Fashion
The 5 '90s Beauty Products You Need To Get In On The Decade's Big Makeup Comeback
There has been an interesting beauty development on the red carpet lately: Celebrities are starting to play it safe less often. They're playing with colors and interesting hair styles and bold lipstick. It's definitely a welcome change, especially since many of them are also dipping their toes in a recent beauty trend that has been all over the runways lately: the '90s beauty revival. When done right, '90s-inpsired makeup can look fresh and edgy rather than dated and tacky. Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Kylie Jenner, and Tegan and Sara are just a few of the stars who have been rocking '90s beauty trends on the red carpet — particularly dark lipstick. It feels like nude lipstick paired with a smokey eye has been the de facto norm on the red carpet for the past decade, so this throwback trend of embracing dark purple, red, or even brown lipstick is almost refreshing.
It's also inspiring. Maybe it's the cold weather, but I can't even bear to look at pink or coral lipsticks right now. All I want to wear is my thickest sweaters and my vampiest lips, paired with messy hair and ripped baggy jeans, in true '90s-style.
If you're feeling the '90s revival too, there's no need to rush to overhaul your entire wardrobe in favor of a grunge aesthetic. It's easy to inject a little '90s vibe in your every day look by using makeup. We're not saying you should pluck your eyebrows into oblivion or wear tiny flower hair clips (those trends should stay in the past). You can channel the '90s with simple changes like darker lipstick, matte makeup, and artfully messy hair.
You don't have to spend a lot of money, either. If you want to, of course, there is the classic Chanel nail polish shade of the '90s that will run you $27, but the $5 drugstore dupe will do just fine if that's out of your budget. In that spirit, I rounded up five of the must-have '90s beauty products at different price points (not counting the classic sea salt spray of the '90s that was just revived this past year — no need to spend more than $10 on that one).
Brown Lipstick
Brown lipstick IS the ’90s. When done right, it can actually look modern and sophisticated. Choose a matte or semi-matte shade that has a certain amount of red or pink in it (you don’t want to be wearing straight-up brown). You can’t go wrong with the ’90s classic Revlon Rum Raisin, as Cindy Crawford will tell you. If you don’t think brown lipstick is for you, you can always opt for a deep burgundy or even get in touch with your goth side with black lipstick, which is also making a comeback.
Revlon Rum Raisin, $5, Amazon; MAC Paramount, $17, Nordstrom
Messy Waves
John Frieda Beach Blonde Ocean Waves had a cult following in the ’90s, which only increased when they discontinued it for more than a decade. Now you no longer have to hunt it down on eBay for over $100 or try to make your own sea salt spray: They finally brought it back. It has a slightly different name, a different bottle, and an updated formula. That said, it’s still the best sea salt spray for giving your hair that messy, woke up like this vibe that all the cool ’90s babes had.
John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray, $8.50, Amazon
Matte Foundation
Oily-skinned women can rejoice: Matte makeup is key to ’90s beauty, and it’s starting to come back. It can be tricky, though. You don’t want your skin to be cakey or look like a mask. It should look natural and velvety. You should moisturize first, even if you have oily skin, and try a matte liquid foundation instead of powder.
Boots No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation, $18, T arget; Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Mattifying Foundation, $36, Sephora
Matte Bronzer
Speaking of matte makeup… Skip the blush in favor of some subtle contouring under your cheekbones with a matte bronzer. Make sure you pick a shade that doesn’t read too orange on your face.
NYX Cosmetics Matte Bronzer, $9, Ulta; Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer, $30, Sephora
Vampy Nails
To go with your dark lipstick, you need dark nail polish. Chanel’s Vamp, introduced in the mid-’90s, will never go out of style, but Revlon’s Vixen is a decent dupe.
Revlon Nail Enamel in Vixen, $5, Amazon; Le Vernis Nail Colour in Vamp, $28, Chanel
