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What Were the Must-Have Makeup and Beauty Products When You Were Younger?

September 27th, 2011 by Karen 95 Comments

Wow, this takes me back… Among my circle of high school friends in the early ’90s, Wet ‘n’ Wild Lipsticks and their infamous 666 Lip Liner were the cat’s meow (hey, they were only a buck!), and Cornsilk pressed powder showed up a lot, too.

Sea Breeze toner, Noxzema cleanser and Buff Puffs could usually be found in my friends’ bathrooms, and the scent of Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth, Coty’s Exclamation, Cover Girl’s Navy (my personal fave) and Liz Claiborne (remember the triangle bottle?) almost always filled the air.

Our hair was usually BIG and totally defied gravity, which required massive amounts of hairspray, of course. Almost every girl I knew carried a bottle of Aqua Net in her purse, and if you had a perm (or naturally curly hair), you probably also toted around L’Oreal’s Pumping Curls.

How about you? What were the must-have makeup and beauty products when you were younger?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What are you up to tonight? I’m off to check out Novato’s last farmers’ market of the season because I wanna get my fruit on, haaaay! 🙂

What Were the Must-Have Makeup and Beauty Products When You Were Younger? / Originally published September 27th, 2011

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Comments

  1. Nikki T says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    You forgot lipsmackers, especially in DR PEPPER!

    Reply
  2. Sabrinna says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    I was never really into make up during high school. yes i had pimples all over my face but it didnt bother me until i started getting acne scars when i was 18 (no idea why i never had them before…or maybe i just didnt pay attention to them back then lol) but my make up staples were Johnson and Johnson Pressed Powder (my face has been dreadfully oily since i was born…me thinks…lol) and Black Eyeliner (any brand sufficed hahaha).

    wow compared to my current staples now…i have more…. >___< yikes is that a good or bad thing? lol

    Reply
  3. Vijaya says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:19 pm

    I’m still into the same stuff now as I was in high school. Then again, it was pretty recent for me.
    Vijaya recently posted … Toolsday: Sephora by OPI Nail Polish Remover

    Reply
  4. vanessa says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    Every girl had the covergirl compact in their purse, along with Jordana gloss. I was part of the dark lipliner with light or no lipstick time :/. Aaaaand, I totally had chola bangs, the perfectly round ones that required burning your forehead to get them just right lol. Ohhh, those tiny butterfly clips for the twisty cornrows and moussed scrunched hair. Ok, that’s enough, I’m getting the urge to pull some mousse out again :P.

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    How fun to think back to high school beauty products circa 1986! Here’s what I remember:
    – Awapuhi Shampoo by Paul Mitchell – I was in love in with the tropical scent!
    – Aussie Scrunch Spray…in the purple bottle, smelled grapey
    – Maybelline Dial-a-Lash…a very gimicky mascara with a dial on the bottom that let you “control the volume” by dialing 1-10.
    – A baby blue and baby pink eye shadow duo by Maybelline that I thought looked so fab
    – Ralph Lauren perfume (the tall maroon bottle with the gold polo horse etched on the front)
    – Love’s So Soft splash by Bonne Bell
    – Jean Nate splash (giant yellow bottle!)

    Reply
  6. Chryztyners says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    This sounds like a good topic. The 90s really rocked big hair! haha!

    Well, I never wore any makeup when I was in highschool. I just do the basics: a good facial wash, toner, and moisturizer. My skin was really good back then. What I had in my backpack was usually just loose powder (both for face and body to freshen up), cologne/sweet smelling scent, and a comb. I only learned to apply makeup when I got into college, and I just use whatever my mom had in her vanity drawers. She liked Revlon then, so that was probably the first brand I knew.
    My first ever makeup product was a blush from Revlon.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Wet N Wild pencil eyeliners (in black and in white)… Half a bottle of Gucci Rush 2 that my older sister let me have. Covergirl Cheekers blush in Pretty Peach — the smell of this one will forever remind me of my tween years. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jessi says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:35 pm

    In late elementary and middle school all my friends were obsessed with Lip Smackers lip glosses. Our favorite flavors were Strawberry and Vanilla Icing. I recently bought a Strawberry one just for nostalgic purposes.
    Jessi recently posted … Serious Post is Serious

    Reply
    • jennifer s says

      September 27th, 2011 at 9:48 pm

      🙂 vanilla icing. i had forgotten about that

      Reply
  9. Karen says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    Oh I forgot, the whole Clinique Skincare “system” with the big bar of soap in it the mint green “coffin” container, the bottle of toner and the lotion! I thought I had hit the big time the day I got that!

    Reply
    • AK says

      September 27th, 2011 at 9:30 pm

      I remember that! HA the coffin container, yes. I used it until it totally dried my face out.

      Reply
    • Shelley says

      September 28th, 2011 at 12:49 pm

      I had that too!

      Reply
  10. Heidi says

    September 27th, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    Well, this is all taking me back. I also remember using Noxzema, Sea Breeze, oh, and 10 0 6 lotion from Bonne Bell. How did our skin ever survive the harshness? I also had quite the assortment of Lipsmackers, my favorite was 7up. My very first huge makeup faux pas — getting the Bonne Bell bronzing gel and slathering it on all-over-my-face! Yeah, that looked really NOT cute on my very pale complexion!

    For fragrances I started with Love’s Baby Soft, Fresh Lemon, and Rain, then moved on to Liz Claiborne, Navy, and Gloria Vanderbilt.

    Reply
  11. dani@callitbeauty says

    September 27th, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Definitely Lip Smackers! My favourite was Chocolate <3.
    dani@callitbeauty recently posted … I Guess I Could Used Another Blot Powder…

    Reply
  12. Christy says

    September 27th, 2011 at 9:13 pm

    Lol! I do remember wearing Navy, as well as Exclamation and Electric Youth. I only owned Navy, but my cousin had the other two. I got to borrow them once in awhile. I remember using Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, Bonne Bell liners (both eye and lip), as well as Wet n Wild nail polish and Oxy Pads. I moved on to my first MAC lipstick in Chelsea at the young age of 14 🙂

    Tonight I am watching Dancing With The Stars & PVRing Biggest Loser. There goes my night 😉
    Christy recently posted … NOTD: Chanel Ilusion D’ombre Le Vernis Peridot Nail Lacquer

    Reply
  13. Stacey says

    September 27th, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    I was a Lip Smackers girl too!! Though overall I didn’t really use much makeup during high school. I only started to use mascara during my senior year (maybelline)…and would end up with black panda eyes everyday after school lol
    Stacey recently posted … FOTD: Spring Inspired; Plum, Purple & Yellow Look

    Reply
  14. AK says

    September 27th, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    oh girrr lemme tell you, back in the day it was lip smackers chapstick in strawberry, noxema cleansing pads, Clinique’s 3 step system which made my entire face flake off at once, perfectly rounded poofy bangs, Alanis Morrsette Jagged Little Pill album (which I still proudly rock to this day), Covergirl’s pressed powder with that old lady smell! I’m so nostalgic for the 90’s. Makes me wanna watch Clueless.

    Reply
    • Emma RZ says

      September 28th, 2011 at 6:55 pm

      I still rock Jagged Little Pill too!! In NZ we didn’t have Bonne Bell. I think that I had some covergirl and my Mum bought me some Body Shop face wash. Otherwise I was so low maintenance – I bet my hubby wishes that I still was! Oh yeah, KMS Amp shampoo and conditioner.

      Reply
  15. Jennifer says

    September 27th, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    Nothing takes me back like Love’s Baby Soft or sneaking in to my mom’s stuff and spraying her “Charlie” perfume on myself! I remember rocking the frosty blue eyeshadow and eyeliner (please God forgive me) and using the Loreal “Lash Out” mascara with the “teddy bear brush.” And who could forget roll-on lip gloss! And the hair, oh gosh the hair in the 80’s was crazy. Bed Head was actually a hairstyle. I loved to use Pantene shampoo because of that Kelly LeBrock “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” commercial. And then of course you had to use half a can of Alberto VO5 mousse and Aqua Net hair spray to complete the look.

    Reply
  16. Lucie says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    Hmm, I have difficulty with this because I didn’t give two hoots about beauty products until eighth grade, and since then only four years have elapsed (wow, life before makeup was that recent??) so trends aren’t *radically* different than they are now. All my more traditionally feminine friends had a tube of Great Lash though, and for some reason using ProActiv instead of generic brand acne products was considered really classy…lol!

    Reply
  17. Pamela Pyles says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Oh yes! Add me to the list of those that loved: CG Navy, Exclamation and Debbie’s Electric Youth. Other faves were Coty’s Wild Musk and Chantilly. I also used 10-0-6 religiously. I had the odd CG lip colors and Cheekers blushes but my fave color product was by Maybelline. They used to carry a line called Moisture Whip and my go to color was called Strawberry Cream. Oh how I loved my Strawberry Cream but today I stay far away from pinks. How tastes change (for the better).

    Reply
  18. Lisa Marie says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    We are about the same age, so I relate to all your faves. I had some faves that were a tad unique. I lived for L’Oreal Translucide foundation and Max Factor Panstick. My powder of choice was coty airspun. My blush (which is still one of my faves) was Covergirl sophisticated sable. Eyeshadow was a trio by covergirl called seirra sands. My eyeliner was Covergirl soft and gentle liquid eyeliner. (darn I miss that.) Mascara was always covergirl professional. Lipstick in Revlon Raven Red. I went through about a gallon of ten-o-six astrigent from Bonnie Bell, buff puffs and neutrogena face bars. Vasoline intensive care in the yellow bottle is the lotion I wore EVERYWHERE including my face. I adored Teen Spirit deodordant and had a ton of Verve perfume sprays. I also thrived on Charlie and Revlon’s Intimate. I have no clue why I remember so much of this…am amazed at how much of it is still on my favorite list.

    Reply
    • FragrantWitch says

      September 28th, 2011 at 4:03 pm

      Verve! I had completely forgotten about those. Now I can visualise them right next to my Tickle deodorant, Buff Puffs and 10-0-6.

      Reply
  19. Julie Fischer says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    I couldn’t shake off Gap Scents’ Grass during middle school. That and my swing dance ambitions.

    Reply
  20. Lucie says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:08 pm

    Oh oh oh and Bath and Body Works body sprays! Everybody doused themselves in the brown sugar vanilla scent between classes in middle school. The memory makes me cringe and clutch my bottle of TF Tuscan Leather for dear life.

    Reply
  21. Marian says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    Whoa! Looks like I’m the lone “old Lady” here. I grew up in the 60s and early 70s. Yardley was the in makeup in those days. We wore white lipstick and black eyeliner. I remember my first lipstick was Yardley Mulberry. I wore Yardley cake eye liners called “Glimmerick.” All foundations looked orange. My first perfume was Evening in Paris. I also wore Chantilly, Emeraude and Heaven Sent. Groovy, baby!

    Reply
    • Liz G. says

      September 28th, 2011 at 7:52 am

      I’m with you. I grew up in the 70’s and Yardley was the “in” makeup. I also remember when Revlon introduced Charlie perfume. I wore it my first day of school as a sophmore in high school and I felt so sophisticated!

      Reply
    • Tess says

      September 30th, 2011 at 10:09 am

      I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s too. The Yardley liglosses were the best! I used my mom’s when she wasn’t looking. Other must-have products were Bonne Bell Lipsmackers -the BIG ones- and 10 0 6 lotion. Clairol Herbal Essences shampoos and Long ‘n’ Silky conditioner. Love’s Baby Soft fragrance and Coty’s Muguet du Bois. Windsong fragrance was amazing popular because of the commercial’s catchy jingle. Anything Clinique, Estee Lauder or Lancome was the greatest! And so many more . . .

      Reply
  22. Janice says

    September 27th, 2011 at 10:59 pm

    I never got into the big hair, but I still use LA Looks hair gel!

    Reply
  23. Stef Smith says

    September 27th, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    Girrrrrl, it was all about the Loreal Pumping Curls! And at my tiny high school, it was Lady Stetson perfume! And of course Wet n Wild 666 lipliner, which I still use! Horrible name but perfect color! And I’d like to add, 1993 rulez!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      September 28th, 2011 at 12:09 am

      Oh yeah wet’n’wild 666 liner!!!!! One of the few pencils I have used the entire pencil repeatedly!!! 93 rulz fo shure. Lol

      Reply
  24. nesli says

    September 27th, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    you look so cute!!
    nivea lipstick and a black kohl was all i have

    Reply
  25. Audrey says

    September 27th, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    You are one of those few women who seem to age like wine! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Shannon says

    September 28th, 2011 at 12:24 am

    Electric Youth ohhhhhh!–that was the first perfume I ever owned, I think. And lots of Bath and Body Works splashes. You could walk down the hall in high school and become dizzy at the melange of juniper breeze/pear/freesia/fresh cotton. And brown sugar vanilla or something like that.

    I think I had a Covergirl compact too and a Maybelline blush. Makeup all came from the drugstore then, I don’t think I had “grown up” makeup till college.

    Reply
  27. Stepford Witch says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:00 am

    Memories! I wasn’t much into make up but I do remember having Liz Claiborne fragrance… also liked Navy but my personal fave was Electric Youth! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Vonvon says

    September 28th, 2011 at 2:51 am

    Lipsticks! Those were what I used the most when I was younger!
    Vonvon recently posted … Summer In September….Bla Bla Bla

    Reply
  29. Jen W says

    September 28th, 2011 at 3:28 am

    Hmm in high school I really didn’t wear much makeup. I think I just used my Mums khol eyeliner (without her permission) and some lip glosses from Red Earth (I think it’s Australian?)
    Jen W recently posted … Illamasqua Androgen Cream Pigment : a summer multi tasking hero

    Reply
  30. chudy says

    September 28th, 2011 at 3:38 am

    OMG…when I was younger…the 80’s
    Jesus, I think I don’t want to remember, you know..but the truth is I used a lot of black eyeliner and hairspray LoL
    hei, don’t laugh about me, please!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  31. Brandi Andi says

    September 28th, 2011 at 4:06 am

    I was all about bright eyeshadow(and hair)! Hot pinks, lime green, turquoise, etc. I loved Got2b sexy hairspray, C.O. Bigelow lipgloss from bath and body works, and paul mitchell’s skinny serum.

    Reply
  32. Angelic Mariposa Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ says

    September 28th, 2011 at 5:48 am

    My first “expensive” perfume was the Liz Claiborne triangle bottle…omg I was in love and for the guys it was Drakkar Noir!! I loved my Aquanet Extra Super Hold (I was in beauty school) love your pics Karen, I have one like that too!! I was a fiend for Avon’s glimersticks I had a pink one…these kids today thinking pink eyeliner is something new!! 80’s ROCKED!!

    Reply
  33. Megan B says

    September 28th, 2011 at 5:56 am

    I definitely had the cover girl compact, I think every girl in high school had one. I did have the noxzema and sea breeze cleansers at home, it was the only thing my mom would buy me. I had to have white shimmery eyeshadow everyday. I am not sure if it was a good look or not but I loved it! I paired this with a bubble gum pink blush from covergirl (I use a similar shade even today from Nars). Now that I think about it I was also very fond of a purple glitter loose eyeshadow that I would make a mess of but everyone kinda wore it the same too. No hair products, it dried big and pouffy and I would not go anywhere without my trusty claw clips. (whats really weird about this and was back then is I would wear light shimmery makeup and be dressed all in black….my husband says I was trying to capture the heroin chic look.)

    Reply
  34. Nina says

    September 28th, 2011 at 5:57 am

    Noxzema and Chapstick and Ivory soap for my face!

    Reply
  35. Shubana says

    September 28th, 2011 at 6:21 am

    Gosh… I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to
    1) stop plucking your eyebrows
    2) stop trying to lighten your skin with ill-coloured foundation
    But the past is in the past..
    My school bag always had Lip Smackers 😀

    Reply
  36. Jill says

    September 28th, 2011 at 6:23 am

    I have two that haven’t been mentioned–Cover Girl LipSlicks lip gloss and Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick. 🙂

    Gap Dream perfume totally takes me back. I actually kinda want to go buy it and resurrect it!

    Reply
    • Shelley says

      September 28th, 2011 at 1:05 pm

      Gap Heaven and Gap Blue were also popular back then. 🙂 Sounds like we might be about the same age.

      Reply
    • Suzanne says

      January 2nd, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick!! This was my go-to back in the day and I forgot all about it! Loved it!!!!

      Reply
  37. Jane says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:14 am

    I also loved the Cover Girl LipSlicks, and seem to remember wearing red nail polish (usually chipped) a bunch. My perfumes were YSL Champagne (which I got at a primitive outlet store in my hometown), Dior Hypnotic Poison, and Dior Dolce Vita. God, I liked strong perfume.

    And L’Oreal had some sort of lipcreme applied with a doefoot (which was only discontinued in the last five years or so); I had Goddess. It looked awful on me, which I vaguely knew at the time, but that name!

    Reply
  38. Chris25 says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:47 am

    Oh my gosh, everything you talked about I had (except for the perfumes): Wet n WIld makeup (666 lipliner made me swoon), Buff Puff, Noxzema cleanser, Sea Breeze toner, and I definitely borrowed my aunt’s Cornsilk powder.

    I remember Jane Cosmetics (the old version), Fetish Cosmetics, Wet n Wild Strawberry lip gloss in a pot, and tons of Bonne Bell Lipsmackers. It was my goal in life to collect them all. I think I had up to 50 at one point. I used to also buy Caboodles lip gloss.

    And let’s not forget the arsenal of acne products: Clean & Clear, Oxy, Clearasil.

    Reply
    • Andrea G says

      September 28th, 2011 at 6:23 pm

      Oh my! I had totally forgotten about Jane and Fetish! Yikes that really takes me back, i thought they were just THE coolest brands hahaha on top of my dozens of lipsmackers of course!

      Reply
  39. Chelsea says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:50 am

    EVERY morning in my HS years started out the same:

    Bare Minerals foundation/blush
    Great Lash mascara
    Black pencil eyeliner (any brand)
    My curly brown hair was straightened and bleached to STRAW (never again)
    … and it was all topped of with Bath and Bodyworks Country Apple or Juniper Breeze

    Oh, and just for kicks- my favorite Lip Smackers flavor in Middle School was Strawberry Kiwi. Oooh it takes me back…

    Reply
  40. Caroline says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:56 am

    Gosh, what a fun topic! I remember wearing Love’s Baby Soft and Coty’s musk. And whatever Designer Imposter’s spray I could get my hands on. I had this cheap 16 palette eye shadow that screamed rainbow but wore every color with confidence. Of course, I had a CG compact, green one. Kept a supply of AquaNet white with pink hairspray. And yes, Wet N’ Wild 666 was a must have. Oh, gotta have orange flavor tic tacs.

    Reply
  41. Priscilla says

    September 28th, 2011 at 8:10 am

    Oof! I remember Lip Smackers in cherry being a big part of my life and swiping a couple of spritzes of my mom’s White Diamonds or Red Door before heading out.

    Reply
  42. Hboo says

    September 28th, 2011 at 8:20 am

    I wore a bit of MAC (eye shadow as a liner in black tied) and a mascara from them. Other then that is was covergirl’s clean foundations (the one size fits all versions) and the powder compact. I wore black eye liner (big mistake for my small eyes). I didn’t even wear much blush back them. I did find an old fav, The covergirl professionals mascara.

    Anyone remember bon-bon?

    I think my hair had whatever was new on it.

    I stayed classic with my perfume (usually) Chanel no.5. But don’t think I didnt have 300 lotions and sprays from bath and body works. I swear they were all people got each other for Christmas for years!!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 28th, 2011 at 10:22 am

      I always had a couple of Bath and Body Works lotions and body washes in my tub during my college years.

      Does anyone remember the original Juniper (not Juniper Breeze)? That was my favorite.

      Reply
  43. Swatch And Learn says

    September 28th, 2011 at 9:33 am

    I love how you were brave enough to post photos of your much-younger self. 😉 Good for you!

    Hmm…Wet n Wild lipsticks were definitely really popular when I was in grade school…and in high school, my best friend and I had a love affair for Exclamation Blush perfume. (At the time, it was the only scent that didn’t give me a headache, so that was why…). In grade 7, CK One was huge, and a girl in school used to douse herself with it – eau de parfum, shower gel, deodorant, everything! You could smell her before you saw her.
    Swatch And Learn recently posted … Essie Bangle Jangle Swatches & Review

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 28th, 2011 at 10:21 am

      LOL, thanks. I have a penchant for posting pictures of me looking TOW UP. It’s an affliction I’m trying to get over. 😉

      Oh, CK One! It was a big deal at my school, too. One of the gals who was in my section in band wore it. Whenever I smell it now I always think of her. She was a great friend the nicest person.

      Hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday so far!

      Reply
      • Swatch And Learn says

        September 29th, 2011 at 8:46 am

        I did have a great Wednesday yesterday. Thanks! 🙂 Hope your Thursday is going well. (It’s raining a bit here, but I don’t mind.)
        Swatch And Learn recently posted … OPI Teenage Dream Swatches & Review

        Reply
  44. Kim says

    September 28th, 2011 at 10:28 am

    I totally laughed at the L’oreal Pumping Curls. Your memory is so good. 🙂 I remember using tinted mousse (a lovely shade of glittering bronze), one of those curling irons with the multiple rods (for triangle, spiral or regular curls – huzzah), pink and blue eyeshadow – sometimes with electric blue mascara and Mary Kay frosted lip gloss. We also went through the black liner, heated with a lighter before being put on our waterlines. It’s a wonder we’re not all blind! HAHA! Oh, and someone above mentioned the Aussie pump hairspray that smelled like grape. That’s an oldie but a goody, too! 🙂

    Reply
  45. BeccaTheCyborg says

    September 28th, 2011 at 10:44 am

    The darkest lipstick I could get at the drugstore (or Vanilla Frosting Lip Smackers), tons of black eyeliner, and black nail polish zealously hoarded because back in my day it was only around for Halloween! And patchouli. Manic Panic hair dye in…I want to say Purple Haze? Ahh, to be a teenage goth again.

    That said, the smell of Aussie shampoo totally reminds me of my first love.

    Reply
  46. BeccaTheCyborg says

    September 28th, 2011 at 10:47 am

    Oh yeah, and this hippie vanilla perfume oil that came in teeny tiny bottles. My bff and I wore it all through high school. I still a half-empty bottle I sniff now and then for the nostalgia.

    Reply
  47. allison says

    September 28th, 2011 at 10:56 am

    Haha I had a horrible makeup routine too…bonne belle lipsmakers, shiny silver eyeshadow, any body spray from bath and body works, and worst of all…I ironed my hair. No, not with a flat iron, but with a clothes iron, lol. I’m sure that was really good for my hair. These days I have gotten a little better about what I use. I go to thebeautybean site all the time now when I am questioning a new product or need advice on something. I wish it had been around in my younger years when I really needed it!

    Reply
  48. Shelley says

    September 28th, 2011 at 11:29 am

    HS for me was ’93-’97. I remember using a lot of Carmex lip balm, Biolage Conditioning Balm, Neutrogena shampoo. I *tried* to color my friend’s hair burgundy – so her hair would look like Angela Chase from My So-Called Life. The fashion trend was grunge and alternative when I was in HS. Flannel shirts and Vans.

    Reply
    • Shelley says

      September 28th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

      Also, B&BW Gingham perfume was in there somewhere. I used this Clearasil face wash in a cream formula – it was in a squeeze tube. I liked the way it smelled. Another trend in my HS was getting our nails done in acrylics – it was so new to us back then. We didn’t know what Solar Nails or Gel nails were.

      We didn’t have access to flat irons back then so I would “straighten” my hair with a large barrel curling iron.

      Reply
      • Shelley says

        September 28th, 2011 at 1:10 pm

        I remember Garden Botanika had real stores and the *old* Body Shop had a perfume oil bar with lots of scents. I used the old Body Shop lip balms in Kiwi and Strawberry. They were GREAT and came in big plastic pots.

        I keep quoting myself to add more – I’m done.

        Reply
  49. Grace says

    September 28th, 2011 at 11:51 am

    High school was 1997-2001 for me. I didn’t wear much make up and wasn’t really into it but I did love Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner (my hair smelled SO good), Victoria’s Secret body wash, lotion, and body spray in Pear, Cover Girl pressed powder compact, The Body Shop lip gloss in one of those little pots (it had a great flavor), Biore black head remover strips, and I do remember liking Love’s Baby Soft. Wet n Wild, Jane, and Clinique were popular too.

    I’ll never forget my first cell phone freshman year of high school…a cool Nokia with changeable faceplates =D lol

    Reply
  50. kalcedon says

    September 28th, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Stuff really popular with almost everybody in high school (may I mind you that we’re Hungarians :P):
    -Impulse and Malizia Bon-Bon deodorants for scent and Rexona as an atiperspirant
    -Naomi Campbell and Puma perfumes
    -Oxy and Clean and Clear stuff for
    -Avon stuff (especially their concealer stift and the Colortrend products… there was a little metal box with a sliding top with a glossy, tinted lipbalm in it… that was all the rave)
    -Garnier Fructis shampoo, conditioner and hair gel!!! 8especially hair gel :P)

    Reply
    • kalcedon says

      September 28th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

      I forgot all kinds of Labellos :).

      Reply
  51. ashley says

    September 28th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    i remember in 6th or 7th grade (so…this was like 1998), white eyeliner on your top lash linewas so in. i remember owning what would be the equivalent of NYX’s jumbo eye pencils, but it was possibly double ended. it could have been maybe l’oreal brand. i don’t recall at all now, but i remember the white eyeliner.

    not beauty related, but i also remember the jelly roll pens that were super popular around that time too. the pastel colors that could write on paper, the bright colors packed with glitter that would end up all over the paper. i still think those are totally cool pens & should be appropriate in any work place haha.

    Reply
    • Mindy M. says

      September 28th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

      We are about the same age, I was in the 8th grade in 98. I LOVED those pens and I too wish they were work appropriate!

      Reply
      • Karen says

        September 28th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

        Oh you guys… I could’ve been your baby sitter. LOL!

        Reply
        • Mindy M. says

          September 28th, 2011 at 3:51 pm

          Haha! That would have been awesome!

          Reply
        • ashley says

          September 29th, 2011 at 5:12 am

          karen would have been the coolest baby sitter ever!

          Reply
  52. Carrie Ann says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    I know I loved Lip Smackers and Love’s Fresh Lemon. I’m sure I had a blue eye pencil and I believe I started wearing Revlon Colorstay foundation in high school. I still wear it. Oh, I also remember that blue and green metallic nail polishes were in back then (late 90’s) as well as polishes that smelled like popular perfumes, such as CK One. Another trend I loved was platforms because I’m so petite. 🙂

    Reply
  53. Christy O says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    Pumping Curls and Navy!!!! I guffawed at the memory. I also didn’t do high-end until high school was almost out, and Clinique was uber-fancy at the time. My favourite lip colours in the 90s were a frosted light orange and dark purple. My very first fancy purchase was a Makeup Forever lip palette in Paris, well before I eve saw them in the states.
    I have to add Herbal Essences. AMAZING scent, and those commercials are classic to this day. I have a bottle that I found in Big Lots last year, I don’t want to use it yet.

    Reply
  54. Pink Panties and Leopard Lipstick says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    That Liz Claiborne was my FIRST perfume eva! loll

    Reply
  55. Barbara says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    Another old lady chiming in!! White eyeshadow, Bonne Bell 10-06, Sea Breeze and Maybelline Kissing Potion (flavored roll-on lipgloss in glass tubes which we thought was the height of sophistication!!), and everyone had Maybelline eyeliner (the red pencil kind).

    Reply
    • court says

      September 29th, 2011 at 7:23 pm

      i totally had kissing potion! awesome!

      Reply
  56. Ninjagato says

    September 28th, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask, Freeman Cucumber Peel off Mask (I still use both)
    Anything and everything from Jane…including their skin care line. Caboodles had a makeup range for a little bit and I enjoyed their face powder.
    Wet n Wild (back when they sucked) had a nail polish that was white with blue and green duochrome that I loved.
    In 5th grade the girls in my class all went through a weird phase where we thought growing out our pinkie nail and then piercing it with an earring was the cutest thing we’d ever seen. ahhh youth.

    Reply
  57. miamitocali says

    September 28th, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    sun-in! for that frosted blonde look.

    lip smackers in every possible flavor.

    malibu musk!

    and the uber shimmery frosted lip gloss from l’oreal called glossique!

    Reply
  58. Hannah says

    September 28th, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    I remember my makeup as far back as middle school! It was all MAC lipglass and frosty Stila eyeshadow! Burts Bees lip balm. A shimmery Hard Candy eyeshadow base that came in a chubby pencil. L’Oreal mascara. No blush, no bronzer. Emporio Armani She for day, Gucci Rush and black kohl rimming the entire eye for night…

    Reply
  59. CynthiaCC says

    September 28th, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    It was the late 1980s. Aerosol can hairspray, but not Aquanet (because that was what the chola girls bought…yeah, it was not nice. sticky crap you spray on your spiral perm is pretty much all the same, in retrospect). Cover Girl lipstick (Shimmering Shell – god, that was a frosty mess!), Wet & Wild blush, that blue Maybeline compact with pressed powder. Great Lash mascara, still with the peach tube and green lid even back then. Noxema. Love’s Baby Soft perfume, and some knock-offs of Calvin Klein’s Obsession and Georgio Beverley Hills (remember those “Parfums de Coer” that came in an aerosol can?).

    Then the summer before I went away to college my mom took me to The Broadway and got me a Lancome gift-with-purchase set. I was hooked. Never wanted drugstore makeup ever again. Alas, my poor wallet.

    Reply
  60. Valerie Malenfant says

    September 28th, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    I wasn’t big on makeup in high school – mostly covergirl and revlon foundation (I had a lot of pimples!!! 🙁 and those fruity scented chapstick. Strangely enough my friends were big on perfume (which I was not) Junior High was Exclamation and the last two years of high school it was CKone or vanilla field.
    I never had the big backcomb bangs (but all my friend did and now regret it each time were are looking at pictures and they all say I look really normal! LOL) as for the late 90’s it was all about minimalist.

    Reply
  61. Tatyana G says

    September 28th, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    OMG, I’ve used everything that you mentioned. Including the Navy scent. Still can recall the smell of it. Such a funny post, thanks for the memories.

    Reply
  62. Emily says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    Well, I’m in middle school right now so I’ll just say my favorite products:
    eos lip balm
    wet n wild creme eyeliner
    opi shatter polish
    maybelline one by one mascara
    mac woodwinked
    mac soba
    got2b dry shampoo
    bed head the manipulator
    =)X

    Reply
  63. Wendy A. says

    September 28th, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    Sea breeza purple toner, dove soap and carmex ohh and concealer I was wise beyond my years on that one and to this day I still buy a tube a year of lancome mascara.

    Reply
  64. Instant Karma says

    September 28th, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    Clinique’s Almost Makeup! I combined light and medium. It’s still good stuff! 🙂

    I also wore a LOT of clear lip gloss. I had a rollerball one by Smackers that smelled like toasted marshmallows. I loved it!

    Reply
  65. Nalina says

    September 28th, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    Oh man…
    * I LOVED me some Lip Smackers. I wore mine around my neck on that cheesy rope-thing.
    * I had my Cover Girl compact in the wrooooooooong color (the Noxema one for acne-prone skin, of course).
    * Aussie or Paul Mitchell hair products were bomb.
    * Clinique was my “splurge” for facial toner.
    * I had one Cover Girl blush in a weird orange-ish color. Totally didn’t know how to use it!
    * Tommy Girl perfume or Victoria’s Secret Strawberries and Champagne lotion and body spray. * And don’t forget all those Wet n Wild lipsticks and eye shadows.

    Was there shadow primer in 1998? I think all my shadows went straight to the crease. LOL
    Nalina recently posted … CHANEL is sexy. It works out!

    Reply
  66. lexi says

    September 29th, 2011 at 4:48 am

    electric youth – O…M…G!!! you know what was the best part? the cool bottle! secretly, I’ve been waiting for pandora to play that for me on my 80s channel.
    I was also a fan of sand and sable perfume. so much so that I went on ebay like 8 years ago and bought a bottle. not the best decision. I was also a big fan of the Liz Taylor sapphires and diamonds. maybe a little mature for me (or was I just ahead of my time?!?), but I liked it. cracks me up when I still find it on occasion at TJMaxx or Marshalls.

    nails was definitely just cheap-o wet n wild. face was either neutrogena acne wash (though I didn’t have skin problems until my mid-20s), and noxema cream. also go into the clinique system at a young age.

    for makeup, just cover girl compacts in the back pocket, of course. had maybe one CG lipstick, one concealer horribly mismatched to my skin, and a CG mascara. didn’t wear eyeliner really until my mid 20s!

    Reply
  67. Cristina says

    September 29th, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Gzzz! Long time ago! Ha! Ha! But couldn’t live without my Sun In spray (it was to bleach my hair lighter with the sun) Aqua Net hairspray, Oh! My brown eyeliner! And my gloss!!
    Xoxo

    Reply
  68. court says

    September 29th, 2011 at 7:34 pm

    I totally just had tons of memories brought back up by you guys! I’m 29 right now, so I truely was a child of the 80’s and teen of the 90’s. (graduated high school in 2000) I remember….3

    Vanilla Fields, Charlie perfume (my favorite), CKOne, Impressions perfumes, and that pear
    glace fragrance from victoria’s secret (all the cool girls had it)

    My mom took me to merle norman to pick out foundation when I was 12. It was a really creamy foundation with an oil base that made me look oil slicky…

    Great lash of course

    I also had kissing potion, buff puff, sea breeze, lip smackers (vanilla)

    I wore mostly Jane cosmetics in high school because I read about it in 17 magazine 🙂

    Salon selectives was THE hair line to get, so I used that stuff all the time.

    As far as other trends, I rocked the mini skirt with the shorts built in, the shoes that could kill someone (because of the extreme chunkiness), abercrombie and fitch was IT in high school as well as those bananna republic t-shirts. In middle school, i rocked the side pony tail with rolled up, knee length jean shorts *cringe* We also used to spray glitter hair spray in our hair for football games.

    Oh, and might I add, I got my first cell phone in high school when they were first hitting the market! It was a ‘flip’ phone and the smallest of it’s kind at the time. It was huge! it was as thick as 5-7 iphones and long as well!

    Reply
  69. Jenn says

    September 30th, 2011 at 9:32 am

    Man… looking back on middle school. I’m with you on the Noxema and the Sea Breeze, how did my skin just not fall off my face? I remember wearing too much CKone and rocking the LA Looks hair gel or the Condition by Clairol 3-in-1 hair gel and mousse. Lip Smackers, and Cornsilk or CoverGirl powder. The Cover Girl eyeliner with the little smudger on the end was my shit! (Later in high school it was still my staple when I became the girl with too much black eyeliner and combat boots) I was guilty of occasionally wearing too much dark lipliner with poorly applied lipstick, or, even worse, gloss. Oh, my.

    Reply
  70. lara / the glossarie. says

    September 30th, 2011 at 7:12 pm

    oh, the memories! i’d also have to add elizabeth arden sunflowers perfume – that stuff ran rampant in my highschool
    lara / the glossarie. recently posted … a diy tuxedo mani + lovely links

    Reply
  71. Dea says

    October 5th, 2011 at 7:15 am

    I used to love colourful liner on my waterline, lipsmackers and my Naomi Campbell parfume (the first one).

    Reply
  72. Lynn says

    October 10th, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    Verve perfume (it was so cheap it would fade after 10-15 minutes), Wet-n-Wild lipsticks (especially #521 which was a shimmery fuschia) I had a serious fuschia fetish in the 80’s teen years. Also Lipsmackers, and after reading entries above I wasn’t alone on that one, lol. Clinique (because I had horrible acne), and St. Ives apricot scrub…. : )

    Reply
  73. Courtney says

    November 13th, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    This makes me so nostalgic! I wish I could still find Tribe purfume and one of those GIANT lip smackers!

    Reply

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Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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