Britney Spears with crimped hair in the 90s - Britney Spears images - leblow.co.uk

10 beauty trends of the 80s and 90s // Remember any of these?

Nostalgia hit me this week when I stumbled across my old crimpers in my parents house, and I started to have dreamy flash backs on all the crazes (and now cringes) I went through with my beauty ‘regime’ as a kid-turned-angry-teen in the 80s slash 90s. Any of these trends ring any bells?

1. The Crimpers

Britney Spears with crimped hair in the 90s - Britney Spears images - leblow.co.uk

Babyliss Pro Crimpers, side pony, clashing fluro scrunchie. Not far off what has been on-trend of late, but definitely not a strong look of mine (aged 9); especially teamed with buck teeth and braces. Still, crimping and brushing it out into a giant frizz-ball that resembled an afro was TONS of fun back when I had no grasp on giving a shit on what people thought… *sigh*
Note: I didn’t have these hi-tech shape-making ones – bit jels really.

2. Banana clips

90s banana hair clips

Practical, stylish and perfect for slicking back your tresses. Crimping and bird-poo highlights optional. A main-stay for most 80s beauty icons we wanted to copy including Kylie, Whitney and Banarama – obvs.

3. Hair mascara

Christina Aguilera with hair streaks 90s 2000

It always looked great on blondes as you could actually see where you’d combed it. Anything darker and you could forget it so I stuck to glitter infused hairspray instead.

4. Heather Shimmer lipstick

rimmel heather shimmer lipstick 90sI’m pretty sure that this was a main-staple in Cher from Clueless’ make-up bag and set off her glossy blonde mane a treat.

The first lipstick I tried (read: stole) off my older sister was Heather Shimmer 066 from Rimmel. The colour completely washed me out and I seemed to have a problem with knowing where my natural lip line actually was. Teamed with too much eyeliner and a choker spelling out my name in wooden beads I looked hot. To trot.

5. Sun-In

Go Sun In 90s advert

DESPERATE to be blonde, Sun-In was the ray of hope that let me down, tinting my hair to a lighter shade of ginge/brassy-blonde (at best) instead of the golden tresses I so frequently prayed for. Big promises, straw-like hair.

6. Charlie Red

Charlie Red body spray

Still available to buy in all living-in-another-realm chemists and Amazon, Charlie Red was a 90s hit with women of all ages. Charlie Red brings back memories of my female peers manically spraying this post PE sesh to mask the smell of pubescent B.O – and nearly killing anyone with asthma. The latest Charlie spritz to be launched this year is Charlie Shimmer- anyone tried it?

7. The Natalie Imbruglia crop

Natalie Imbruglia crop hairstyle

When Beth left for Perth with her hunk of a husband Brad, who knew that the rather gorgeous but vanilla styled resident Neighbours babe would emerge into a trend-leading hottie with a rather nice voice?
Copied global scale, the Torn singer’s scruffy short crop was the must-have hairstyle to have if you were to nail the skater-chic look. It was here where my unhealthy reliance on Fudge hair putty begun.

8. Rimmel Sun Shimmer

Rimmel SunShimmer

A revelation for my pasty limbs, Rimmel Sun Shimmer was a turning point and the start of my (slight) obsession in looking golden and sunkissed ALL THE TIME. True, I might have over done it a few times with the wash off, easy to slap on self tan cream, but this tube of sunshine has become a SOS staple in my beauty kit.

9. Butterfly clips

90s butterfly hair clips

Long or short hair, butterfly clips were rad. Everyone was wearing these glittering hair jewels and they were amazing on their own. But when paired with the twisty fake cornrow hairstyle that everyone knew and loved including Gwen Stefani, they were A-MAZING. Every girl in the 90s wore this hairstyle at some point. Don’t deny it.

10. Poker-straight hair

Posh Spice straight hair 1997

Where were you when you first discovered GHDs? I was in my sister’s bedroom trying to ‘borrow’ them. More a Noughties trend, I know, but these babies need to going in as they changed the lives of too many girls not to mention here. It was like the magical beauty dust that we’d all been waiting for; say goodbye to frizz and lampshade hair and hello to REALLY straight strands and no volume in your roots. At all. God forbid you tuck those tresses behind your ears (a massive no-no).
Whether it was pin-straight or with a cheeky little flip out at the ends it past the test, but if it wasn’t hanging flat against the sides of your face, forget it.
Care to share any of your 80s or 90s beauty memories? Hit us on the Twitter @le_blow!

More 90s beauty trends

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