90s Makeup Trends That Are Making A Comeback In 2023

From space buns to butterfly clips, “antennae hair” to body glitter, there are many 90s beauty trends that are making a comeback in 2023 – and, alongside that, so are some iconic 90s makeup trends.

Here are just a few examples of the hottest makeup trends of today that will make you take a trip down memory lane.

Dark lipliner

In recent years, many of us have tried to perfectly match our lipliner to the shade of lipstick, or even used nude lipliner, to make it so there are no obvious lines. The lipliner here serves as a more controlled outline that is then filled in with the chosen lip colour.

However, one 90s trend making a resurgence is dark lipliner – especially brown. Instead of the aim being to have no obvious line, the idea of dark lipstick is to have an obvious line, filling in the rest of the lip with a nude or clear gloss.

Frosted eyeshadow

Glittery eyeshadows, be it pale pastels or bold neons, were all the rage back in the 90s – and, this old-school eye look has become very popular on TikTok. If glittery eyeshadows aren’t giving you enough of a frosted look, you can apply highlight to the eyelid, inner corners, and brow bone for an extra frosty glow.

Blue eyeshadow

As you’ll probably remember, blue eyeshadow was by far the most popular eyeshadow shade in the 90s. Whether it’s shimmery or matte, powder or gel, blue eyeshadow is having a renaissance at the moment.

Frosted lips

In addition to frosted eyes, frosted lips are back too! Opt for a lip colour that has more of a cooler undertone to it, such as a silver or metallic sheen. Whether you wear this on its own, or pair it with the brown lipliner or dark lipstick also mentioned here, the trick is to apply more than you think you need for that ultimate frosty look.

Thin eyebrows

After championing bushy brows for many years, thin eyebrows are making a comeback. However, if you have spent ages growing back those brows you overplucked in the 90s and refuse to go back to the pencil-thin look, don’t worry!

With a few techniques popularised by drag queens, you can block out your brows and re-draw them on to fake the thin eyebrow look. If you have finer or blonder eyebrows, you might also get away with neutralising the colour and using a pencil to give the impression of thinner brows.

Face gems

Typically, face gems and glitter are more commonly seen solely at music festivals like Coachella. However, why limit yourself to these occasions when you could rock gems and glitter all day, every day?

Dark lips

For a gothic 90s-inspired look, opt for a darker lip shade like brown or maroon to really contrast against paler shades of eyeshadow or barely-there makeup looks. This can really transform a basic look from day to night, and make you feel sexy and confident.

As mentioned above, you can layer a clear or metallic gloss over the dark lip for a less intimidating, more feminine look.

With these 90s makeup trends that are making a comeback, you’re sure to pull off some iconic and current looks throughout 2023.