90s lips are still a thing and here’s why

From mom jeans and varsity jackets to thin eyebrows and dark color lined lips, 2022 has seen a great comeback of 90s staple styles as much in makeup and beauty as in fashion, and even beyond. In fact, 90s styles are so popular now, and we expect this trend to extend to 2023 as well, some iconic looks of the supermodel age have now become our favorite trends.

Here we are focusing on 90s lips trends that have made a great comeback, and presenting some of our favorite 90s lips looks, how to get them, and we suggest the beauty and makeup products for you to use, including by ours, and other brands. So, read on!

The 90s supermodel lip

This iconic look is a defining and major representative of 90s fashion and beauty and makeup trends. On this look that normally includes wearing darker lip liner (usually brown) with light lipstick or lip gloss, Allure magazine reported earlier this year – “The iconic makeup technique has a history rooted in challenging mainstream beauty norms that goes back decades before its recent appearance on red carpets. … Worn by everyone from Naomi Campbell to Naomi in HR”.

To get this look, we suggest using first the Rejuvenating Beauty and the City Vitamin C Lip Conditioner, which packs double the amount of moisturizing power than lip balm, to heal, and deeply nourish your lips. This step will also add extra shine to your final look. Then, choose any of the four shades of our 90s inspired Beauty and the City Lip Liners collection – Spice, Russet, Mousse, or Cocoa Bronze – to outline your lips well, and you may opt to add some of the liner to your entire lip, but make sure that the edges clearly stand out to wear the trend right. Next, optionally, you may want to use your favorite lipstick, or just finish the look by adding some of our Beauty and the City Lip Glass Limited Edition lip gloss. Also, check out our founder, Tanille, going for a light version of this look on Instagram, here.

Lip gloss rage

In the 90s, lip gloss, especially clear lip gloss, was a staple. Lip liner and lip gloss were very likely the decade’s favorite lip products – a decade that was not known for makeup minimalism in any sense of the word, and this extended to the heavy use of lip liners and lip gloss. Whether worn alone, or over lipstick, clear or colored, glossy lips were literally all the rage then, and celebrities and influencers are raging over them again.

To tap into this trend, wear your favorite lip gloss with or without applying lipstick first. And while lip gloss formulas during the 90s were thick and sticky usually, today’s options are much more convenient to wear, with some brands introducing glossy lip products in low or no transfer textures, such as Haus Labs’ Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer – its power shown by the brand’s founder, Lady Gaga on Instagram (worn in Ruby Shine) here.

Brown lips

Whether it was lips, eyes, other makeup, and even fashion items, brown was probably the color that defined the decade. And brown lips, in different and all shades, are one of our favorite 90s look to make a big comeback. According to Byrdie – “We may have tried to leave dark brown, matte lipstick looks behind in our teens, but this trend has been thrown into the beauty arena once more thanks to the catwalks, Instagram, and celebrities alike”.

It’s very easy and simple to get this look – just pick up a darker brown lip liner, lipstick, or lip gloss in your favorite shade, apply, and you are done. For this, we suggest using Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Hot Chocolit, a product that has gone viral along with the trend. See it in action on Instagram, here.

Frosted lips

One trend that tapped into another one – the widely-popular use of lip gloss – 90s lips often saw the use of ‘frosted’, glittery and shiny lip colors and glosses, and we are now seeing a resurgence of this fad. Another staple look of this period, it was popular with celebrities, as well as the common girl/woman.

To wear it, choose any lip liner, lipstick, and/or lip gloss and just make sure that it sparkles! We recommend going with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Amber Sparkle, indulgently presented here.

Red lipstick

It is believed that the first red lipsticks were being made some 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, by crushing gems. Since then the trends and options have changed significantly, but this is one classic lip look that has endured throughout millennia, and the 90s were no exception. Particular for this period, however, were bright reds to burgundy and red-browns, of course. These lip shades are one of our favorite trends making a comeback, and we highly recommend you go for this look that has become the most worn and best known makeup staple in the world.

Getting the look is very simple – choose your favorite shade of red, whether as lipstick, lip liner, or lip gloss, apply, and wear it for any occasion. We recommend using the Tarte Cosmetics Maracuja Juicy Lipstick in Rose Apple, as seen on Instagram.

So, this year, and likely next one, stock up on your brown-hue lip liners, lots of lip gloss, and you are set for these irresistible 90s throwback trends.