Maybe it's the rose-colored, butterfly-shaped, rhinestone-studded glasses through which we view nostalgia, but girlhood in the Y2K era just hit differently. The magic of a sleepover with best friends in 1999 is a feeling I find myself chasing constantly, but it’s been tough to re-create. That’s when bonds were forged, comfort movies discovered, and makeup skills were born. Armed with a sponge-tipped eye shadow applicator and a dream, we didn’t have detailed video tutorials to follow. We looked to techniques passed on to us by cool older sisters and in the pages of YM to guide us.

Makeup felt fun, experimental, and almost revolutionary to my 11-year-old self. It was under the canopy of glow-in-the-dark stars on a friend’s ceiling that I was introduced to makeup as a creative medium. I learned how to apply eyeliner and smudge it out for that Xtina smoky eye, met for the first time the status symbol that was MAC’s Prrr Lipglass, and discovered the power that a swipe of Bath & Body Works Art Stuff roll-on body glitter held. “The early 2000s were such a fun, playful time for makeup,” says Nikki Deroest, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist. “They were glossy, frosty, a little undone.”

While Y2K looks certainly borrowed elements from the ’90s, there was a distinct difference between the two eras. “Nineties makeup was the supermodel look—think Tyra, Naomi, Cindy—with matte skin, brown or nude lips, and neutral tones that evolved from the polished glamour of the ’50s,” says Renée Loiz, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist. “Y2K flipped that with frosted shadows, metallic gloss, and shine pulled from ’70s disco. It went from minimal and sleek to playful and looking toward the future.”

At some point, we became adults, swapping our MAC Lipglass for matte, liquid lipsticks, and the brands we grew up with followed suit. Even Urban Decay, which launched in 1996 with some of the coolest, edgiest shades, like Acid Rain and Exhaust, veered toward neutrals with the launch of its Naked Palette in 2010 (which may have contributed to the rise in wearable earth tones of the time).

Still, old habits die hard, and like Kylie Minogue’s 2001 hit single, there are certain things you just can’t get out of your head. Props to that 20-year trend cycle, because Y2K aesthetics are back, and the inspiration is everywhere in makeup.