Thanks for all the thoughtful responses! Sorry to have started a thread and never followed up! My free time got away from me.
I too am someone who wears as little make-up as possible, but I also do a fair amount of acting, which means I inevitably spend a good deal of time thinking about and wearing make-up. To me, the most interesting point in the whole article was about changes in camera technology. I've definitely noticed a shift in filmmaking and photography over the past decade or two towards a look that is less powdered. I hadn't consciously made the connection between higher def and that slight shine looking better/more dimensional vs just coming off as undesirable glare. Directors and DPs do seem more relaxed now about the whole powder your nose/t-zone thing than they were when I was younger, although it could just be that my own skin is getting drier.
From a personal perspective I really appreciate the shift towards shinier skin because I'm another on Team Sensitive and Eczema Prone. Matte always *feels* terrible to me, because my skin is so dry already. Even using oil-based serums doesn't give me a truly glossy look, because my skin tends to drink it all right up. But that's fine with me.
It seems opaque matte lipsticks have also fallen out of favour, which means there are many more moisturizing, oil-rich lip colours out there now than there were ten years ago. Yay! I'm all about sheer tinted lip balms and a satiny finish when I do want full pigment. I don't know that I could do a full-on gloss again; that feels a bit junior-high to me.