How To Recreate Iconic Beauty Moments From Your Fave Y2K Movies And TV
If you were a kid or tween in the early-to-mid 2000s, your makeup memories might include scented lip gloss, envying your friend’s Lip Smackers collection, and scraping your eyelid with one of those tiny god-awful eyeshadow applicators.
The ’00s truly were a time for bold beauty looks (read: body glitter). Y2k maximalism is experiencing a revival in recent years, so we’re taking a look back at some of the most iconic hair and makeup looks from teen movies and TV — and how to recreate the styles yourself.
From crimped hair to coloured streaks, teen films and TV shows are choc-full of mood board-worthy beauty moments.
How to recreate the iconic beauty moments from Y2K teen movies and TV:
Crimped hair, Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004)
Indenturing kinks into your hair like grill marks on a toastie was all the rage in the noughties, and nobody rocked the look better than tween icon Lizzie McGuire. In each episode, Lizzie sported a different hairstyle, with crimped locks making a frequent cameo.
Whether she crimped random sections of hair (a true visionary) or opted for a fully-crinkled mane, Lizzie was the ultimate school disco inspo of the early ’00s.
Lizzie McGuire certainly makes the case that a crimper is what (hair) dreams are made of. And after a long hiatus, zig-zag tresses are finally having a resurgence, spotted on runways from New York to Paris. Unleash your inner middle-schooler and get creative with a crimping iron like the VS Sassoon Total Crimp, and be sure to spritz the final look with hair spray to lock in your ‘do.
Flushed cheeks and spiky hair, 13 Going on 30 (2004)
13 Going on 30’s Jenna Rink captures what would happen if you gave a 13-year-old girl access to a designer wardrobe and a vanity stocked full of luxury products. The result? Pretty darn fabulous.
In her most iconic look, Jenna channels her youthfulness with a playful beauty look combining pink cherub-flushed cheeks, a matching gloss, and an oh-so-two-thousands spiky hair bun. Jenna Rink certainly makes the case for listening to your inner tween when it comes to makeup and fashion.
Keep it flirty with a generous wash of candy-pink blush on the apples of your cheeks (like the NARS powder blush in Bumpy Ride) and lacquer your lips with a matching pink shade (a sparkly gloss like the Fenty Gloss Bomb in Fu$$y would probably have been a staple in Jenna’s handbag). Lastly, throw your hair up in a regular bun, making sure to leave the ends out. Then, using hairspray as your best friend, fan those babies out, and you’re good to go!
Body glitter, Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Just like noughties fashion, the film Josie and the Pussycats has gained a cult following over the past few years. Josie, Melody, and Valerie channel Y2k maximalism, sparkling in silver body glitter that matches their sequinned outfits (a total vibe).
As if that isn’t dazzling enough, they seem to be rocking some sparkly tattoos too!
Body glitter was the ultimate staple of every primary school disco. And like the movie itself, we think it’s about time it made a resurgence. Makeup lines like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty have reimagined body glitter for the 2020s (nostalgic shimmery fun contained in chic, grown-up packaging) with products like the Diamond Bomb and the Lava Body Luminizer. If you want even more body decor, get your hands on temporary tattoos of your choice and go wild.
Coloured streaks, The Bratz Movie (2007)
The plot of the Bratz live-action movie may have had its flaws, but the Y2k fashion and beauty? Flawless.
However, the stand-out style moment has to be Jade’s blue streaks, which perfectly captures the Y2k penchant for chunky highlights and adding random shizz into your hair. In one scene, she styles her streaks into pigtails and accessorises with a studded baker-boy hat. If that ain’t straight-up Bratitude, then I don’t know what is.
If you want to avoid a home-dye disaster, we recommend getting your hands on some clip-in extensions so you can have fun, and switch things up as needed. Alternatively, try a hair mascara (yes, that’s a thing) like this hair makeup from L’Oreal.
Lip gloss lacquered lips, Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls is the reigning queen of noughties teen flicks. Aside from an unforgettable script (that most of us could recite off by heart), the movie was notable for epitomising the style of the era.
It’s no wonder that throughout the film we see ‘The Plastics’ regularly plumping their perfect pouts with a slick of gloss, the ultimate Y2k It-girl beauty item. Mean girls crew — Regina, Karen, Gretchen and Cady — seem to stick to nude shades and baby pinks for a simple and sweet look (even though they were anything but!)
There’s nothing like a lip gloss to channel Y2k Queen Bee energy. Choose your favourite subtle pink/nude shade (like Dior’s Lip Maximiser), and keep it handy throughout the day.
Frosted silver smokey eye, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is yet another 2004 teen classic starring Lindsay Lohan. However, it’s the antagonist Carla Santini (played by Megan Fox) who really brings the drama with this silver smokey eye.
For this party look, Carla smokes out the frosted silver with a black shadow for a theatrical style. Frosted shadows (aka cool tones like silver, grey, icy blue etc) were all the rage in the noughties. The notorious smokey eye was a little trickier to pull off, but we at least attempted to follow step-by-step diagrams in glossy magazines (with varying degrees of success).
Channel your inner drama queen with a drama-free smokey eye (thanks to online YouTube tutorials and adult motor skills) by using a makeup palette like Xenon by Natasha Denona for a smokey, silver look, or play around with your favourite cool-toned colour palette.
Baby Braids, 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
While the Fast and Furious series was way more popular among teenage boys, there were some serious style moments thanks to racer girl/icon/muse Suki, portrayed by Devon Aoki. Suki struck envy into the heart of every teenage girl with her amazing wardrobe that she coordinated with her barbie-pink race car, which immediately became the ultimate accessory that we all pined for.
Suki keeps it cute with some face-framing baby braids, a trend that’s been taking the 2020s by storm. Baby braids are a quick and fuss-free way to incorporate Y2k playfulness into your look, and have been championed by celebrities such as Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie. Simply braid two small pieces above your temples and seal with a hair elastic.
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For extra Y2k points, decorate with butterfly clips as desired.
