From Colour-Changing Lipstick to Concealer Lips

Experimenting with (and often failing at) makeup was a rite of passage for many teens and tweens during the nineties and noughties. But today’s kids are obsessed with looking Instagram-ready. Many pre-teens who are active on TikTok record ‘get ready with me’ (GRWM) videos and product hauls, showing themselves buying and applying products from expensive luxury brands.

Olivia Atwood-Dack recently spoke to Molly Smith about the differences between previous generations and the skincare-obsessed Gen Z on her podcast, So Wrong It’s Right. Olivia said, “If you look now at Gen Z, it’s very different. These girls are face masking, [drinking] water, going to the gym […] looking after themselves. It took me until 30 to realise that was important.”

Molly agreed, explaining, “I look on TikTok and there’s girls that are 10, 15 years younger than me and […] wow, their skincare routine is crazy. I was like Dream Matte Mousse and a wipe – that was it!”

Olivia continues, saying she never blended her Dream Matte Mousse foundation properly, using a shade that was “way too dark for me […] right over the lips […] The consistency, I can feel it and smell it right now […] We all had them!”

Although Olivia and Molly joke, “we could file a lawsuit against Dream Matte Mousse”, they remember their skincare and makeup mistakes with fond humour – something that today’s kids will likely miss out on.

Here, collagen skincare specialist Carol Joy London gathers together some of our favourite nostalgic skincare and makeup memories (even if we wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them today).

1. Colour-changing lipstick

We’ve seen a few adaptive make-up products over the years, including foundations that change from white to skin tone when applied and blusher that deepens or lightens depending on your skin’s pH levels.

But one that sticks in every millennial’s mind is that particular shade of bright green lipstick that turned pink when applied. Ally Boldan (@AllyBoldanPR) remembers her green lipstick that turned pink with the same affection as her Dream Matte Mousse foundation that we all applied far too liberally, often resulting in a bright orange glow!

Yes, we all painted our lips bright green only to be surprised every single time when the colour turned a pretty pink. But why green? Well, it’s all to do with your skin’s pH levels. Green is on the opposite end of the colour spectrum to pink, allowing the formula to react to your individual pH (almost like litmus paper) to provide you with your unique pink shade.

With such an unusual starting colour for a lipstick, it’s a wonder any of us ever used the product in the first place in order to reveal the final pink shade.

2. Hairspray as setting spray

Setting spray is a great way to ensure our make-up stays in place all night long. But X (formerly Twitter) user @Elliesworldx remembers “spraying my face with hairspray before a night out – before setting sprays were a thing!”

Although this kind of DIY make-up would make most of us shudder nowadays (hairspray is terrible for our skin) there’s no denying it was an effective hack for helping products stay put. Getting it off at the end of the night, though – that was another matter!

3. Electric blue everything!

Gen Z and Gen Alpha might rule the TikTok roost, but go back just a few years and electric blue was the colour of the moment. We loved the bright vibrant hue on everything from clothes and accessories to, yes, make-up.

@CarolePaton used to love her electric blue mascara – “I was obsessed!” – while Riana (@tspadventure) says, “I definitely had a sparkly blue eyeshadow phase in the 8th grade that I deeply regret!”

Although electric blue might seem pretty out there in today’s Instagram-ready world, there’s no denying it was a fun trend! Okay, it might not work for a day in the office, but next time you’re heading to a party, why not try a sweep of electric blue along your waterline for a modern take on this make-up idea?

Look to TikTok for inspiration with creators like @scortezzbeauty and @elysereneau demonstrating some truly eye-catching looks that still provide a polished finish.

4. Foundation lips

While the latest lip trends might be all about glossy glamour, the early noughties were all about foundation lips. All of us tried the trend at least once, putting a layer of foundation not only over our face but also our lips – giving them a pale, almost dusty look.

It shouldn’t have worked, but it was a trend that endured for years, with plenty of us sticking adamantly to the foundation lips look all through school. In fact, TikTok has recently seen a resurgence of this look used in parody videos.

The pale, barely-there lips are coupled with heavy eyebrows, plenty of full-coverage foundation and, of course, huge hoop earrings created a staple look many of us are familiar with. It’s a look that’s become known as ‘British make-up’ on TikTok – parodying the looks we all used to be obsessed with in school that we wouldn’t dream of wearing now.

@scortezzbeauty has recently revealed a brilliant way to update the foundation lips look, helping your lips to stand out even when you’re using a lighter lip shade!

5. Life before primer

Those who were forced to use hairspray as setting spray probably also remember the difficulties of life before primer. How do we prep our skin properly for make-up without it? Most of us simply had to make do with plenty of moisturiser, but some took things one step further.

@KatyGilroyBlog remembers using “post-shave balm as a primer because someone on YouTube recommended it – my poor sensitive skin!” No wonder we covered up our mistreated skin with lashings of orange foundation and some truly intense contouring.

Whether you remember these trends fondly or with complete horror, there’s no denying they all played an important role in building our love of make-up as tweens and teens. Everyone should have an electric blue eyeshadow stage, a moment where make-up is purely fun and not a strict routine to be recorded for social media.

And for those of us who did use hairspray and post shave balm on our faces, don’t worry! There are plenty of gorgeous skincare products out there now that can properly hydrate, smooth and prime our skin ready for the low-key make-up we favour today.