Is Clean Girl Makeup on Borrowed Time in 2026?
Are we leaving the clean girl makeup behind in 2026? While nostalgic makeup enthusiasts are craving more color, more chaos, more fun, I doubt we can leave minimalism behind. Kylie Jenner gave us a small taste of that era with her celebration of 10 years of beauty through her ‘King Kylie’ collection and left the girls a little hungry. Brands are bringing back more than just lip balms in recent launches. We’re even seeing our clean beauty brands indulge in the glitz and glam of it all. Kosas started the new year off bright with their new ‘Shiny Objects’ in 5 iconic shades. I won’t deny it, the girls were onto something when we started only tending to our lashes and a lip tint with a touch-up of lip balm throughout the day as our “everyday glam”. Simply giving yourself 10 minutes of beauty for a better 10 hours in the day. There is something so satisfying and peaceful about a short makeup routine to enhance one’s own beauty, but I would also be lying if I said I wasn’t wanting more.
The makeup industry is heavily saturated with barely there blush and mascara, so maybe this is time for the emergence of a collaboration of the two? The middle child of clean girl and 2016? What should we name her? I am convicned she is in the room with us, or maybe, selfishly, I want her to be. I’m equally interested and excited. I’ve even found myself packing more powder on, gravitating towards fuller brows, and falling in love with a crisp champagne pop on the cheeks. We were being fed blush, skin tints, and the perfect pouty lip combos all 2025. And if I could combine the two aesthetics, trust me those three are staying in the routine because whether it takes 2 hours or 4 hours they are a part of this team and will be staying until the routine is done. I am unsure if it is a prediction for the new year, or a manifestation, but I would love to see more invention in the bronzer, highlighter, and coverage category. I am not saying we need to ditch clean beauty, better-for-you formulas, or the idea of buildable coverage, but a girl wants more (I’m girl). Combining the two aesthetics creates a middle ground for both parties, while still leaving the option to dive head-first in whatever floats your boat. Leaving the girl that has to shop at multiple different brands, mix multiple different products, and play scientist every morning to have exactly what she wants.
Trust me when I say, I know a 10-step routine is challenging and I am very familiar with my brows being cousins (on a good day). But listen, with all the beauty innovation we have been seeing, is it wrong to believe that these brands can give us more? In the last five years, we’ve seen products be discontinued and brands change their entire ethos, if they’re aren’t closing. Remember when Pretty Little Thing sold neon pink crop tops? When makeup brands ONLY sold makeup? Now we are given the option to buy skincare and fragrance from our favorite brands that sell our favorite blushes. I love a trend, but trends are not a lifestyle, they aren’t sustainable. When I look back at 2016 makeup it affected everyone. Whether you bought the products, completed a full beat before 8 am on a Tuesday, or simply appreciated a lipgloss from one of the 5 “it” brands at that time non-makeup and makeup wearers lived for it all. Nowadays? It is just not the same. Having options is at an all time high in almost every industry, especially in beauty, yet all I see is the same launch in different fonts. Maybe that was the beauty of makeup in 2016, the innovation was little to none, so it was easier to have a breakthrough launch that created history every other month from more than one brand.
Changing the beauty game or have we lost the plot? I for one am unsure and it depends on the day what side I’m choosing to ride for. All I can say? If 2016 makeup trends are on the rise, I fully believe our beauty community will, as always, be the one to shape and refine it because nobody does it better. With brands like Danessa Myricks and One Size Beauty adding layers into the beauty industry with every launch they release, I have a vision that 2016 makeup will breath once again, just maybe with different air than it did before.
