We used to be a sparkly people. Before a big night out or even just dinner with friends, lids twinkled, cheekbones caught the light from every angle, and lip gloss doubled as a mirror. In the ’70s and ’80s, shimmer wasn’t optional in makeup—it was the whole point. Soul Train dancers left a trail of glitter as they shimmied the night away. Donna Summer’s pure disco shine and Cher’s theatrical sparkle set the standard.
By the early aughts, as formulas evolved, so did sparkle’s role: chunky glitter gave way to metallic, cool-toned eyes, frosted lips, and bedazzled body stickers placed near the collarbones—usually in the shape of a butterfly or star. The Y2K era was extra, yes, but deliberately so, with a kind of loud glamour meant to spark joy and creativity.
Then, almost overnight, the shine faded, and we entered a clean girl era. Full-impact makeup was traded for dewy skin, soap brows, and the kind of restraint that suggests minimal effort. But shimmer never really left—it just slipped out of the spotlight, waiting for the right moment to ride back in and save us from the choke hold of minimalist glam.
Turns out, 2026 is that moment. Makeup is swinging back toward the bold side of the pendulum. The return of Euphoria, along with other cultural entertainment moments, like the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun Tour, and basically every Tyla appearance, signals a collective return to drama and, well, sparkle. And makeup artists who came of age during the peak of shimmer are watching a new generation rediscover it—this time with more sophisticated formulas.
“Shimmer five years ago looked heavy with textured glitter; it was very Studio 54-esque,” says Katie Jane Hughes, a makeup artist in New York City, and the founder of KJH.Brand. “Now, I think we’re in a much more chic, more elegant era of shimmer.”
Hughes isn’t alone in that thinking. Artists including Donni Davy, the founder of Half Magic; Sophia Sinot, a makeup artist whose creativity has been capturing the attention of today’s most vibrant celebrities; and Pat McGrath, the founder of Pat McGrath Labs and pillar of Fashion Week, point to a version of shimmer that feels more intentional—less all-over, more strategic, and ultimately more wearable.
But why now? After years of pared-back, clean girl makeup, why revisit shimmer at all? Davy, one of the makeup artists who never took a break from sparkle, points, in part, to boredom: “Whenever you do one thing for a while, people just get tired of it,” she says. But for her, the shift also reflects something deeper: a kind of collective resistance. “With everything going on in the world right now, especially in the US, and the sense that we’re moving backwards in terms of human rights, it feels like a good time to show up as your most superhuman self,” she says.
That can mean embracing more color and shimmer, and being unapologetic, even defiant, through makeup. “It doesn’t feel like the moment to be demure or to perfect a ‘clean girl’ look that’s just your face, but prettier. It’s a time to inject more feeling and mood into makeup.” For Davy, that kind of self-expression can be deeply therapeutic, even cathartic, especially when it sparkles.” Because shimmer has never been “just decoration,” says McGrath. “It’s emotion, glamour, and transformation all at once.”
Ahead, top makeup artists break down the state of shimmer—from the elements of bygone eras that inspire today’s looks to the new formulas shaping the trend—and how this resurgence is bringing joy back into our makeup routines.
