Mamamia recaps the 7 celebrity beauty moments that didn't need to happen in 2021.

2021 was a weird year for beauty. Like, really bloody weird. 

Half of it was spent giving our skin way too much love (five face masks a day because NO RULES) while we were working from home, while the other half brought the return of in-person red carpets and awards ceremonies, as well as a renewed desire to do ALL the fun stuff with our hair our makeup.

Watch: Remember when we went back to our offices? And left our dogs at home? No, they weren't okay! Post continues below.

In between all this, there were of course 29,402 celebrity beauty brand launches, some questionable skincare tutorials, 90s hair made a comeback, and we were blessed with a whole lot of dramatic hair colour transformations from every A-lister, ever.

ANYWAY, the point is that a lot of stuff happened in 2021, so we're going to look back at seven of the most ~memorable~ beauty moments of the year.

Gwyneth Paltrow using sunscreen as a highlighter...

Remember that time Gwynnie gave us all some extremely unhinged and 100 per cent dangerous advice in her Vogue beauty tutorial? Remember? 

In case you have subconsciously removed it from your brain, the Goop guru basically shared her $900 'less is more' skincare routine with us - including the bit where she uses sunscreen as... highlighter.

GWYNNIE NO. 

In the clip, she dabbed it sparingly only on her nose and cheekbones, explaining how she's not too much of a head-to-toe SPF kinda gal, and she just likes to place it "where the sun really hits".

It was really fkn dumb. Like, super incorrect. And people were MAD. Especially dermatologists.

There's was also some good ol' fashion greenwashing thrown in there, too.

Want to take yourself back to some of the glorious clap backs? Have a look here.

JLo gaslighting us into believing her skincare secret was olive oil...

Earlier this year Jennifer Lopez launched JLo Beauty™ and tried to make us believe her skin looks the way it does (flawless) because of olive oil and positive affirmations.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Approximately no one believed her, but goodness she tried.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, she said: "I haven't ever had Botox to this day... I'm not that person. I don't have anything against people doing that; it's just not my thing. I'm more about a natural approach to skincare… but I want [my products] to work," she said.

Then there was this response to a comment that suggested she uses cosmetic injectables: "Sorry baby no I haven't ever used [Botox and fillers]. This is what I use I hope you enjoy. Also a joyful heart helps."

A... joyful heart.

Okay JLo. 

Instead of invasive procedures, Lopez said olive oil was, "a secret I’ve used over the years because it really does work."

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The whole thing was just really awkward and riddled with dismissiveness and superiority.

Because ageing gracefully isn't embarrassing - but neither are cosmetic procedures. And, olive oil doesn't do s**t.

Everyone on TikTok using lube as a primer.

This was a thing! And I tried it! And it was weird!

For a moment there was a LOT of lube on a lot of faces and no one knew why but we were DOING IT ANYWAY.

The hack basically involved people on TikTok replacing their usual (read: professional) primers with a bottle of lubricant - specifically Durex Play 2-in-1.

@seananthonyv

LUBE AS PRIMER?! #seananthony #makeupfyp #beautytips #makeup #viralmakeup #makeuphacks #beauty #mua #lifehack #lubeprimer

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

And look, I'm going to be honest - I was pretty surprised when I tried it. I was 100 per cent certain the texture of the lube would feel super sticky and gross on my skin - but it felt really nice? Kind of like a hydrating serum?? 

But then I tried to put foundation over the top and it went all patchy and pilled (If you want to read more about my very serious research, check it out here).

Ellen DeGeneres launching a skincare brand called Kind Science...

Ellen DeGeneres - the longtime talk show host - who announced the end of her show in the midst of a toxic workplace scandal - launched a skincare brand this year. 

And ICYMI, she called it... Kind Science. 

WOT ELLEN. 

Explaining the theme of name, Ellen said: 'We call it Kind Science because it is kind to animals, it is kind to your skin, it's kind to the planet, and it's kind to your wallet. So it's all kind.'

So much kind.

While on the one hand, it's a good thing to see Ellen making more space and visibility for women over 50 in beauty - on the other hand, I feel like it wasn’t the best choice of name. Or timing.

Still not over it.

Shay Mitchell sharing her 58-step skincare routine...

There was also that time when Shay Mitchell shared her 58-step skincare routine with Vogue - and just watching it will give you hives.

Without going into all of the products she uses (because CBF), after slapping on a Shani Darden cleansing serum and using an ice roller, the Pretty Little Liars star went on to apply a total of SIX face masks. All at once.

She applied two under her eyes and one on her forehead - before covering them with a full face mask and adding another one to her chin. Then, she put one more mask over her entire face, 'to keep everything untucked.'

Just a casual 58-step morning routine x 

Finally, she finished the masking process with a 24-karat boob mask. All up, the masks cost her $233.

It was excessive AF, and the internet absolutely slammed her for being wasteful.

One person wrote: “She put all those masks on and wiped everything off and put on all those new moisturiser layers. The time... the effort.... the money.... Never seen a wasteful routine like this."

IDK if we’re being trolled or not, but honestly - it was approximately 54 steps too many.

Kristin Cavallari admitting she doesn't wash her beauty sponges because it makes them work better.

When Glamour interviewed Kristin Cavallari this year and asked for the one beauty rule she thought was total B.S., she said washing "beauty blender face sponges" - and honestly she's all of us. But, like, don't tell people you don't do it, right?

She said "Obviously we're supposed to wash those frequently, but I don't really wash mine that often because I actually think that when it's not clean, it helps blend better. Maybe that's disgusting, but…”

I feel like the only reason they would blend better is because they’re probably caked with old foundation? Likely.

Either way, experts obviously say you’re supposed to wash your beauty tools once a week - but hey, I'm not perfect either - and it was kind of refreshing to have a celebrity not be all preachy for once.

Still a bit of a weird flex, though.

CHANEL launching a $1,140 advent calendar filled with... stickers...

This was only, like, two weeks ago but AS IF we're not going to talk about it! 

The limited-edition Chanel No. 5 calendar dropped in the lead-up to Christmas, and at $1,140 it's probably as pricey as advent calendars get. So you’re going to want to make sure it’s filled with some pretty good stuff, right?

Now there are 27 boxes - and they’re numbered five to 31. It sounds like a good time. 

However, someone on TikTok by the name of Elise Harmon has posted a series of videos of herself opening and reviewing the content of the Chanel advent calendar boxes to see if it's worth the hype. 

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While her initial impressions were pretty positive (some of the boxes contained full-sized beauty products, like Le Vernis Nail Lacquer, Rouge Allure lipstick and Chanel N°5 Eau de Hand Cream), as her review continues it just gets more and more bizarre.

For example, as she opens box number nine, she finds a pack of stickers, while box number eight contains a small jewellery-sized dust bag with nothing inside. 

Other noteworthy items included a black string bracelet with a plastic 'wax' seal branded with 'CC', a flipbook, and... temporary tattoos. 

Instagram's unofficial fashion and beauty watchdog Diet Prada actually discovered that some of the items can be found on eBay, and appear to have been old "gift with purchase" freebies.

The unboxing clip went viral, with more than 41 million views - and judging by the comments, many people were just as angry at the low-budget items being sold for $1,140.

In a follow-up video, Harmon confirmed that CHANEL blocked her before the brand went on to delete its Instagram account.

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What were some of your favourite beauty moments from 2021? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: @gwynethpaltrow @jlo

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