The aesthetic half of my inbox. Nails, gloss, low-rise, digicams, and where any of it actually comes from — answered properly rather than in a reply I have typed forty times.
Okay, but why 'sloot'?
Because it's funny and because I'd rather pick the word myself than have someone else hand it to me. It's spelled wrong on purpose — it's a joke, and I'm in on it. If that reads as too much, this probably isn't your corner of the internet, and that's genuinely fine.
What actually counts as Y2K style?
Roughly 1999 to 2006: low-rise everything, cropped and layered, silver and frosted finishes, butterflies, rhinestones on things that don't need rhinestones, and a general belief that more is more. The real marker is the shine. If it's matte and tasteful, it's a different decade.
How do you get the chrome nail finish?
It's a powder, not a polish. You need a gel base cured properly, then you rub chrome powder in with the little applicator until it goes mirrored, then a no-wipe top coat over the lot. The two things people get wrong are not curing the base long enough and using a top coat that dulls it — a wipe-off top coat kills the mirror completely.
Frosted eyeshadow without looking like a bad 2004 photo?
Keep it to one place. Frost on the lid only, with everything else soft and matte, reads intentional. Frost on the lid and the brow bone and the inner corner and the cheek reads like you fell into a craft box. Also: pat it on with a finger, never drag it with a brush.
Which lipgloss? Be specific.
The sticky kind. I know, I'm sorry. The ones that don't move are the ones that photograph well, because the light catches and stays put instead of sliding off. I layer a lip liner slightly over the edge, a cream in the middle, then gloss only on the centre of the bottom lip. That last bit is the whole trick.
Low-rise looks terrible on me. What am I doing wrong?
Almost always the rise-to-top ratio. Low-rise needs a top that ends above the waistband with actual gap between them — if the top just skims it, the whole thing looks like something shrank. Also try sitting down in them in the shop. Half of what's sold as low-rise is unwearable the moment you bend.
Where do you find real 2000s pieces?
Depop and eBay for the specific stuff, actual charity shops for the accidents. Search by brand rather than by 'y2k' — the tag gets slapped on anything shiny and the prices double. Learning three or four real labels from the era is worth more than any amount of scrolling.
Why does everything you shoot look like it's from a digital camera?
Because it is. A cheap compact from about 2007 with the flash forced on, no editing after. The harsh flash, the slightly wrong colour, the blown-out skin — that's the look, and no phone filter gets there because phones are built to undo exactly those things.
How do you get that much volume in your hair?
Rollers, not a curling iron. Big velcro ones in while I do my makeup, out at the end, then shaken out with my head upside down. Curling irons give you curls; rollers give you body, which is the actual 2000s thing. Backcombing at the crown if it needs help, and hairspray from a distance rather than up close.
How do the rhinestones stay on?
Proper glue and patience. Lash glue for anything on skin, and let it go tacky before it touches down instead of sticking it on wet. On clothes it's a heat-set stone or nothing — the stick-on ones will be all over the floor within an hour and you'll find them for weeks.
Tan or fake it?
Fake it, every time. Exfoliate the night before, moisturise the dry bits, use a mitt, and go one shade lighter than you think. The 2000s tan everyone remembers was orange and I'm not recreating that part. Streaky ankles will out you faster than the colour ever will.
I want the look but I feel ridiculous. Where do I start?
One thing. Not the whole outfit — one. Chrome nails or a frosted gloss or a single stupid butterfly clip. Wear it somewhere ordinary and notice that nobody says anything, because nobody is watching as closely as you think. The confidence turns up after the outfit, not before it. Everyone starts out feeling like they're in costume.