I’ll never forget my first time. Lipstick, I mean lipstick. Mine was from Revlon and was a warm cinnamon brown shade. It was her mid-1990s, I was still in her teens, and I already owned a pretty impressive collection of Estée Lauder GWP items from my grandmother, who was a makeup enthusiast.
However, I decided to buy some lip products for myself. So, with my pocket money, Toast Of New York was added to my collection. I mostly only wore it when I was alone playing makeover, but it was a defining point of my adolescence: the zeitgeist of my 90s coming of age. I felt the gold inlaid packaging was much nicer than other (arguably more age-appropriate) items I’ve owned. LeBron, with Cindy Crawford at the editorial helm, seemed like the height of sophistication to me.
Four years later, Urban Decay’s Red Metallic Gouache Eyeshadow found its way into my makeup bag. The desire for glamor and beauty walked out the door and all things self-expression and all-black took its place. Being 14 is a tough age, but there can be some solace in grasping subculture as a means of navigation. Until the early 2000s, I combined gouache with dark liquid line (no wings) and applied smoky kohl under my eyes. I gave up on cheek color (because I tend to get red anyway). It doesn’t look all that appealing, but I digress. Darkness was upon us, and it was obvious by the products used on my face and my short, stubby, black-painted fingernails.
Beauty for me has always been a form of escapism. Perhaps it is a replaceable element, or a transformative force. Or maybe it’s the pure, unabashed joy that comes from building a coveted collection of unique items that bring such joy. I’m sure it’s sitting somewhere in the middle.
last week i got the tube Cheers to New York. Not much has changed, apart from a slightly more minimalist approach to packaging. This formula still has a slight vanilla cake batter scent. A scent that reminds me of the fall of 1996 and somehow brings me back to a warm and fluffy mood. It’s a feeling that instantly calms me down. It’s easy to see how scent and memory are closely intertwined. Research has revealed that smells not only have the power to unlock memories, but can also trigger memories that are older than those evoked by other sensory modalities, such as words or pictures.
I’m unashamedly beauty obsessed with all the high-quality new concoctions at my disposal, but in recent years I’ve found myself drawn to products that remind me of myself. I tend to think of it as a comfort blanket.
Sometimes all we want is to wallow in nostalgia. bomber lip lix (As I type this, I found one already on sale for $30 on eBay. Nostalgia shopping is wild!) I’m not the only one who has strong attachments to the past. In recent years, each brand has been attracting attention. Join the makeup revolution with frequent collaborations. These include: transparent lip gloss squeeze tubeIt is reminiscent of Lancôme’s iconic Juicy Tube.Bratz, complete fluffy purple makeup bag For your inner Cher Horowitz. Recently, Ariana Grande’s REM beautyhas piqued the interest of many millennials (myself included) with its space-age, chrome, futuristic yet ’90s-esque aesthetic, while being aimed more at a Gen Z audience. It seems we’re not the only ones who want to relive old memories. After all, fashion revivalism isn’t a new concept, so there’s no reason why this shouldn’t also apply to our makeup choices. Basically, it’s the 20-year cycle rule commonly spoken in the industry. This explains why something as simple as a NYX release is released. Clear version of the best-selling butter gloss It generated the most excitement from the beauty community on Instagram.
So why are we all trying to relive our teenage years and get the most glittering lip gloss on the market? While the 20-year rule is the deciding factor in all of this, It’s also worth noting that more than two years of a pandemic and global political instability can have a strong impact on our strong attachment to the comforts of the past.
A 2006 study linked nostalgia to the distinct emotional states of negative mood and loneliness. Yet, by contrast, it’s not all bad news, as it promotes social bonds and positive self-esteem.
When we are helpless against a chaotic world, small solaces are an act of escapism. Sometimes, small comforts can be as simple as sniffing your girlfriend’s CK One scent at a department store or reintroducing nail clips into your life. But under no circumstances should you reach for a bottle of Sunin.
