The ’90s brought us many great things: text messaging, Tamagotchis, and Drew Barrymore. Okay, Drew Barrymore had been around a bit before then, however the ’90s were when she really got here into her own for her beauty looks, together with J.Lo, Brandy, and Cameron Diaz.

This special class of starlets brought us ‘90s makeup trends comparable to brown lipstick, blue eye shadow, and supersexy tightliner — and we’re thrilled to see their style trending again in 2023, on TikTok, where trends are born — er, reborn. After all, not every ’90s look has stood the test of time. Everlasting thin eyebrows were, on reflection, not a terrific idea. But lots of our favourite trends from the last decade may be updated to make them a bit more doable and modern. Thin eyebrows may be faked with concealer, for instance, and blue eye shadow may be subtle, and matte foundation doesn’t need to feel caked on to look flawless.

To seek out ways to make our favourite ’90s trends work today, we ask the experts what they expect to have a second life in 2023 and beyond — and the way they recommend pulling off these looks.

Meet the experts

• Sarah Wren is a makeup artist and global director of artistry for Milk Makeup.
• Kate Mellinger is a star makeup artist.
• Nick Lujan is a star makeup artist.
• Nikki DeRoest is a makeup artist and global artist in residence for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
• Tobi Henney is a star makeup artist.
• Dillon Pena is a star makeup artist.
• Sasha Ghodstinat is a makeup artist and global brand trainer for CODE8.

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