Beyond making us look and feel good, beauty products have the powerful ability to conjure up many a memory. Fragrance, for instance, taps into the same area of the brain that processes mood and memory, and thus can transport us to a totally different space and time with a single sniff.
For some of us, it's the distinctive freshness of CK One that - once upon a time - made us feel like we were finally 'adulting'. For others, the waft of Abercrombie & Fitch takes us straight back to the classroom crush. Whatever your chosen bottle was, scent can capture a moment in time. And it's not only fragrance that hits rewind - make-up, skincare and hair 'dos all evoke teenage flashbacks (and maybe one too many beauty faux pas).
So, if you’re in need of a little pick-me-up and some feel-good nostalgia, read on to discover Team Grazia’s most memorable beauty #throwbacks from the 90s and noughties…
Nostalgic beauty products
If you're a 90s baby, there's a high chance that this whipped up mousse was your first foray into foundation. Top marks for coverage and staying power, this matte formula wasn't so forgiving on dry skin.
Going 'out out'? For many of us, that required a decent layer of Rimmels instant tan. It didn't matter if it was shimmer or matte, it just had to be liberally applied - so much so, hands were stained too.
The biggest beauty hit of the '90s? These squeezy tubes of high-shine gloss that made it on to every teenage birthday wish-list.
The first 'unisex' fragrance, CK One became the scent of the 90s with twenty bottles selling every minute at its peak. Fresh and vibrant, it's still a popular choice today and really captures that teenage spirit.
No holiday was complete without a liberal mist of Sun In. Lightening and brightening naturally mid-to-light strands, it's blonde highlights bottled. (Well, technically it's peroxide and water, bottled).
Ah body butter, how we love thee! Sweetly scented, this mango moisturiser became the go-to for many of us. Smells like a sorbet and hydrates like a hero.
Did you go through that scrunched, wet-curl phase too? The product of choice was Fructis Style Curl Mousse that we scrunched liberally into damp hair for a hard crispy curled finish.
So much more then a complexion corrector, this concealer also made for a wonderful lipstick when you wanted to really make your eyes pop...
If he smelt of Abercrombie & Fitch, he was a catch - even if he didn't look like the model that we embarrassingly queued up to be pictured with.
After Rimmel's instant tan, many of us graduated onto St Moriz. Powerful stuff, this mousse transformed the colour of our limbs in hours and stayed put for days (along with the tale-tale streaks and orange hands).
The scent of school corridors, Impulse was a great choice for a quick freshen up mid-afternoon when you wanted to really impress. And picking your flavour in boots was always a fun trip out!
MAC lipglass - oh how we've missed you! Thankfully gloss has seen a revival, so we're firmly back on the lipglass hype.
READ MORE: The French Manicure Is Back – But It’s Come A Long Way Since Its 90s Heyday