Makeup trends come and go, but certain techniques have a way of sticking around—especially when they’re reimagined for today. That was the premise behind the 2016 Meets Now makeup workshop at The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio, led by renowned makeup artist Chuchie Ledesma.
“The 2016 makeup look—it’s like the makeup wore us and not the other way around,” she reflected. “We weren’t afraid of wearing color. We weren’t afraid of trying everything we saw from our favorite YouTubers. But at the end of the day, sometimes we didn’t look like ourselves.”
With this in mind, Ledesma guided attendees through a step-by-step revival of the era, showing how to blend the best of 2016 techniques—chiseled contours, lifted eyes, and matte lips—with a cleaner, more modern aesthetic. From thoughtful skin prep to the final touches, she demonstrated how a decade-old style can be reworked into something entirely 2026-ready.
Prepping the Canvas: Skin First
Before picking up brushes or palettes, Ledesma emphasized that a well-prepped face is non-negotiable. She demonstrated how gently warming and layering products can make a difference, noting that even small steps like applying skincare and sunscreen to the ears help create a smooth and even canvas.
“Before, prepping the skin wasn’t a big deal. As long as my foundation adheres [to the skin], that’s it. We didn’t consider that skin prep is one of the most important things to make our makeup last longer. We relied heavily on setting sprays and everything else except for skin prep,” shared Ledesma.
She started with Habitude Thicc Water Toner, a toner for oily skin with a slightly thick, water-like texture. It helps replenish moisture immediately and balances your skin’s pH, preventing the tightness that often causes foundation to cling to dry patches.
Habitude Thicc Water Toner
P985, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Next, she applied the Habitude Dew-It-All Essence, reminding everyone to warm it between their palms before patting it in..
Habitude Dew It All Essence
P1,070, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
“First of all, we need use the product sparingly. And second, we don’t need too much. If you put too much skincare before your foundation, for sure, your foundation is gonna slide off.”
“Foundation adheres better and your makeup lasts longer when you prep your skin really well. Because if it’s a bit dry and you didn’t put anything on, there’s a tendency that your foundation is gonna crack. The day isn’t even over yet and you’ll see creases right away. When you’re applying the essence, be very gentle. And pat,” she added.
To seal in that hydration without making the skin heavy, Ledesma followed with the Habitude Skin On Holiday Serum, a niacinamide serum that calms stressed-out skin and provides deep hydration. She also reminded guests to adapt routines to our local climate. “So here in the Philippines, you can do at least three [skincare] steps already. You don’t need to do the 10 steps, five steps,” she explained, mentioning that too much skincare before makeup can actually work against you in the heat. This is also why the Habitude trio was the perfect choice for delivering quick hydration and moisture without heaviness—enough preparation for longevity without overloading the skin.
Habitude Skin On Holiday Serum
P1,750, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Eyes: Updated Definition
Before going into foundation, Ledesma worked on the eyes. She explained, “When I start with foundation and then the eyeshadow has fallout, I have to redo the under-eye area. So I usually do the eye first.” This keeps cleanup easy and prevents base makeup from getting disturbed later.
She applied a very sheer layer of the Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Concealer across the lids to even out tone and help the pigment get a better grip.
Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Liquid Concealer
P499, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Ledesma then moved into what she described as a “calmer” version of the 2016 cut crease eyeshadow—still defined, but far more wearable for everyday. “Cut crease is more of a Middle Eastern–inspired look. The eyes look strong, and there’s a distinct division between the colors,” she explained. But instead of the harsh lines people wore a decade ago, the goal now is softness.
“We don’t want this kind of harsh lines for daily makeup… so we’ll make it a bit more wearable. But again, it’s just makeup. Whatever makes you happy, go for it.”
She began mapping the eye using a neutral base shade from the EB Toast of New York Baked Eyeshadow Palette, first creating a guide where the shimmer would sit. With the eyes open, she lightly sketched the crease. Starting light is key.
EB Toast of New York Baked Eyeshadow Palette
P395, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
“When you’re doing cut crease like this, you have to start with the lightest shade and then make the color more intense so there’s gradation and it’s not just one solid color.” She then used the Careline Multi Stick to gently define the fold and add dimension.
Careline Multi Stick
P220, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Instead of jumping straight to liquid liner, she started with powder eyeshadow used as a liner. She used the angled brush from the Dala Kind Brushes Vol. 1 Set and the darkest shade of the EB Toast of New York Baked Eyeshadow Palette to softly the upper lash line.
Dala Global Kind Brushes Vol. 1
P988, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Then she shared a liquid liner technique she called life-changing: keep your eyes open as you apply it, and use your natural crease as your guide. “It’s different when your eyes are open—you can actually see where your fold sits,” she explained. “Find where that fold ends, and only wing your liner out from that exact point. Don’t draw the wing across the crease. Because once you cross the fold, it’s going to crease.”
She also emphasized holding your eyeliner at a slightly lowered angle for better control and precision. For this step, she used the Careline Graph-Ink Liner, which delivers intense, long-lasting pigment with a fine felt-tip applicator. For a softer, more diffused finish, you can stop after the eyeshadow liner and skip the liquid liner altogether.
Careline Graph-Ink Liner
P226, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
She sharpened the edge using a tiny amount of concealer, then softened the result by tapping a dark shadow on top so the line wouldn’t look too stark. Shimmer was added to the lid, though she adjusted based on eye structure. “If you have hooded eyes or puffy eyes, tone down the shimmer a bit. You can use matte.”
Lashes finished the look—curled, mascara applied in a zigzag motion from roots to tips. Heavy falsies are optional, but again, moderation matters. “You may want to use this kind of false eyelashes again—no problem with that. Just make sure your eyes do not look sleepy.” Too much weight, she joked, will make you look like you’ve been working nonstop.
Foundation: Smooth and Crease-Free Coverage
Once the eyes were complete, she moved to the base, choosing the Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Liquid Foundation for its smooth and self-blending coverage. Her approach to foundation is precise and methodical. Rather than applying all over, she started with areas of less movement and worked outward using the Sculpting Base Brush from the Dala Global Easy Basics Brush Set: “The movement is here,” she said, pointing near the cheekbones. “Even if you put a thick layer of foundation, it won’t crease.”
Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Liquid Foundation
P699, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Brushes were preferred over sponges for hygiene and control, with a technique she called brush priming, where the brush is buffed or swirled around (either on a palette or the back of the hand) after you pick up the product to coat the brush evenly. “If you don’t prime your brush, what will happen is the product just sits here. It will turn patchy once applied,” she explained.
She emphasized blending carefully and using leftover product to cover other areas like the sides of the nose, forehead, and temples. “Whatever’s left on your brush, apply it on the sides of your nose. And don’t forget the temple because it’s still part of your face.”
Concealer: Correct Then Brighten
Instead of immediately applying a heavy under-eye triangle—a signature 2016 move—she first gave a practical tip: mix your corrector and concealer together. Using the Enigma Skintroduction Longwear Liquid Concealer, she blended in a corrector to customize the shade depending on the discoloration. She then applied it with a slanted brush from Dala—a shape she liked because it easily reaches the sides of the nose.
“Correctors are mainly used to neutralize intense colors. So, when you apply your foundation or your base color, you can easily cover it. Basically, it’s just two complementary colors. When you’re correcting something, just think of a complementary color—the color that matches [it on] the color wheel,” she said. For example, green neutralizes redness. Peach neutralizes blue or purple tones.
Contour, Bronzer, and Blush: Shaping With Intention
Contour, in 2016, usually meant memorizing a face chart. These days, it means basing it on your face shape. After priming the Dala Global Sculpting Cream Brush again, she mapped the direction depending on proportions. “If my client’s face is a bit long, her contour is horizontal. If my client’s face is wide, I go diagonal—towards the lip.”
For warmth and dimension, she went in with the Careline Multi Stick (used as bronzer/contour) and the EB Toast of New York Dough Blush.
EB Toast of New York Dough Blush
P301, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Her approach to bronzer focuses on overall harmony. The warmth on the face should still match the tone of the neck, shoulders, and arms so it doesn’t look isolated or overly sculpted.
Using the same angled control, she located blush placement through invisible guides: putting a brush under the nostril across, then intersecting with another brush that connected the lip corner to outer eye corner. Afterward, she blended upward with a powder brush from the Dala Global Beyond Easy 9-piece Full-sized Brush Set to create a lifting effect.
Dala Beyond Easy 9-piece Full-sized Brush Set
P1,1580, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Finishing Touches: Brows, Setting Spray, Lips
For the brows, she used the Enigma Brow Blade Pencil, a refillable pencil with the perfect balance of coverage and precision. She softly defined the tail of the brow to enhance shape without making it look harsh or artificial. Any areas that needed extra correction were subtly brightened with the same Enigma concealer, applied with precision to clean up edges.
Enigma Brow Blade Eyebrow Pencil
P349, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
When it came to setting, she applied the Enigma Skintroduction Powder Foundation lightly, then misted the face with the EB Daily Dose Setting Spray to lock everything in place. Using the Large Powder Brush from Dala Global, she bounced the powder across the face instead of sweeping to ensure the finish remained skin-like: natural, seamless, and breathable.
Enigma Skintroduction Powder Foundation
P599, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
EB Daily Dose Setting Spray SPF 30 PA+
P345, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
For lips, she revisited the matte lip look of 2016 but updated it for comfort with a blurred-lip finish, using the EB Daily Dose Dewy Balm SPF PA++. She opted for its dewy formula that maintained definition without the dryness of past matte products. She then took the lightest pink shade of the EB Toast of New York Baked Eyeshadow Palette and applied it outside of the lip line to keep the lips polished and defined yet soft, wearable, and comfortable.
EB Daily Dose Dewy Balm SPF PA++
P295, The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio
Take a look at the result: On the left, the refreshed 2026 version consists of soft edges, subtle lift, and blurred lips. On the right, the 2016 look shows the era’s signature drama with bolder pops of color, sharper lines, and statement lips—proof that little tweaks can make a big difference.
2026 vs 2016. A side by side comparison by makeup artist Chuchie Ledesma. Photography by Reagan Dela Torre.
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