By Haylee Thorson
Every decade has its own set of trends that ultimately define that period of time. In the 80s, it was all about big hair, neon colors, and shoulder pads. In the 90s, it was dark lip liner, leather jackets, and denim overalls that stole the show. In the 2000s, everyone was obsessed with low-rise jeans, frosted lip gloss, and rhinestones. While every decade had some great beauty trends that are still alive and thriving today, you can’t help but cringe at some of the not-so-great ones. Perms, thin eyebrows, and chunky highlights continue to send shivers down the spines of women everywhere, even though those trends have been dead for a while. The funny thing about trends, however, is that you never realize how eccentric they are in the moment. We try out specific makeup looks because we saw them on Instagram or we dye our hair a certain way because we saw it on TikTok. Nevertheless, every decade does end up with some regrettable beauty trends, so let’s take a look at some of the most popular fads from 2020 that we will probably laugh about in 10 years!
1. Two Strand Hair Dye
During quarantine, a trend emerged that probably shocked most hairdressers across the nation. Teens and young adults everywhere were taking to TikTok and filming themselves completely transforming the two strands of hair at the front of their head. Basically, this entailed them purchasing bleach, a brightly colored hair dye, and getting straight to work. First, they would section off the first two strands of their hair and completely saturate them in store bought bleach. After rinsing that out, they would apply a color of their choosing, let it sit, and then rinse it out. This would leave them with a full head of natural hair color and two strands of vibrant pink, blue, or blonde framing their face. While this trend is super fun and bold, I highly doubt it will be sticking around past 2020!
2. Shaved Brows
This is one trend that I could never quite get on board with. Maybe it’s because I have thin eyebrows and the idea of shaving even a little bit off of them makes me want to cry, but the e-girls of TikTok seemed to love this one regardless. In order to achieve a more lifted and modelesque look, like Kendall Jenner or Bella Hadid, beauty gurus have been shaving off the tail ends of their brows. Apparently, this allows you to fill them in straight across instead of having to follow your brow’s natural curve. By drawing in the ends of your brows this way, it creates a natural face lift that completely alters your appearance. However, be warned that this method does not work well for everyone—especially if you shave off too much. While this trend looks good on some people, I think we will end up regretting this more than the thin brows of the 90s!
3. DIY Bangs
Yet another unfortunate trend to emerge this year, DIY bangs have become synonymous with quarantine. I don’t know if it was the stress of isolation during a pandemic or just the copious amount of time on everyone’s hands, but a lot of people turned to self-inflicted bangs to help themselves cope. While this hairstyle can look absolutely amazing when executed by a professional, following a YouTube tutorial on your bathroom floor at 2 a.m. rarely yields the same results. The number of videos I’ve seen where this trend goes down south is crazy, but it definitely makes for some quality entertainment. If we thought quarantine bangs were bad now, I can’t even begin to imagine how we’ll feel about them in 10 years! But in the meantime, let’s say a prayer for all of the hairdressers that will have to fix these hairdos in a few months.
4. Heavy Blush
This one actually pains me to write about because I am living for this trend right now. Heavy pink blush across the cheeks and nose to create a slightly sunburned look is all the rage at the moment. Whether you’re on TikTok or Instagram, you’re likely to see tons of people absolutely rocking this trend. One thing I’ve noticed when it comes to blush is that it’s always all or nothing. A few years ago, most people would completely skip applying blush during their daily makeup routine, but now it’s a faux pas to be caught without it. While most of us are total suckers for the flushed and youthful look of heavy-handed blush, I feel like this is one trend that will probably fizzle out within a few years. Even though I hope this makeup look is in for the long haul, it’ll probably be replaced by the minimal blush look in a few years.
5. Excessive Highlight
Highlighter has been a key part of my makeup collection for the past five years. I’ll put that stuff on my cheeks, brow bone, nose, you name it! Similar to blush, however, I feel that a lot of us tend to overdo it when it comes to this wonderfully shimmery product. Because the dewy makeup look is so in right now, highlighter has become everyone’s best friend. But when there’s just a little too much on someone’s skin, the final result can end up looking reminiscent of a disco ball. While I’d gladly choose to look like a shiny disco ball instead of a dry piece of chalk any day of the week, I have a gut feeling that highlighter is still going to become obsolete within the next 10 years. Even though one of my fave beauty products is bound to die out soon, I will continue to wear her with pride until she finally goes out of style!
*Before I wrap this article up, I just wanted to end by saying that trends are trendy for a reason. All of the looks on this list are popular because they look amazing and people feel confident when they wear them. In my opinion, there’s no such thing as a “good” trend or a “bad” trend. If something makes you feel good about yourself, wear it! Sure, maybe you’ll look back on pictures one day and giggle, but that doesn’t matter. Do what makes you happy in the moment and you’ll never truly regret it.
Haylee Thorson is an editorial writer who specializes in beauty, culture, and travel. Follow her on Instagram.