In case you haven’t noticed, ’90s beauty trends are having a renaissance. We’ve seen Dua Lipa rock a frosted lid, Iris Law nail high shine lips, and Bella Hadid make the case for needle-thin brows. At the autumn/winter 2022 shows, we’ve seen glossy lips at Dolce & Gabbana and frosted lids at Ambush. But another ’90s throwback emerged this season, the classic brown eye. We saw it teamed with glassy skin and a nude lip at Emilia Wickstead, and again at Supriya Lele, where make-up artist Fara Homidi threw back to the decade in which she came of age.
“Growing up in the ’90s, I remember well the textures and colours we all wore,” says Homidi. “And the era still informs my runway and editorial work to this day – the velvet matte skin, perfect brown eyeshadow and brown to sepia toned lip.”
Unlike a frosted lid, a brown eye goes with everything, and can be dressed up with a lacquered lip or pared back with a nude, sepia hue or matte texture. It’s also a great way to tap into the current ’90s revival without having to heavily pluck your eyebrows (especially if you lived this trend the first time around and have only just managed to grow them back).
Here, Homidi shares her guide to creating the perfect ’90s brown eye.
Choose a brown to suit your skin tone
“Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour is the chubby pencil cream shadow of my dreams! It’s mistake-proof and the perfect balance between powder and cream. The shades 12 Contour Clair (lighter brown), or 04 Electric Brown (a slightly deeper brown), are just the sort of perfect cool-toned browns that were everything in the ’90s. Choose whichever one suits, and swipe it heavily across the base of the eyelid. Feel free to just go in.”
Blend towards the out eye corner
“Then with a fluffy eye brush (my favourite is MAC 217S), blend the creamy texture upwards and slightly outwards towards the outer eye corners, elongating the eye just a bit. The finish should be a slightly transparent mid tone brown.”
Line the bottom lashes
“Go ahead and lightly line the bottom lashes with the same pencil, and in true ’90s fashion, smudge it out with your finger.“
Apply mascara
“Finish with a slick of black mascara – not too much as the eyeshadow is really the focus. The Byredo Space Black Mascara is a perfect light to buildable texture that I’m loving for this look.”
For foundation opt for a creamy matte
“When it comes to the rest of the face, I recommend updating from a matte powder foundation (which was the craze in the ’90s) to a lighter finish for 2022. Cle de Peau concealers are the holy grail for perfect creamy-matte, melt-into-your-skin coverage. Always start there and see if a foundation is even needed. Beginning with the under eyes, swipe a bit of the Cle de Peau, continuing down with sides of your nose and laugh lines. And spot treat any blemishes. Blend into skin with your fingertips.”
Touch up with some extra coverage
“Now, if you need a bit more coverage for some evenness, add a dab of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (still a favourite), and blend outwards towards the edges of the face. I love the Giorgio Armani Blender Brush for this. It has the perfect softness and size to manoeuvre into small areas like around the nose or under the eyes.”
Perfect your pout
“For a perfect pout, Merit Beauty has just released its Signature Lip – a range of lipstick shades that are specifically reminiscent of the ’90s. A double slick of any of these (as they are sheer to buildable) and you are all set!”
