From magazines like Allure to beauty blogs and video tutorials, I feel like there are so many more resources available today for teenagers who want to experiment with make-up. Alas, when I was a teen my friends and I had to go it alone, with only copies of J-17 and Sugar magazine to guide us.
Whenever I went back to my parents’ home I’d always have a peek at the contents of my old chest of drawers, one drawer of which contained some choice teen make-up, including a frosted silvery blue lipstick from Boots’ 17 range, worn in homage to the lead singer of Babylon Zoo. Fortunately I only wore it a few times (probably while rocking the skirt over trousers + asymmetric sleeved top look) before I came to my senses.
So to all my fellow 20-30 somethings, if you shopped at Tammy Girl or spent your pocket money on anything with glitter in it, here are 21 beauty trends from the 90s that I’m glad are (mostly) in the past.
1. Butterfly hair clips
2. Metallic cream eyeshadow stackers from Miss Selfridge
3. Impulse body spray
4. Lilac eyeshadow
5. A ‘neutral’ palette including baby pink, purple glitter or powder blue shades
6. Crimpers – ’nuff said
7. Lip liner darker than your lipstick
8. Scrunchies
9. Anything vanilla scented from The Body Shop
10. Glitter hairspray*
11. Orange hair mascara
12. Using Sun-In and because you weren’t allowed highlights
13. Glitter eyeliner
14. Rimmel make-up packaged in burgundy and gold
15. Frosted lipstick
16. OTT black kohl eyeliner – waterline? What waterline…
17. Hard Candy nail polish
18. Wearing multiple mini buns/top knots à la Gwen Stefani
19. Body glitter
20. Woven plastic chokers
21. Chokers in general, actually
*Actually, I think I’d be ok with this now. I think it was four cans of the stuff being sprayed at any one time in the girl’s bathroom pre-school disco that put me off…
Now it’s your turn – what other 90s beauty faux pas would you add to this list?
Yeah, so I wore all of these. Possibly at once! x
Me too, while also styling a skirt over trousers and a lime green ‘puffa/puffer’ jacket. Nice! x
Omgosh haha! Those butterfly clips and glitter spray. Glitter spray was EVERYTHING. Don’t forget perms. Mmm hm. ;)
Oh my goodness I remember wanting a perm so badly! Thank goodness Mama Ship-Shape talked me down from that ledge!
O the hair buns thing! I was showing my brother who will be 14 in May some pictures of me when I was his age and he could not start laughing at my hair like that!
His generation definitely got off lightly – no crimpers or curtain hairstyles for them, lucky things!