Before facetune and ring lights, there were paparazzi shots. Grainy and flash-lit. You didn’t scroll through beauty, you were immersed in the culture of it. There was staring at Cameron Diaz in a mauve lip on a glossy magazine cover at the grocery store, and then there was Drew Barrymore caught outside a dive bar at 2am, mascara smudged, cigarette in hand, looking like a work of art. There was no “photo dump,” no curation. Just matte skin, thin brows, and liner that looked slept in. Now, decades later, we’re seeing a full-circle moment: the return of 90s editorial beauty. Not just the trends, but the entire attitude. Cool, composed, and a little bit defiant.
Here’s how to bring that energy back, one smokey lid and lined lip at a time.
Skin
Skin looked real, and never oily. It had grain, tone and even a little flashback. You’d see it in a flash-lit tabloid snap of Winona leaving a party at 3am, or on the cover of Vanity Fair with Kate Moss.
To recreate it:
- Go for a velvet-matte base using a satin-finish foundation like Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk, and buff it out with a brush.
- Cream contour wasn’t a “thing”, but it was there. Subtle, sculpting, under cheekbones. Try the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick.
- Finish with a flush low on the cheeks, in shades like rose, berry and burnt peach. We recommend trying Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in the shades Love or Joy.
Eyes
No precision cut creases. Just imperfect smudging. Eyes in 90s editorials always looked slept-in, in the best way possible.
Try this:
- Smudge a liner along your upper and lower lash line, then blend it out with your finger or a small brush. It’s about haze, not harshness. If you need inspo, channel Billie Eilish’s viral makeup routine. Use Maybelline Tattoo Gel EyeLiner 910 Bold Brown to achieve that smoky supermodel look.
- Stick to matte eyeshadows in neutral tones: ash, smoke, taupe. A single shadow across the lid was usually enough. We recommend using the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes® Eyeshadow Palette: The Neutrals.
- Apply one coat of mascara or two if you want that clumpy, spidery look using MCoBeauty’s XtendLash Mascara.
Remember, we are trying to achieve the kind of eye that feels like something you wore the night before.
Brows
Before the Instagram arch and laminated lift, brows were more personal. Some were bushy and boyish, others tweezed to a nearnothing. But whatever the shape, they weren’t overly “done.”
Go for:
- A clear brow gel to shape without stiffness. We like Refy Beauty’s Brow Sculpt.
- Apply light strokes to your brow using a pencil that is just one shade lighter than your natural brow and only fill in where needed! This is your perfect excuse to try the cult classic, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, if you haven’t already.
- No concealer underneath. No crisp lines.
The best brows looked like no one had touched them at all.
Lips
If there’s one beauty moment people always return to, it’s the 90s lip. Liner just a touch deeper than the lipstick. Gloss, gloss, gloss. And shades that looked like they belonged on a runway or in an underground bar.
Recreate the vibe:
- Line your lips in a soft brown, tawny rose, or terracotta tone, blending slightly inward. Try using Fenty Beauty’s Trace’D Out Lip Liner.
- Layer on a creamy lipstick just lighter than the liner in the shade beige, cinnamon, or nude. We recommend Natasha Denona’s I Need a Nude Lipstick.
- Add gloss, but only in the centre. For nostalgia sake Lancome’s Juicy Tubes is a must use.
This was the decade when a single tube of “Spice” or “Toast of New York” could sell out overnight, and it’s still the most flattering combo on every skin tone.
Hair
You had two options: slicked back or voluminous. There was no middle ground, and that was the beauty of it.
To get the look:
- For a polished editorial finish, work a mediumhold gel such as the Oribe Hair Serum through damp hair and comb it back off your face. Secure it behind your ears and let it air dry for that “wet but chic” moment.
- Want volume instead? Blow-dry with a round brush and flip the ends outward. Add a bit of dry shampoo at the roots for a lifted crown and piece-y texture. Our holy grail recommendation is the K18 Airwash Dry Shampoo.
The Secret Ingredient?
There’s something timeless about 90s beauty because it wasn’t trying too hard. It was sensual without being showy, polished without being plastic. The women in those editorials weren’t f iltered or face-tuned. They had pores, power, and presence.
So whether you’re channeling a young Winona with messy liner and bare skin, or revisiting that iconic brown-lip-slicked-hair combo that seemed to live in every Guess campaign, go for it. The 90s never really left. They just evolved.
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