Ah, the ’90s…also known as my oily decade! I gotta give props to the face powders that got me through the oil slick years of my teens and early 20s — Cornsilk pressed powder, Coty Airspun Loose, the Clinique Loose Powder — and of course I have major love for the dark brown lipsticks I wore back then, namely Clinique Black Honey (old school!), MAC Paramount, Revlon Toast of New York.
As for face and body stuff, I went though countless bottles of Cetaphil face wash, and soooo many bottles and tins of Nivea Body Lotion and Body Cream…
Gosh, I used to love scooping that first scoop out of that thick body cream they sold in the blue tin! I wonder if that tin is still around? I gotta check next time I go to Target.
Oh! — can’t forget the Body Shop Grapefruit Shower Gel and their old-school Body Butters (back when they were thick and dense).
And for hair products, in college I loved the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner from the re-branding they did in the mid-’90s, and I also used a lot of Finesse shampoo/conditioner (in the blue bottles).
Remember the tagline? “Nothing less than Finesse.” 🙂
Then, after I started working full time after college, I was all about the salon lines, and I went through my share of Biolage, Rusk, Redken, and Bumble and Bumble.
It’s funny… You’d think that with my tendency to hoard, I’d still have at least a bottle, a tube or a compact of something I used back then, but I don’t. I wish I’d kept at least a few old tubes of lipstick…
Not to use, of course, but to compare the colors with how they are today!
Anywho, what are some of your ’90s beauty faves?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Herbal essences, Noxema, Wet N Wild makeup, and whatever I could steal from my mom’s Clinique Gift With Purchase!
Does anyone remember Thermasilk? It had such a distinct smell, and I remember my entire dorm used that stuff. We’d all smell the same when getting ready to go out to the clubs.
I loved Revlon Toast of New York. I also thought I was so amazing matching my nails with my lips, just like their magazine ads.
Oh, the 90s!
I totally remember Thermasilk! 🙂
Salon Selectives! It was a line of shampoos and conditioners that were supposedly formulated for specific hair needs (though they all had the same ingredients) and had a wonderful apple smell. Bath & Body Works Sun-Ripened Raspberry and Country Apple (everyone in my dorm used one or the other). Brown Clinique lipsticks. Calvin Klein Eternity and Obsession fragrances for men and women, and Drakkar Noir. Noxzema and Sea Breeze for acneic skin. Wet & Wild 666 lip liner. And, of course, Finesse hairspray for my sad wispy bangs a la Brenda from 90210.
LOL to the Salon Selectives! I remember watching Survivor with some friends (back when Survivor was so cutting edge), and one of the product placement rewards challenges was getting to shower with Salon Selectives.
OMG- I used to love Salon Selectives Apple scent!!!
I was 4-13 in the 90s, so not lots, but I was definitely a beauty girl even then. Oil of Olay moisturizer, i liked the pink one, my mom liked me to use the white one with spf and no scent. For school plays and horse shows I’d get to wear a little bit of makeup, usually coty airspun, clinique black honey or covergirl lipslicks, and clear maybelline great lash, plus some blush I think my mom had the entire 90s, that was like pastel brick colored and the opposite of what I’d ever wear now, though I love a 90s look.
Toast of New York was my thing. I stored all my awesome stuff in my caboodle. Like the sticky, sweet potted lip balms, my cover girl pressed powder compact, hard candy nail polishes and don’t forget ever popular Electric Youth perfume.
Oh, yes, Cornsilk powder! The Revlon Street Wear Line was amazing, and I still miss it. Wet n Wild lipliners (remember Brandywine 666?), eyeliners, and lipglosses. The original J.a.n.e. cosmetics. Maybelline Blooming Colors violet and chocolate eyeshadow quads. Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers. Mary Kay used to make a beautiful, shimmery, lavender-tinged taupe lipgloss that I adored, but I can’t remember the name of it. Mary Kay eyeshadow in Cranberry Ice and Whipped Cocoa. Mary Kay blush in Azalea.
LOL! Branywine 666 is still around!
That’s great to hear! 🙂
So I wasn’t allowed makeup until I was 17 (in 2001) but I did get away with a lot of hair gel, body spray (The Pear Vanilla Glace from Victoria’s Secret!) and lip gloss by the tube.
When I went to college, though, my first cosmetics were MAC (Greensmoke eyeshadow and Tarnish eyeliner, I’ll never forget!) and I wore them every. Single. Day. Because I spent all my money on MAC. 😛
I think this explains why I’m so obsessed now!
Brown lipsticks, I had a crayon from The Body Shop, and Nivea body and hair care products.
Incognito perfume, Chanel Vamp lipstick and nail polish (that I meticulously saved up every penny for), Bath and Body Works Plumeria lotion, Aussie hairspray which is still around. I totally remember Salon Selectives, Rebecca!! And the Brandywine lipliner, Rachel!! Haha. Oh, good times!
I was a child in the ’90s, so no makeup for me, but the Cucumber Melon and Red Ripened Raspberry body lotions from Bath and Body Works will always remind me of the ’90s!
Ah, the 90s. Flannel shirts tied around the waist and minimalist makeup (in college). Definitely remember Salon Selectives and Finesse. When I started working, I was very into Clinique – it was the first time I ever cared much about makeup brands and I stuck with it for quite a long time. I think I’m still stuck there with makeup looks – those that I prefer anyway. Dark brown lipsticks are still my fave. And, as you know, I have a much more recent tube of Black Honey that I still trot out on occasion. 🙂
Toast of New York & Black Honey for sure. Revlon’s Vixen nail polish was an awesome dupe for Chanel’s Vamp. Anyone else remember Naturistics and Jane makeup? I also jumped on that frosty white eyeliner bandwagon.
OMG Cornsilk! I remember that! I think it was maybe the first thing I ever hit the pan on. That’s too funny! Oh and definitely Revlon Street Wear. That nail polish color (“Raw”, I think) was one of the original duochrome colors in my stash. I wish I still had it. Something called “Exotic Earth” (?) that was supposed to be a color that everyone could use and it was supposed to be multi use for blush, eye shadow and maybe even lip color.
I still miss the fact that Revlon and L’oreal used to come out with new color products each season and run full-page color ads in the magazines. It always inspired me to get the new colors because they were fresh and the photo presentation of them in the ads always looked so new and appealing.
Ahh, were there any greater lipsticks than Toast of New York and Cover Girl’s Toasted Almond? I went through them like crazy.
These are UK-specific… I was a teen through the 90s and still have flashbacks to the clouds of Impulse bodyspray and Body Shop White Musk perfume that filled up the girl’s changing rooms after gym class. Also Rimmel had a lipstick called Coffee Shimmer which every girl I knew had – they brought it back a little while ago in response to nostalgic requests for its return! That plus tea tree oil for our teenage skin… oh happy days 🙂
To be honest the 90s were a hazy, exhausting, blur for me. Work, work, work trying to build my career. Then I got pregnant, miscarried, pregnant again. Moved to Europe. Lived there, had my Baby Girl. Moved back to the bay area. Spent time trying to work on my graduate degree (never finished), got pregnant again, miscarried again. Raised Dear Daughter and took care of everything else while Dear Husband traveled a ton for work.
I think I had one drugstore (maybe Revlon?) shadow quad and my favorite lipstick was Prescriptives Navy Rose. I used a Maybelline pencil for my liner and brows and Clinique mascara. That’s it. I never wore foundation then. I’m pretty certain Dear Husband wishes I would go back to that minimalism.
Girl, Black Honey was the first thing that I thought of!!! My sister and I went through a big Merle Norman phase in the late 90’s. I used the Clinique 3-step cleanser, toner, and moisturizer system. And my mom, my sister, and I were all three into Bath & Body Works, especially Plumeria and Sweet Pea.
Calyx by Prescriptives was my fragrance all throughout high school and most of college. A whiff of that juice now brings me back to the 90s instantly. I wore very minimal makeup: Prescriptive’s Camouflage concealer and a deep red Chanel lipstick. Also wore a lot of vintage dresses scored from Jet Rag in LA and colored tights with chunky black shoes to complete the look. Got a job in pr after college and had to “clean up” my look!
OMG, Merle Norman! Had to have those dual-ended lip pencils in every color! Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren Safari perfume. Prescriptives had just come out. “Summertime” on the radio by Will Smith. Definitely Clinique “Black Honey” and “Tenderheart” lips and “Sunflowers” perfume. The memories…love it!
I liked Jane lipsticks, L’oreal Nail polishes from their L’Oreal Wear Extraordinaire and Jet Set lines.
Garden Botanika Orange cleanser, lipsticks. Almond Creme and Rain scents. B&BW Banana Deep Conditioner, Plumeria, Country Apple scent, The Body Shop Nut Butter. Maybelline had a line called Shades of You Cappuccino foundation. Also Revlon Color Style line Mocha Mirage lipstick. Both were for women of color.
Regret never getting a Caboodles organizer. I understand they are not well made now. The Revlon Street Wear line. The line was ahead of it’s time. But, I never got around to buying it. I never understood why they didn’t bring it back. People always mention it.
I agree that L’oreal and Revlon had some of the best print ads.
Does anyone remember Bath and Body Works liquid powder? I loved it so in the sun ripened raspberry scent! Also, hard candy. I once wore hard candy polish on my toes (a light blue). I thought I was so cool until a random guy stopped me on campus to ask if I had white out on my toes. ha.
Hard Candy Nail Polish! And I preferred Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick to Toast of New York.
Black Label OPI polishes were my thing in the ’90s. Los Angeles Latte and Hawaiian Orchid were some of my most often worn. I loved brown Revlon lipsticks like Wine Not and Raisin Rage. Anything Urban Decay. Old school, edgy Urban Decay was so badass. And The Body Shop cuticle oil pens. my favorite Kabuki brush is one from their old Nature’s Minerals makeup line. Miss that store. hooray for brown lipsticks and matte eyeshadows returning! I feel Lucia Pica from Chanel has some good ’90s vibes going on with the latest releases. Did you pick up either of the new brown Le Rouge Crayons? so fun!
Yes, Toast of New York! I was obsessed. And Deep Nude as well. Twig by Mac (before a MAC MUA recently steered me towards Half and Half). Ginger by Clarins. I started wearing that again, such a beautiful warm shade. Topaze by Chanel – a gorgeous brick I still have and Felin – the perfect nude I wore with a darker lipliner LOL, introduced to me by my facialist, And there was this beautiful shade by Bourjois, which was a deep taupe with a green shift. Very unusual shade, can’t remember the shade name.
St Ives Apricot Scrub. – it’s still around but then it came in an ENORMOUS tub. Those Buf Puf scrubby things. There was also a short lived trend with an oversized sponge, one side white, one side blue, with a divot in the center where you were supposed to put a special liquid body soap. I think I got the first one as a promo with a magazine (Seventeen, probably…) Definitely the Jane lipsticks. I was given one in the color “Kind of Carob” and I wore it religiously!!
I wish I could remember the name of the Merle Norman lip gloss that wasn’t clear but it had a slight pink tint. Does anybody recall that? I went thru several of those. And the 666 brandy wine, oh yes, I used that into the 2000’s! Black honey was at times the only lip product I used and even to this day I have o e in my collection. I am glad I came across this convo, it brings back great memories. Lemon Up!!!!
Oh – that loose powder that came in a purple container that looked like a sand timer? The brush fit in the top. I’m 99% sure it was Maybelline – maybe Shine Free? I just remember using masses of it in “Light Ivory…”