Things I seemed to always be doing in the ’90s while wearing brown lipstick…
- Running to the bus stop (I was always *that close* to missing the bus).
- Standing awkwardly in the corner of the room at house parties with a red cup in my hand.
- Checking my pager, which I kept in the front pocket of the jeans I got using my employee discount at Miller’s Outpost (OMG). And I thought I was hot sh*t because my pager was white, LOL!
- Falling asleep in the library with my head in an open chemistry book and waking up covered in drool.
- Going to Tower Records (but never actually buying anything).
I’m getting all the ’90s feels from the new liquid lippies in the Tarte Tartiest Creamy Matte Lip Paint Naughty Nudes line ($20 each, available in five shades).
These vegan full-coverage mattes glide across lips with an unscented, unflavored, cruelty-free formula, and they feel like soft mousse. Plus, unlike many of the liquid lipsticks out there now, they stay wet and maleable while you wear them, so they don’t dry all the way down.
The five comfy, creamy, moisturizing shades even have ’90s-inspired names. There’s Choker (a warm brown), Rave (a greige), Grunge (a dark brown), Crop Top (a mauve brown) and Brownie (a brown).
I know they look kinda shiny in these swatches (I think it’s due to the flash), but I swear on my favorite Biggie Smalls mixtape that they’re full-on mattes.
Overall, I think these are fetch! The only thing is, they do tend to move, so be careful, or they’ll smudge outside your natural lip lines.
What were you always doing (or doing a lot) in the ’90s while you were wearing brown lipstick?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Not a day goes by when I don’t thank the stars above for the non-existence of social media when I was a teen, partly because I was a hot mess, and partly because of my questionable fashion sense.
Have you ever seen the movie Fear with Reese Witherspoon?
I dressed exactly like her character. 🙂
Brown lipstick was very hot in the 90s! I remember melting chocolate in my mouth one time and then smeared it all over my lips to make it look like I was wearing brown lipstick. I actually got a few compliments until they realized what I’ve done. I was a child back then and didn’t have the means to buy makeup. So, I got creative! =)
That’s hilarious! 😀
I laughed so hard at that pager memory. But omg, these lippies look amazing! I love all the shades!
I think I have my old white one around here somewhere, LOL! Did you have one?
Aaah, the 90s… I was actually full on grunge. Wearing Timberlands, super long jeans that I didn’t hem, but cut the sides with a razor, and my brother’s cable knit sweaters in earthy colors – way too big for me obviously. And I listened to Nirvana. I still do. I mean listen to Nirvana, not the rest thank goodness!
Oh and I was watching Saved by the Bell, 21 Jump Street, and the Prince of Bel Air. Turns out my hubby and I had very similar youths, despite growing up on different continents, lol!
LOL, I watched all of those shows. 🙂 I kind of miss ’90s-style sit-coms!
YES GIRL! Don’t forget the choker, spaghetti strap dress and your baby tee!
Very 90s shades! I was totally in basic mommy mode and neutral makeup in the 90s, but I loved a brown lip.
SO ’90s. All you have to add is a plaid shirt and some boots. 😀 Oh, and skinny brows!
Have a great day, Rachel!
How cute is Reese Whiterspoon there! <3 I really like these colors. I was a kid in the nineties so I didn't wear any make-up yet, but I sure loved my 90s TV shows and music!
I love almost everything about hte ’90s… I don’t miss the brows though, LOL!
Been so busy lately that I haven’t been a regular contributor to my fave makeup blog ever. But I had to stop traffic, put down the mascara wand, & say shout out to the Biggie Smalls mix-tape. And Timberlands! I swear I’m gonna figure out how my chocolate self can rock brown lipstick. And according to you, I should start with Tarte, amIright?!
Then that settles it. Now I can return to focusing on lame stuff like driving while listening to NPR. But headed to Tarjay (read: Target) so that makes me somewhat cool ?
I had a B.I.G. tape in my red ’95 Honda Civic that I wore out to death, haha! The town that I went to college had a terrible hip hop station so I ended up just listening to tapes (OMG) and cds. Ahhh, memories!
Whatcha gonna get at Target? I have to go later on to pick up some laundry soap (I swear, laundry is a never ending road) and ketchup. You know, exciting stuff. ?
A certain someone, who shall remain nameless, put a big dent in the back of her mom’s ’92 sky blue 4 door Honda Civic. It was a stick shift. And I was tryna learn how to drive a manual shift. I know how now, though ? I am decorating my new place & Tarjay has super cute stuff. Some of it is pricey so I have to pace myself but I can just say that I’m lovin the process!? Eek! First girl’s get together this weekend at my place & we gone turn up ? Your ketchup pick up reminds me that I need to grab some mustard while I’m out. I can’t live with just one condiment 🙂
ooh some of these actually look wearable! would love to see these on you, especially RAVE which looks a little on the plummy side and would be perfect for fall 🙂
Hi Elena,
They’re surprisingly wearable! I have it on my list to do a couple ’90s-inspired looks soon. How do you feel about liquid lipsticks, by the way? I like them for their longevity but the formula can be tricky to work with than I’d like sometimes.
Happy Thursday!
awesome! Looking forward to it! I LOVE liquid lipsticks! I just feel like I get a better application, once I find the right formula that is. I have a tarte liquid lipstick in TBT but I’m not crazy about the formula. I actually don’t like it to stay malleable, cuz that’s when you end up with lipstick everywhere! Including your teeth sometimes, so embarrassing lol.
My #1 favorite liquid lipstick in the world (and also my favorite red) is the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon. It is a beautiful color, but the formula is perfection. dries down to a matte, does not transfer, but does not suck the life out of your lips. It is very comfortable and I love that I don’t have to worry about it transferring. If they can make more of these in more colors, I would be a happy girl. alas there are only about 9 shades and I haven’t found another one that suits me.
in the meantime I will be enjoying icon and keeping backups and backup backups 😉
OH girl, I have Icon Opaque Rouge and love, love, LOVE it too! I also love the shades Canvas (for an every day nude lip) and Muse (for a bright reddish color). If you haven’t already you have to pair them with the lip liners. They’re great too! I wear the Canvas liner by itself sometimes with a little bit of balm on top.
Not sure if you’re looking for a new foundation, but the new Hourglass stick one is really lovely.
So i went to sephora yesterday for some girl time with my momma who is in town visiting…i swatched the hourglass foundation sticks and OH.EM.GEE! They are perfection! The texture, the finish – ooh la la!
I couldn’t find a color match unfortunately but I was in a rush so I will give them another shot when I can go back to the store!
Thanks for the great rec Karen!
Ps if you’re looking for a new cleansing oil that will take off everything, and I mean everything- check out the Lancome Energie de Vie Cleansing oil. It will change your life. I finally splurged and bought the full size after the returning the josie maran (bad smell and left my eyeliner behind).
eyeliner is a must for bright lippies for me, I believe I use Rimmel’s classic red liner with icon.
I have tried canvas but it doesn’t suit me, same with Muse 🙁
I don’t usually use foundation, but have heard great things about the new hourglass stick! thanks Karen!
Aww, I wish you could wear Muse. It is *the* best color. Have you tried Ballet, the bright pink? Super pretty.
I might be able to pull off crop top, that’s a strong might!
I used to buy blank cassette tapes and record songs off the radio. Remember doing that? My favorite brown lipstick was Maybelline Wear n Go in Go Chocolate. I also wore Jane Megabites in Chocoholic and this cheap lipstick called Avalon Cosmetics. The shade was in Cafe.
I wish I had been old enough to attend Lilith Fair. They no longer do the tour. 🙁
Yup! I remember running to the radio to catch the beginning of the song, LOL!
P.S. I used to have a Lilith Fair Starbucks to-go mug.
Overalls. Doc Martens. Olive green corduroy jean jacket. Little barettes in my burgundy hair. Ah, the 90s. I wore mostly drugstore makeup in high school, but in college my roommate introduced me to the wonders of the Clinique Bonus. Tenderheart and Black Honey were my jam!
Oh oh, and remember wearing spaghetti strap dresses OVER baby t-shirts? Yeah. That was a thing. Why did we do that?