2000s Makeup: A Step-by-Step Tutorial
How to get the mid-2000s look: bronzed skin, thin brows, soft brown eyes and glossy nude lips. Then see the noughties look on your own face.
The mid-2000s look was all about a tan. This is the noughties celebrity era of bronzed skin, thin brows, soft brown eyes and glossy nude lips, the look you saw on magazine covers and early social media. It is warm, glowy and easy to wear.
It comes together in five simple steps built around bronze and gloss. Here is how to do 2000s makeup step by step, and you can preview the whole look on your own face before you start.
What you'll need
No specific brands needed. Any version of each works.
1. Build a bronzed, tanned base
The mid-2000s were all about looking sun-kissed, so start with a foundation a touch warmer than your natural tone, or add a few drops of liquid bronzer to your usual base. The goal is an all-over warmth rather than a pale, neutral canvas.
Then layer a warm bronzer over the places the sun would naturally hit: your forehead, cheeks, nose, and jaw. Blend it well so there are no hard lines, keeping the whole face warm and lightly glowy so it genuinely looks like you caught a little sun on holiday.
Tip: Take the bronzer down onto your neck and blend it in, since a bronzed face on a paler neck is the fastest way to give the look away.
2. Keep the brows thin
Brows in the 2000s were thin and neatly groomed, so brush yours up and tidy the shape, using concealer along the edges to slim them down rather than plucking. A slightly rounded, fine brow suits the era better than a strong, angular one.
Fill any sparse spots lightly so the brow still looks defined but narrow, and keep the color soft and natural. This thin, tidy brow works with the bronzed skin and glossy lip to place the look firmly in the noughties.
Tip: Faking the thinner shape with concealer means you keep your natural brows intact, which is a lifesaver given how hard over-plucked 2000s brows were to grow back.
3. Add soft brown eyes and lots of lashes
Keep the eyes warm and neutral so they complement the bronzed skin rather than competing with it. Sweep a soft brown or beige shadow over your lid, blend a slightly deeper brown into the crease, and smudge a little brown eyeliner or shadow along your upper and lower lash lines for a soft, smoky frame.
Then pile on the mascara, coating your top and bottom lashes, or add a set of false lashes for full effect. Big, fluttery lashes were a 2000s staple, so this is the place to go a little heavier than you normally would.
Tip: A soft brown liner smudged into the lashes looks more sun-kissed and 2000s than a sharp black line, which can tip the look toward a different decade.
4. Warm up the cheeks with bronze blush
Add a warm bronze or peachy blush to the apples of your cheeks, smiling to find the right spot, then blend it back toward your hairline so it melts into the bronzer. Sticking to warm, golden-toned blush rather than a cool pink keeps everything in the same sun-kissed family.
A cream or liquid blush pressed on with your fingers gives the most natural, glowy result over the bronzed base, but a powder works too. This step ties the whole warm complexion together so nothing looks like a separate stripe of color.
Tip: A touch of shimmery bronzer or highlighter just above the blush, right on the top of the cheekbone, adds the glossy 2000s glow without needing a separate highlighter.
5. Finish with a glossy nude lip
Finish with a glossy nude or beige lip, which was everywhere in the 2000s. Line your lips with a soft brown or nude liner first if you want more shape, then apply a nude lipstick or simply a thick, shiny gloss on its own for a lighter version.
Layer plenty of gloss over the top and add a little extra to the center of your lower lip for a full, shiny finish. Keep the color soft and pale against the bronzed skin, since a light, glossy nude against a warm tan is the exact contrast that defines the noughties lip.
Tip: If a pale nude makes your lips disappear, add a brown-toned liner underneath. It gives shape and stops the concealer-lip effect that can look dated in the wrong way.
See the look on your own face
Upload a selfie and preview this look on yourself with AI before you recreate it.
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Frequently asked questions
What did 2000s makeup look like?+
Mid-2000s makeup was bronzed and glossy: warm, tanned skin with lots of bronzer, thin brows, soft brown or neutral eyes with heavy mascara, warm bronze blush, and a glossy nude lip. It was the sun-kissed celebrity look of the decade.
How is 2000s makeup different from Y2K makeup?+
The broader mid-2000s look is warm and bronzed, with tanned skin, soft brown eyes and nude gloss. Y2K, from the very start of the decade, is cooler and frostier, with icy silver and blue shimmer, glitter and high-shine gloss. One is sun-kissed, the other is frosty.
How do you get bronzed 2000s skin?+
Use a warm base and apply bronzer generously over the cheeks, forehead and jawline, then add a bronze blush. The goal is an all-over sun-kissed warmth rather than sharp modern contour.
How can I try the 2000s look on my own face?+
Tap any try this look on your face button on this page to upload a selfie and preview the full 2000s look on yourself before you recreate it.
