Woman’s Y2K Makeup Tutorial Inspired by Iconic Movie Characters Goes Viral

The makeup look worn by memorable movie characters of the early 2000s is still to die for with a certain demographic, as one TikToker found with her Y2K cosmetics tutorial which has gone viral.

It’s one of the most iconic eras of cinema, and female-fronted movies created some of the industry’s most enduring female characters, with the likes of Elle Woods (Reece Witherspoon, Legally Blonde, 2002), and Regina George and Karen Smith (Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried Mean Girls, 2004).

And all of these owe a debt to an influential 1995 character who arguably started this particular white blonde ‘it girl’ look, Cher (Alicia Silverstone, Clueless).

While the characters were different, there was one constant across the movies released around this time: these leading ladies always had a simple, yet stunning makeup look many have been going for over the best part of two decades.

If you’ve already tried your hand but still couldn’t quite nail the 00s look, complete with frosted shadows and glossy lips, fear not, as makeup artist Lila Childs shared a simple tutorial to recreate the makeup look for yourself.

In the video, which has over 103,00 likes and 699,000 views since it was first shared to TikTok on February 1 to @lilachilds, the MUA shared her top tips for embodying an ‘it girl’ at home, a look she said is “so beautiful” and “so nostalgic.”

How To Get 00s ‘It Girl’ Makeup

Embrace the Skinny Brow

Full, feathery brows may be best in 2024, but back in the early 2000 the skinny brow reigned supreme.

You may be tempted to stick to your tried and tested brow routine, but to fully embrace the look try to keep it on the thinner side.

Childs explained, for an accurate re-creation, that your brows are “gonna be really arched and fairly thin.”

Using a brow gel to mold them into shape, she then filled in the brow for a late 90s/early 00s look.

Matte Mentality

It may go against the grain of what’s currently popular, but, when it comes to skin, matte is king for creating a 00s inspired look, with contour and concealer an afterthought.

After creating a smooth base with primer, Childs explained, “you wanna use something that’s matte that provides a good amount of coverage.”

After creating a matte base with a skin tint or foundation, dependent on your desired coverage, she went in with a concealer under her eyes, to the forehead, bridge of the nose, and anywhere else she had discoloration.

When it comes to shades, don’t go as light as you would if brightening your undereye, as Childs said: “you want your concealer to cover any discoloration, but it shouldn’t be so much lighter than your skin tone that it creates that kind of stark flashback effect.”

Keep it Cool Toned

Using just a concealer and foundation or skin tint can leave your face looking flat, so, even thought blush and bronzer weren’t having as big of a moment at the time, you need to add some color back to the face for dimension.

Childs chose a cool-toned pink cream blush that “I feel like a lot of those movie characters are wearing.

“I did blush first because I don’t want it to be so intense.”

Next, she used a cream contour, warning not to “go overboard with this though, because we’re really just trying to mimic out natural shadows.”

Letting the makeup sit whilst she finished her eyes, she then set her entire face with a translucent powder, telling viewers to use the product everywhere, “Including our cheekbones which feels wrong, but accurate for this type of makeup.”

She then set her contour using a powder, taking the excess on the brush over her cheeks to blend it together.

Feeling Frosty

Synonymous with early 00s makeup, frosted eyes, lips, tips, and everything in between was a key trend for the time—and one that translated to the silver screen, too.

Childs explained, “obviously it’s not all the same eye looking at those reference images, but there’s a general theme of kind of cool tones with a frosty eyelid.”

After setting the eye, Childs selected a muted lavender shade in the crease of her eyelid, taking a slightly darker shade to deepen the outer corners.

Whilst makeup has developed many products used at the time are long since discontinued, so Childs applied a shimmery shadow with her finger across the lid for a frosted effect, taking the excess product under her brow bone.

To finish the eyes, she took the same two lavender shades under her lower lash line, and used a matte white to brighten her inner corner, before curling her lashes and adding a grey-toned liner and mascara.

Go For Glossy Lips

No matter which shade you selected, although pink and a dark brown were the only two options for an it girl, glossy lips were a non-negotiable in the early 00s.

After lining her lips with a shade similar to her own, careful not to overline, she applied a pink gloss, explaining that “I really associate this kind of makeup with that pink shade.”

To switch it up or add your own stamp, Childs recommended reaching for a brick red/brown gloss instead.