Iconic makeup products of the 2010s

shellygrrl

Moderator
Staff member
Not only is 2019 coming to a close, but the 2010s overall are ending this year. So I was thinking a little about products that came out during this decade that made a long-term impression in the makeup community — the iconic products of the decade.

I don't think you can bring this up without talking about the original Naked Palette from Urban Decay. That was something a lot of people went ape over at the start of the decade, and it kicked off the trend of neutral palettes that eventually followed.

Some other products that came out this decade that I think fall into this category are Tarte Shape Tape concealer, virtually anything from Colourpop (especially the Super Shock products, I think), all those highlighter and contour palettes from various brands (especially Anastasia and Kat Von D, as well as Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow), Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Matte foundation, all those liquid lipsticks from multiple brands. There have been some drugstore items that had people talking, too: Milani Luminoso blush, the Maybelline Color Tattoos, L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadows (the ones in the pot), various mascaras, wet'n'wild Photofocus Foundation, CYO Lifeproof Foundation (the brand itself will belong solely to the 2010s, as it will be gone in early 2020).

What do you think are some of the iconic products of the 2010s? (They had to have come out during this decade.)
 

shellygrrl

Moderator
Staff member
Thought of a few more products while getting ready this morning!

* Original MUFE HD Foundation. Loads of people loved that foundation.
* Chanel Notorious blush. I think when people learned that it made for a great contour shade, it broke the beauty internets. (I also think Dior put out a blush recently reminiscent of this?)
* From MUFE's very early eyeshadow range, back when they all just had numbers... #92. That vibrant purple that loads of people loved. (Related: Sugarpill Poison Plum, long touted as a close dupe.)

These next ones I think were released before the '10s, but my brain associates them with the '10s (probably because they were big during those early days of beauty Youtube).

* Those 88 eyeshadow palettes sold on eBay (and often passed off as MAC... grrrrr), Coastal Scents, Crown Brush, etc.
* NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, often used in conjunction with the above, to help bump up the pigmentation of the eyeshadows.
* NYX Blush in Taupe, back when it and the other shades had that quilt-like pattern in the pan. Along with MAC Strada blush (which I think was being discontinued around that time?), it was touted as a great contour shade for lighter skintones.
 

lenchen

Well-known member
Thought of a few more products while getting ready this morning!

* Original MUFE HD Foundation. Loads of people loved that foundation.
* Chanel Notorious blush. I think when people learned that it made for a great contour shade, it broke the beauty internets. (I also think Dior put out a blush recently reminiscent of this?)
* From MUFE's very early eyeshadow range, back when they all just had numbers... #92. That vibrant purple that loads of people loved. (Related: Sugarpill Poison Plum, long touted as a close dupe.)

These next ones I think were released before the '10s, but my brain associates them with the '10s (probably because they were big during those early days of beauty Youtube).

* Those 88 eyeshadow palettes sold on eBay (and often passed off as MAC... grrrrr), Coastal Scents, Crown Brush, etc.
* NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, often used in conjunction with the above, to help bump up the pigmentation of the eyeshadows.
* NYX Blush in Taupe, back when it and the other shades had that quilt-like pattern in the pan. Along with MAC Strada blush (which I think was being discontinued around that time?), it was touted as a great contour shade for lighter skintones.
I remember all these in the early beauty days of beauty youtube! and the nyx lipsticks that were 1.99
 

fur4elise

Well-known member
What keeps popping into my thoughts...MAC Skinfinish products:

The natural formula,
which I used for years to set/finish foundation.

The highlighter formula and the myriad of LE releases over the years...like Stereo Rose, Blonde, Brunette and Redhead, Taraji... all the funky designs and combinations. Those used to be really fun.

Then came the Extra Dimension SF formula for both face and eye. The Extra Dimension blush release. I took a look in my wardrobe and MAC easily dominates in number and length of time in my collection. Does anyone remember the giant football shaped Wonder Woman release? I have loved those things to the pan and into pieces. ;)

I feel like all highlighters got their seed from MAC. Unfortunately, MAC has fallen way off the radar for creating the buzz and excitement...so sad.


p.s. I second the original Urban Decay Naked palette as another icon. I finally disposed of it, I think last year...
 
Last edited:

Rinstar

Well-known member
What keeps popping into my thoughts...MAC Skinfinish products:

The natural formula,
which I used for years to set/finish foundation.

The highlighter formula and the myriad of LE releases over the years...like Stereo Rose, Blonde, Brunette and Redhead, Taraji... all the funky designs and combinations. Those used to be really fun.

Then came the Extra Dimension SF formula for both face and eye. The Extra Dimension blush release. I took a look in my wardrobe and MAC easily dominates in number and length of time in my collection. Does anyone remember the giant football shaped Wonder Woman release? I have loved those things to the pan and into pieces. ;)

I feel like all highlighters got their seed from MAC. Unfortunately, MAC has fallen way off the radar for creating the buzz and excitement...so sad.


p.s. I second the original Urban Decay Naked palette as another icon. I finally disposed of it, I think last year...


Redhead is still one of my favorites!! I bought a back up and have just started using it recently.
 

lenchen

Well-known member
What keeps popping into my thoughts...MAC Skinfinish products:

The natural formula,
which I used for years to set/finish foundation.

The highlighter formula and the myriad of LE releases over the years...like Stereo Rose, Blonde, Brunette and Redhead, Taraji... all the funky designs and combinations. Those used to be really fun.

Then came the Extra Dimension SF formula for both face and eye. The Extra Dimension blush release. I took a look in my wardrobe and MAC easily dominates in number and length of time in my collection. Does anyone remember the giant football shaped Wonder Woman release? I have loved those things to the pan and into pieces. ;)

I feel like all highlighters got their seed from MAC. Unfortunately, MAC has fallen way off the radar for creating the buzz and excitement...so sad.


p.s. I second the original Urban Decay Naked palette as another icon. I finally disposed of it, I think last year...

I agree with all of this! especially with MAC it's really sad that they've fallen by the wayside. I often wonder why that is the case. They paved the way for the highlighter craze for sure! I remember Stereo rose, and brunette! and yes! wonder Woman!! I remembered waiting outside the mac store to get the items I wanted from that collection. I was living in NYC at the time. I decluttered my urban decay naked 1 palette back in 2014.
 
To be fair, the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots are the only item on this list that I cannot confirm the launch date. However, it was 2012 when I remember everyone raving about how amazing the MAC Paint Pots were for priming the eyelids.
 

shellygrrl

Moderator
Staff member
To be fair, the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots are the only item on this list that I cannot confirm the launch date. However, it was 2012 when I remember everyone raving about how amazing the MAC Paint Pots were for priming the eyelids.
I remember seeing them on Youtube when I first started looking for makeup tutorials in mid-to-late 2010, and I imagine the original paint pot formula (before it joined the Pro Longwear range) goes back farther than that.
 

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