During the 90's, fashion and makeup underwent a radical change from the previous era. The extravagance that marked the 80s look and trends was replaced by simplicity and a natural look. Likewise, new top models such as Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss arrived on the catwalks, who dazzled with their looks inspired by musical styles such as the grunge trend.
It is a decade marked by not following popular fashion and beauty trends, but your own inspiration. Next, we will tell you in more detail how 90s makeup evolved, its history and its characteristics so that you can recreate it in your own home.
The history of makeup from the 90s
Makeup from the 90s is characterised by absolute simplicity. Gone were the ostentatious trends the 80s. It was a time marked by new top models that revolutionised the catwalks such as Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Kate Moss.
Naomi Campbell was a great icon during the 90s. She achieved success thanks to the endorsement of brands like Yves Saint Laurent, who threatened Vogue with removing all their ads from this magazine if they continued to refuse to hire Campbell to appear in one of their covers.
This is how the model became the first non-Caucasian woman to pose for the cover of the French edition of Vogue. This led to the birth of a new concept of feminine beauty where the disregard for skin colour on the catwalks became one of the most important achievements of the 90s.
In addition to female models, actresses were also idolised for their fashion and beauty due to the strength of their personality. Those that genuinely managed to highlight what they really were and wanted, inspired others to set a trend. For example, the character Rachel from the hit series Friends, starring Jennifer Aniston, triumphed thanks to her casual style and natural makeup look.
Here below we outline the most popular makeup trends and characteristics that dominated this era so you can recreate your 90s look.
90's Makeup
Face and skin
In terms of facial makeup, it was about using products to create a natural look with a base in a similar shade to skin tone. Similarly, tanned skin was also a trend at this time.
To add a sexy touch, many women like Cindy Crawford, painted a fake mole on their lips or chin acting almost as a beauty mark to define their looks.
Eyes
In this decade, single colour eyeshadow was used with preference for pastel tones and earthy shades that sought to give depth to the look. Eyeshadow was applied from the eye lid to the base of the eye brow. In addition, it was very common to use mascara and related products to lengthen and add volume to eye lashes.
Eyebrows
During the 1990s, extremely thin and rounded eyebrows became the trend again, giving women a more mature and delicate face. The most daring chose to pluck their entire eyebrows and draw them on with a pencil.
Lip Looks
Outlined and glossy lips in the style of Kate Moss were the fashion. This was when lipstick like lip gloss products reached success in the beauty market. Another typical colour for lips in the 90s was heavier brown lipstick and the like, from the softest tones such as terracotta to the darkest lips.
Cheekbones
Discreet shades of blush were used to highlight the beauty of the face and cheekbones, since it a natural tone was most sought after. Cheek bones did not stand out too much because the prominence of 90s makeup fell to lipstick.
90s Hair
As for beauty and hair in the 90s, a high bun with two strands on the sides of the face was one of the most typical hairstyles. Disheveled hair with striking tones and multi-coloured highlights in the style of Geri Halliwell or Britney Spears was also regarded as the best look for the most rebellious women.
Finally, it became a trend to wear hair with great volume in the style of Mariah Carey. Fluid hair cuts like Meg Ryan's or Rachel's from Friends also became very popular.