I’m A 90′s Chick
This year’s 90’s resurgence has seen dungarees, crop tops, and jelly shoes make a comeback to the fashion industry, and for AW13 the nostalgia is expected to continue with the grunge vibes of 90’s New York, as well as style influence from Scary Spice in the shape of copious quantities of Leopard print. The hair and makeup styles that were popular in the ’90s are also making a return, just as they do every time a fashion decade makes a reappearance.
When I think back to the hairstyles and beauty trends of the 1990s, it’s difficult for me to see any self-respecting beauty snob nowadays using roll-on body glitter or wearing a head full of butterfly clips. I just can’t see it happening. This decade gave us a whole lot of disastrously tacky hair and beauty “trends” that today make us wince, such as small buns, purple/blue hair mascara, and adorned bindis, amongst other examples (thanks for that one Gwen Stefani).
Still, the revival of the 1990s wouldn’t be complete without at least a few old-school beauty trends, and happily, they’ve been updated and made even better since they were first popular…
The Scrunchie
Anything that Carrie Bradshaw doesn’t think is cool (“No woman who works at W-magazine and lives on Perry Street would be caught dead at a chic downtown restaurant wearing a scrunchie!”), has absolutely no chance of ever being cool again. Carrie Bradshaw is the epitome of cool. However, thanks to some savvy marketing employing Cara Delevigne as the new face of the scrunchie, they have somehow become the trendiest and most essential hair item that can be found.
Dark Lips
Take a cue from Posh and Ginger Spice and go for lipstick in a deep plum shade. The must-have lip colors of the nineties were browns, burgundies, and dark berry tints, and they are back with a fury for AW13. Wine-stained lips were seen on the catwalks at Bottega Veneta, Gucci, and Nicole Fahri to mention just a few. Alternate between dramatic kohled eyes and nude lips, or dark lips with barely-there eyes, in order to avoid appearing like a drag queen while still rocking the gothic/punk style, which will be a significant trend (see 5).
Grungy Wet Look Hair
The appearance of hair that has been wet is all over the catwalks this season, from disheveled styles to Peter Pilotto’s athletic ponytails that seem like they came right out of the pool. Make use of mousse and oil to ensure that your hair seems moist throughout the day, and then pull out individual strands to get a disheveled, lived-in appearance. Then put it out of your mind for as long as you possibly can.
Sleek and Straight
Unruly coiffure?! As If!! In the 1990s, many ditched their big perms from the previous decade and embraced sleek and shining straight hair instead. Step away from the curling wand and go to Cher Horowitz and Buffy the Vampire Slayer for some fashion inspo instead, if your sense of style leans more toward the stylish than the grungy. Invest in a bottle of Moroccanoil to tame flyaways and boost glossiness, get out your straighteners, and then simply let your glossy hair hang loose and flow naturally for a style that is authentically girl-next-door.
Barely there
After the rainbow maelstrom of the 1980s, the 1990s were all about low-maintenance fashion. If you weren’t coated in glitter at the school dance or sporting a stick of black lippy, the 90s were all about low-maintenance fashion. The natural look was successfully pulled off by Kate Moss, Jennifer Anniston, and Claire Danes. Swap up your full-coverage foundation for a BB cream, and finish off your natural-looking face by applying a coat of mascara, a natural blusher, or a matte bronzer.
