Selena Gomez Takes Fans Back to 2016 With Unexpected Rare Beauty Campaign
Selena Gomez knows how to grab attention. This week, Rare Beauty thrilled fans by posting a set of 2016-inspired throwback photos on Instagram with the caption: When we said 2016 was coming back, we meant it… See you on March 1.
In the first image, Gomez’s layered brunette hair falls loosely around her face with slightly tousled, damp-looking strands, giving off a natural, effortless vibe. The look channels a casual “model off duty” energy from 2016, paired with a smoky eye that is darker near the lashes and softly blended at the edges.
The second photo shows her hair in large, loose waves draped over one shoulder. Her smoky eye appears more intense, with fuller lashes and softly bronzed skin adding to the effect. In the third image, Gomez fully embraces 2016-era glam, featuring a deep, blended smoky eye, thick lashes, and sharply contoured cheeks.
Just casually losing it over here, one fan commented. Another exclaimed, Oh wow, THIS was an era we would totally relive!!!! A third chimed in, Smoky eye palette? 2016 is officially back.
The timing of this campaign is particularly significant as Rare Beauty continues its massive retail expansion. Following its official launch into all 1,500+ Ulta Beauty stores on February 1, the brand has been focusing on bringing back the high-glam aesthetics that defined the mid-2010s.
This nostalgic push coincides with the brand’s Rare Impact Fund initiative, which spent the month of February raising mental health awareness through a first-of-its-kind donation partnership with Ulta. Beyond her thriving beauty empire, Gomez is currently riding a wave of critical acclaim for her role in the musical thriller Emilia Pérez.
The film, which features her alongside Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón, was a dominant force at the Golden Globes, earning Gomez a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. While she narrowly missed an Oscar nod, the film itself tied records for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English language production.
On the television front, Gomez recently returned to screens with the premiere of Only Murders in the Building Season 5. The new season, which began streaming on Hulu in late 2025 and continued into this year, finds her character, Mabel Mora, investigating a complex mystery involving a robot doorman and a mob connection.
The series has already been renewed for a sixth season, ensuring that the trio of Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short will remain a staple of the streaming landscape. Looking ahead through the rest of the year, Gomez is slated to star in the psychological thriller Spiral, where she will take on a darker, more mature role.
She is also rumored to be developing a new culinary project following the success of her cooking series, though she has largely been focused on her music and advocacy work lately. With a potential “2016 era” musical return also being whispered about by fans, March 1 is shaping up to be a major turning point for the star.
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