The beauty world moves faster than my attention span. One second we’re obsessed with glass skin, and the next we’re contouring like it’s 2016 again. 

TikTok decides things now, which means trends go from “everywhere” to “I’m deleting this from my brain” in record time. And because I have personally tried more viral beauty hacks than any reasonable human should, I feel fully qualified to rank the biggest makeup trends from the last few years.

The ones that were actually genius, the ones that were just chaotic entertainment, and the ones that should never return unless we’re doing them ironically.

This is not a scientific ranking. It’s not even a particularly calm ranking. It’s simply my very real, very honest, very unfiltered Harper Quinn ranking of makeup trends from “This changed my life” to “Absolutely not, jail.”

Grab a snack, because this list is massive.

The Genius Trends That Actually Deserved the Hype

Let’s start on a positive note, because even though I’m known for chaos and complaining, some trends genuinely earned their moment. The ones in this category are the kind of trends you don’t regret trying, the ones that quietly stay in your routine long after the internet moves on.

Cream Blush

The first trend that belongs in the Genius Hall of Fame is cream blush. Cream blush came in like a sweet little angel and reminded us all that cheeks should look alive, not powdered into chalk. 

It blends beautifully, it looks natural, and it’s the one product that can instantly bring a tired face back to life. TikTok didn’t invent cream blush, but it definitely made us worship it.

Underpainting Technique

Then we have the viral “underpainting” technique. Makeup artists have been doing this forever, but once the trend resurfaced, everyone remembered how much smoother and softer your makeup looks when you layer strategically instead of slapping products on in whatever order your tired brain chooses. 

Underpainting is one of those things that seems complicated until you actually try it, and then you’re immediately annoyed you didn’t start sooner.

Cold Girl Makeup

Another trend that surprised me with its usefulness was the “cold girl makeup” era. Not the part where people pretended frostbite is an aesthetic, but the flush-and-glow combination actually works incredibly well on real human faces. 

A little blush across the nose, soft highlight on the high points, and suddenly you look fresh instead of exhausted.

These are the trends that stay. The trends that become staples. The trends that don’t give you emotional damage. I salute them.

The “Fun But Chaotic” Middle Category

This is the category full of trends that lived fast, died young, and left us slightly confused but also entertained. They weren’t bad. They weren’t great. They simply existed to remind us why the internet should not be trusted without supervision.

Latte Makeup

First up: latte makeup. Was it cute? Yes. Did it make us all look vaguely sunlit? Yes. Did every single person do it differently so the trend became meaningless after two weeks? Also yes. 

Latte makeup was basically a rebranded warm-toned makeup look with a fancy name. Pretty, but not exactly groundbreaking.

Reversed Cat Eye

Next: the reverse cat eye. This one is gorgeous in photos but requires focus, precision, steady hands, and a soul that isn’t tired. So basically, it requires me to be someone else entirely. 

It smudges if you blink too aggressively, and unless you prime your entire under-eye area like you’re prepping for war, it fades into a smoky mess by noon. Beautiful, but stressful.

Faux Freckles

We cannot forget the era of faux freckles. I personally think faux freckles are adorable. But there’s a thin line between “cute sun-kissed effect” and “I dotted my face like a craft project.” 

Some creators mastered it. Others made it look like a skin condition Google Images warned me about. But overall, it was fun, chaotic, and mostly harmless.

These trends didn’t harm us. They just wasted a little time, a little energy, and in some cases a little dignity.

The “Please Never Return” Category 

This category is the most emotional one for me. These are the trends that did not help anyone. They caused frustration, breakouts, strange finishes, and sometimes genuine fear. If I never see these again, it will be too soon.

• Let’s begin with baking. I know, controversial. But baking in the 2016 sense needs to stay gone. Modern formulas don’t require it. Cameras don’t require it. Human skin definitely does not require it. Baking belongs in history next to aggressive matte foundation and Snapchat dog filters.
• Then we have over-contouring. You know the kind. The harsh brown stripes that made every face look like it had been hit with a geometry assignment. TikTok has thankfully softened the look into something more wearable, but the original version? Absolutely not. 
• Next up: nose highlight beams. Those blinding, straight lines of shimmer down the nose bridge that somehow made everyone look sweaty instead of cute. There’s a difference between glow and reflective glare, and this trend absolutely refused to recognize that difference.
• And finally, the trend I hope stays buried forever: DIY eyebrow tinting with household items. I will never be over the number of people who used beard dye, coffee, mascara, and even…shoe polish…to tint their brows at home. 

These trends weren’t just bad, they were stressful. They belong in the vault.

Why We Fall for These Trends in the First Place

It’s easy to laugh now, but the truth is that all of us fall for trends because they make beauty feel like an adventure. They’re fun. They’re collaborative. They’re a distraction. They give us something to try when we’re bored or burned out. 

And the creators who start these trends always look incredible, which does not help. When someone with perfect lighting and glass-skin genetics says, “This blush placement changed my life,” my brain turns into a supportive friend saying, “Let’s do it right now.”

Makeup trends also spread fast because the internet rewards extremes. If it’s dramatic, weird, sparkly, experimental, or slightly unhinged, it goes viral. Subtle trends are boring. Extreme trends blow up. And before we know it, we’re all trying to sculpt our jawlines like we’re prepping for a Vogue cover.

Final Thoughts

Ranking makeup trends is fun, but the truth is that makeup is supposed to be playful. Trends come and go, lighting changes everything, and sometimes even the weirdest hacks teach us something useful (or at least give us content to laugh about later).

Some trends transform routines in the best way. Some exist purely for entertainment. Some need to vanish forever.

But as long as people keep posting new beauty ideas, I’ll keep testing them, laughing at them, occasionally crying because they wrecked my skin barrier, and ranking them like a deeply unserious beauty historian.

If you want the next Harper-style breakdown, just tell me the topic. My face is always ready for chaos.