Few decades have witnessed a transformation in beauty quite like the 2010s. The popularity of YouTube gave rise to the beauty influencer — often self-taught makeup enthusiasts who showed us how to contour, bake, line and set like never before. These burgeoning beauty buffs sparked a generation of people who not only knew the difference between a cut crease and an over-line, but could execute them flawlessly. While the next generation (whose beauty knowledge comes from TikTok) are buying up the serum section of beauty department stores, they can also explain the differences between BHA and AHA with dermatologist-level confidence – such is the power of everything that’s happened in the beauty realm over the last decade.

As Emporium Melbourne approaches its 10th birthday, we’re winding back the clock to the year 2014; a time when Cara Delevinge-bold brows, Kylie Jenner lip kits, and candy-coloured hair reigned supreme. Come with us on a trip down memory lane, as we recall the biggest beauty trends a decade ago.

Contouring

Love them or hate them, we can’t deny the clear correlation between the popularity of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and the mid-2010s obsession with contouring. The first family of reality TV popularised the use of cream bronzers and powder highlighters to create a structured face, which saw the look adopted and proliferated by YouTube creators. Today, contouring is still very much a thing, but with a lighter touch — powder versions and more subtle sculpting is favoured over the angular look of 2014.

SHOP NOW: Golden Glow Bronzer, $46 from Trinny London, Level 1

Bold Brows

There was no poster child for full and untamed brows in the noughties like Cara Delevinge. A far cry from the ultra-thin brows of the ’90s, the brows du jour were bushy, undone and au naturale. And if you weren’t worshipping at the altar of Cara, your Aussie icon in the brow game was top model Bambi Northwood-Blyth. While we’re not as into ultra-dark brows anymore, the thick, natural shape has prevailed.

SHOP NOW: Etude House Eyebrow Pencil, $6 from W Cosmetics, Level 3

Overlined Lips

Another trend we can thank a member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan for: overlined lips. Kylie Jenner popularised the process of using a lip pencil to draw slightly below and above the line of the lips to make them look extra plump, before filling them in with a lipstick and finishing with a gloss. People were so obsessed with how the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenners perfected her lips that she created her own kits — and the rest is history.

SHOP NOW: Le Crayon Lèvres, $55 from Chanel Fragrance and Beauty, Ground Floor

Nail Art

In the mid-noughties, the French manicure moved over and outrageous nail art took the limelight. Popping off on Instagram and Pinterest, nail art — think quirky designs and three dimensional styles — were popularised by the likes of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna on red carpets and in music videos alike. Despite our new love of more minimalist shades, nail art continues to trend, just in more wearable ways.

Lean into the trend at Prime Nail Salon, Lower Ground

Undone Waves

Forget the poker-straight locks of the early 2000s. In 2014, undone, beachy waves were the hairstyle of choice for new-wave influencers making a name for themselves on Instagram. Early Australian bloggers Tash Sefton and Elle Ferguson sported long, flowing waves, while Blake Lively’s tousled blonde locks was the inspo pic taken to many a hairstylist during formal season. It’s one trend from the era that remains timeless.

Get your locks styled at Pala Salon, Level 1