In case you missed it, the internet is obsessed with 2016 again. What started as decade-old Instagram photo dumps at the beginning of the year has turned into a real-life revival, right down to the hair and makeup. Pastel pink dye jobs, matte lips, colorful eyeshadow — they’ve all been coming for the clean girl’s crown.
But, of course, you can’t really talk about 2016 beauty without talking about highlighter. Back then, it wasn’t enough to hit your cheekbones and call it a day. It went on noses, brow bones, Cupid’s bows, collar bones — and lest we forget, ears. So naturally, the ear highlighter revival isn’t far behind.
The Return Of Ear Highlighter
At the peak of glow mania, highlighting your ears felt like the natural next step. For that, you can thank Bretman Rock. The OG beauty creator helped popularize the trend around 2016 and 2017, when he posted an Instagram tutorial showing off the placement, quipping that it “amplifies your hearing, when people want to be talking sh*t.” Other beauty influencers like Jaclyn Hill quickly got in on the look, too — because why should your cheekbones have all the fun?
A decade later, beauty lovers have reached the same conclusion — but this time, the credit goes to makeup artist Ngozi Edeme, better known as @paintedbyesther, who has been bringing the glow to her clients’ ears lately. Love Island star Olandria Carthen recently called out the detail in a TikTok, and within a day, the video racked up nearly 300,000 likes. She’s not the only one getting the lobe strobe treatment, either: Edeme has added similar flashes of shimmer to looks for Tyla and Meret Manon, too.
Of course, it helps that sparkle in general is having a moment. Artists like Edeme and Sophia Sinot are helping to usher in a full-blown body glitter renaissance, with shimmer showing up everywhere from décolletage and shoulders to arms, legs, and necks. With that in mind, adding a little extra shine to your ears doesn’t feel all that random — it fits right in.
There’s also the simple fact that people want makeup to look like makeup again. After years of barely-there glam, ear highlighter feels like a welcome change of pace. It’s fun, frivolous, and meant to be noticed.
How To Try The Trend
Unlike some other 2016 makeup trends (read: cut creases and dip brows), ear highlighter has virtually no learning curve. You don’t need a special brush, a steady hand, or even a new product. If there’s already a highlighter in your makeup bag, congrats: You’re qualified.
First things first, though, you need to decide where to put it. For a more subtle glow, take a cue from Tyla and add a touch of highlighter to smaller areas like the tragus, antihelix, or flat of the ear. Matched with the same shade on your face, it creates a dreamy, fairy-like finish that feels surprisingly cohesive — the perfect finishing touch to the rest of your makeup.
On the other hand, if you want to dial things up, sweep the highlighter across the entire ear á la Manon. The all-over shine gives the look a bolder, more futuristic feel — and really, if you’re bringing back a 2016 beauty trend, subtlety was never the point.
