.

In comparison, for the 2024 side of her face, Day opts for a hydrating formula closer to her skin tone, spot-applying as and where she needs the product rather than using it across her face.

Powder products were king in 2016, with the concept of liquid blush, contour, and bronzer alien to beauty lovers eight years ago. On the 2024 half, Day applied a liquid bronzer to “contour everywhere I want to look a little bit snatched.”

Next Day reaches for a cream blush to add a flush of color, telling the camera it’s the “same thing with cream blush—in 2016, I didn’t know her, but I do know her now in 2024.”

What her 2016 half was lacking in blush and contour, it made up for in powder, as Day shared how she used to ‘bake’ in 2016.

Applying what to the untrained eye may seem like an excessive amount of powder, Day admits: “I was not precise with how I baked at all, OK? I just kind of put it on and hoped for the best.”

For the 2024 half, Day goes in with a much lighter hand, applying the powder with a powder puff as opposed to a beauty blender, sharing that this is the technique that “forever changed my makeup game and my life.”

When it comes to bronzer, Day admits she would “smack that literally everywhere on the face until I was comfortable enough and it looked super-duper cakey, because there was no other way back then.” She even used the bronzer brush to lift the excess powder from when she was baking.

On the 2024 side, Day said she was more “strategic” with her blush placement, using it to sculpt and lift her face instead of purely for the color.

The 2016 side skips blush completely, whilst on the 2024 half she tops up the liquid blush by setting it with a powder. In true 2016 style, the left side was finished with a bold, shimmery highlighter applied heavily onto the high points of her face, using a small fluffy brush to add subtle definition on the 2024 side.

What Do the Comments Say?

The nostalgic makeup side-by-side caused viewers to take a trip down memory lane, with one saying: “The power of makeup was lacking in 2016—we thought we looked amazing. We did not.”

Another added: “I was 10 in 2016 but I remember so many ppl would have on fancy, bold makeup to go to dollar tree.”

A third said: “I think we all used the absolute wrong foundation then.”

Some fans of the 2016 side were quick to come to its defense, with one user sharing that: “I’ve never stopped with 2016 makeup, and I never will.”

Another added: “2016 make up will always be my favorite.”