Don’t Call it a Comeback: 90’s Beauty Then & Now

I’mma let you finish but, 90’s beauty had the best trends of all time. Maybe I’m biased because I received my first lessons in beauty during this era. Or maybe I’m right, as evidenced by the trends we’ve been seeing the past couple of years. Either way, there’s no denying that some of the best beauty looks were created during this epic decade and now we’re older and wiser it’s time to full advantage of the best of 90’s beauty once again.

HAIR

Bantu Knots: I’m happy to be amongst friends here as we give props to this OG natural hairstyle. Of course, bantu knots have been a longstanding style in the black community since forever really, but the way our faves rocked them during the 90’s showcased bantu knots to the world. Like all great trends, bantu knots have definitely been making their way mainstream in the past few years (I say mainstream because us natural girls still been rocking them) with everyone from Rihanna to Brandy and even Blac Chyna flaunting their fierce bantu knots.

Box Braids: I don’t think you can really talk about 90’s beauty without mentioning the iconic box braid style. Not only are box braids super stylish but they are the one of the best protective styles around. From Ms. Janet serving us waist length box braids in Poetic Justice to Jada’s short bob in Set it Off, these braids are a signature 90’s black girl hairstyle. Today, you can’t even search the #naturalhair or #protectivestyle hashtag on Instagram without seeing every type of box braid hairstyle imaginable. We’re talking your fave celebs to everyday girls with Tia Mowry and Gabrielle Union being some definite faves of mine.

MAKEUP

Brown Lipstick: When I hear brown lipstick I immediately think of my favorite girl groups and singers. Specifically En Vogue and Aaliyah. Brown lipstick is that lip color that so often goes overlooked and for the life of me, I can never understand why. It’s versatile, comes in countless shades (like us), and can be rocked everywhere from the boardroom to brunch. Thankfully, the powers of the makeup world have caught on and brown lipstick is popular once again. And I dare I say, it’s even better, this time, around with endless options of shades and textures. Can you say brown liquid lipstick? Yasss.

Blue Eyeshadow: This is one beauty trend I couldn’t get in on back in the day. Everything ain’t for everybody. But models like Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell could rock blue eyeshadow like nobody’s business. That being said, I wasn’t at all phased when we left the hues of blue alone for a couple decades but now it’s back. Bolder and bluer than ever but this time, we have inspiration from ladies like Lupita to show how to wear blue no matter what shade you are. Definitely feeling the blue this time around!