Beauty Chronicle: the 90s
This weekly feature takes a look back on 60 years of beauty, starting from the 50s and going right the way up to today. After the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, this week it's time to go back to the 90s.
Less is more
The 90s were a time of minimalism. After the excesses of the 80s, everything was pared right back.
From top models to superstars
Top models now became superstars. Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, Stella Tenant and Kate Moss took the world by storm during the 90s.
Opposites
There were many opposing trends in the 90s, which nonetheless managed to co-exist. The 80s punk trend was succeeded by grunge which came to the fore in the early 90s.
Expressing ourselves through our bodies
The way to express yourself was now through your body. This decade saw the emergence of tattoos (translated to transfer stickers and henna for the more conservatives) and piercings.
That said, make-up and hair stylists became artists.
Topolino, Fred Farrugia, Tom Pecheux and Odile Gilbert were the kings and queens backstage at fashion shows.
The hit hairstyles of the 90s were ultra-straight hair, beautifully soft short cuts and big curly hair. The 90s was the decade to colour your hair, and the dye market witnessed a massive increase in demand for its products.
Very pale skin was now the in-style on the catwalk, and lipstick and nail varnish trends meant that we saw a lot of dark reds (from garnet to dark brown) in the 90s. The 'barely there' look was hot in this decade; we only have to look at Kate Moss to see how well it worked.
Care regime revolution
Innovations in cosmetics were taking off as we looked for ever more powerful active ingredients. State-of-the-art technology helped enormously in this area, and anti-ageing creams were one of the results of this, making the industry a small fortune. Outside of all this, the flip side of the coin was that we all wanted a calmer lifestyle, and now took the time to take care of ourselves after the hectic 80s. Aromatherapy came into our lives, and yoga along with it.
See you next week for the beauty story of the "Noughties!"
