Honestly? When I dug up that old “2016 makeup tips” headline for today’s practice, I kinda winced. Feels ancient, right? But hey, rules are rules, so I rolled up my sleeves to see if those “expert” quick tips actually held up.
The Pinterest Phase
First step: dug deep into my forgotten Pinterest boards. Scrolled past a LOT of questionable eyebrows and metallic lips. Found some old step-by-steps labeled “fast matte looks“. Grabbed my dusty Z-palette that probably expired in 2018 – whatever, it’s practice.
The “Contouring Is Quick” Lie
The tips swore contouring was “super simple“. Bull. I fumbled that weird cream contour stick. Blended, sure, but it left orange streaks by my hairline. Looked less sculpted, more like I wrestled a rusty pipe. Almost cried trying to fix it without wrecking my base. Wasted a good ten minutes wiping and reapplying powder blush instead. “Quick”? Nope.
Baking Disaster Hour
Next up: “baking under the eyes“. Forgot how much powder this used. Piled it on thick, sat there feeling ridiculous for five whole minutes like the guide said. Brushed it off… and wow. Under my eyes looked dry and cracked, like desert mud. Instantly aged me ten years. Had to spritz toner like crazy and gently pat it back to life. Absolute mess.
The Lipstick Roulette
Searched “2016 lip trends”. Remembered that overdrawn matte lip nightmare? Tried it. Lined way outside my natural lip line with a dull pencil (couldn’t find a sharpener), then slathered on this drying matte liquid lip in a weird mauve shade. Results: uneven, patchy color and my lips felt like sandpaper within minutes. Looked like a kid playing dress-up. Wiped half off immediately.
The Final Face Check
Stood back from the mirror. Face felt heavy and tight. That “fast, fresh matte look”? More like “caked and cracked“. Even my hoodie had stray powder on the collar. Took exactly 32 minutes – hardly “quick” by today’s standards. Definitely not something I’d wear out now unless I was cosplaying 2016 me, who had zero clue about skincare prep.
Lessons Learned? Mostly Relief.
Glad I stuck to practicing at home. Main takeaway: some trends deserve to stay dead. The heavy matte everything, the crazy baking… just too fussy and harsh now. Also confirms my belief: “quick expert tips” often skip the messy reality. My face needed serious moisturizer rehab after this experiment. Still fun to laugh at past beauty trends though!
