Before they were the chief quiet luxury proponents and masterminds of The Row, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were It girls of a different kind. As most millennials can attest to, as teenagers, the twins had us firmly under their thumbs, from their toussled blonde locks, down to their beaten-up Balenciaga City Bags. Considering this influence, it’s no surprise that, when a close-up photo of Ashley Olsen’s makeup circa 2004 re-emerged on TikTok, our reaction was visceral. If you lived through the early aughts, you’ll like remember where you were when you saw this look – perfect smudged liner, illuminated cheeks, and all – for the first time; and your brain-chemistry has been permanently altered ever since. 

@cootyqueen13 #greenscreen #makeuptutorial #marykateandashley #fyp ♬ original sound - Sabrina Marie 💗

In testament to their sway, this look gave rise to a new era of beauty — one that's worlds away from the current obsession with 'clean girl' looks and '90s minimalism. The look was the result of a genuine laissez faire approach to makeup: foundation was applied with a feather-light touch, lips were swiped with vaseline and little else, and eyes were a wash of soft, smudgy sparkle.  As creator Sabrina Marie (responsible for bringing the photo back into circulation) put it: “I feel like she just put mascara on and rubbed it around, and it just looked good.”

So how did we get here? Sartorially speaking, relics from the early 2000s have been steadily making their way back into our current-day wardrobes for years now. From low rise pants and mullet skirts, to bandeaus and even wedges, try as we might to resist it, the pull of certain 2000s trends has been undeniable. We even recently saw a noughties hair trend bubble back into the mainstream, via the resurgence of Indie Sleaze waves. The lived-in look was another favourite of the Olsen Twins, and recently threatened to dethrone the Dyson Airwrap and it's perfectly bouncy curls — the modern day antithesis, if you will.

How to recreate the Olsen Twins signature 2000s makeup look

Luckily, the internet in all its power has actually summoned the makeup artist behind the OG look: beauty icon, Patti Dubroff. She took to TikTok to confirm that she was, indeed, the Olsen Twins' makeup artist at the time, and even broke down how to achieve the look with present-day products.

When it comes to skin, Dubroff opts for "a really light, liquid foundation just to even things up," and steers away from heavy concealers.

To achieve that perfectly undone eye look, Dubroff reached for a "taupe-y" cream shadow in the crease and under the eye. She layered this with a shadow also in taupe on the lid, but with plenty of shimmer milled into it, followed by a glittery white shadow directly in the centre of the lid, on the brow bone, and on the cupid's bow. Leaning into the laid-backness of the look, mascara was minimal, and typically brown instead of black.

While blush looks today lean heavy-handed at the best of times, back then, it was all about sheer formulas in pale, apricot tones — again, with a lot of shimmer. And if you're as co-dependant on your lip liner as we are, look away: this look uses barely any liner, with a creamy lipstick taking its place.

@patidubroff #olsentwins makeup from early 2000s… i did that! Part one - #ashleyolsen sparkling and soft taupe smudge eye. Big shout out to my model and social media cheerleader @jk ultra ♬ original sound - patidubroff

Feature image via IMDb.