Chunky Highlights Are Back and Better Than Ever — These Are Our Favorite Looks

September 09, 2020

By: Genesis Rivas | Makeup.com by L'Oréal

The ’90s was an iconic era for the beauty industry. From the fun hair accessories to the brown lipstick, we’re not surprised that many of the beauty trends from this decade have made their way back into our lives (hello, to the new Maybelline New York Super Stay Liquid Matte Coffee Collection). While we can leave the pencil-thin eyebrows as a thing of the past, chunky highlights have been popping up on our social media feeds lately, and honestly, we’re not surprised. We know that many people are on the fence about this look, but trust us when we say this hair color trend can be adjusted to fit your style. So, if you’re someone who has mixed feelings about this ’90s throwback, we’ve gathered some of our favorite takes on chunky highlights that’ll make you rethink your stance.

The OG ’90s Style

Chunky highlights are famous for creating that stark contrast typically at the front of the hair to frame the face. We love that @jessicawagnerhair paired this traditional style with chic beachy waves because it marries the past and present in the best way.

Subtlety Is Key

Instead of placing your chunky highlights at the front of your face, however, you can ask your stylist to place them throughout your hair to create a more subtle, balanced look.

Traditional but With a Colorful Twist

If you’re a little more adventurous, you can totally recreate chunky highlights while making them a little more colorful. Here, @kristina.d.beauty uses that face-framing technique but makes the highlights blue and purple. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but it is such an edgy look.

Kissed by the Sun

The stark contrast of light highlights on dark hair can be a little too much for some. The good news is that you can still get chunky, thick highlights and create that dimension without making it so dramatic. Try choosing a highlight color that’s a few shades lighter than your natural hair color, like this look by @beeblondor. You can see that the highlights chosen here are lighter than the model’s natural hair color, but they aren’t too overwhelming. The results offer a look that’s still inspired by the ’90s trend but a little warmer and more inviting.

Perfect for Fall

Red hair is another hair color trend that we see a lot come fall. You can pair the fiery hue and add chunky highlights to create a fun, multi-dimensional look like @saraluxesalon did here.

Photo: Brittney Aub