Celebs Whose Makeup Never Left The '90s

There are plenty of '90s makeup trends we're hoping make comebacks, and a lot of them are inspired by some of the most iconic celebrities of the decade. "While these trends were distinctly rooted in the '90s, many of them have found their way back into today's beauty culture with modern twists," makeup artist Amber Renee explains exclusively to Glam, adding that the brown lip "has had a huge resurgence" but the matte effect has been replaced by dewy hydration, which feels very 2020s. "The '90s minimalist aesthetic is also echoed in the current clean-girl makeup trend, just with more emphasis on skin health and glow," Renee adds. "Smokey eyes are still a staple, but today's version often uses cream textures, bronzey tones, and blown-out edges for a softer, more wearable feel. Even the skinny brow is having a niche comeback, though usually with more structure and less over-plucking trauma."

And while most of us are only hopping on these retro trends (yes, as much as it pains us, the '90s are officially retro), some celebrities have stuck to '90s makeup trends throughout their entire careers. Together with Renee, we've explored just which stars rock a makeup routine that seems to be frozen in time — and what aspects of '90s makeup are still popular today. From bare-faced icons Pamela Anderson and Drew Barrymore to stars like Halle Berry and Naomi Campbell whose face cards have remained exactly the same, these ladies found their makeup sweet spots in the '90s, and they decided to stick to them for decades to come (with minor changes, of course).

The ultimate '90s icon, Pamela Anderson has been in the spotlight for over three decades, and in recent years, the actor has had her resurgence thanks to embracing a makeup-free look. Yes, Pamela Anderson has gone makeup-free numerous times, and she looked flawless each and every single one of them. "Isn't it freeing? Doesn't it feel free? I feel free," Anderson gushed during an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," talking about her choice to ditch makeup. "I mean, it's taken a while, too; I've had my little, you know, journey with it, but we all are our own worst critics."

However, when Anderson does wear makeup — which, granted, is on rare occasions nowadays — the star opts for a classic '90s look. "As for celebrities who might still be stuck in the '90s makeup time capsule — Pamela Anderson comes to mind," Amber Renee tells us exclusively. "While she's an icon and her look is legendary, her signature super-thin brows and overly lined lips haven't evolved much." In fact, in 2025, her makeup artist David Velasquez shared a photo of the actor all dolled up, rocking a look reminiscent of her iconic '90s makeup featuring sultry smokey eyes, nude lips, and ultra-thin eyebrows. While we love seeing Anderson embrace her natural beauty, it is also empowering to know that she can rock a full face of makeup just as confidently.

Pop star Christina Aguilera rose to fame in the late '90s, and at the time, her signature makeup look consisted of a shimmery lilac eyeshadow and nude glossy lips. While Christina Aguilera has undergone a complete transformation since her early pop-princess days, it seems as if the musician is still fond of '90s makeup.

"Christina Aguilera is another star who often revisits frosted lids and sharply defined lip combos that scream early 2000s, a direct evolution of '90s glam," Amber Renee shares exclusively with Glam. "A little refresh — like fluffier brows, creamier textures, or a more monochromatic palette — could keep their essence intact while modernizing the finish." While she may not use the exact same products she did in the '90s, there's no denying that Aguilera's glam is often reminiscent of her teen look.

Salma Hayek is known as one of the older celebs breaking all the makeup rules, and for that, we applaud her. The actor has never been one to blindly follow trends, which is why it's not surprising that many of the makeup looks she rocks today are very similar to some of her signature beauty styles from the '90s. Most frequently, the star opts for a brown eyeshadow look paired with a nude lip color. In the '90s, her go-to was a glossy finish, while she now prefers a more matte lip.

Now, some of Hayek's iconic '90s makeup moments also included a bold lip — a look she still adores. "Salma Hayek loves a statement lip look, and we were inspired by her sultry femme fatale moment at the 'Desperado' premiere in LA in the '90s," celebrity makeup artist Sofia Tilbury told Glamour in 2023. "That rich, scarlet-red lip combined with the matching slip dress — iconic." We love seeing the actor draw inspiration from the past, and with a face card like Hayek's, there isn't really much she can't pull off! 

Even though a lot of celebrity makeup looks from the '90s were about bold lips and grungy eye makeup, rocking the no-makeup makeup look was also big — and model Kate Moss was one of the most well-known faces of the trend. While the star was rocking makeup, most of the time it was very minimal and neutral, resulting in a very model-off-duty look.

"This is my favorite pencil," Moss shared on Charlotte Tilbury's Instagram, referring to the Lip Cheat Lip Liner in the shade Pillow Talk. "I used to call it the pencil of youth. I used to have freckles when I was young, I don't anymore. But I used to be like, 'Charlotte, can I have the pencil of youth?' And she'd just dot it and smudge it. I can't live without this one. Because also it gives definition, it's very natural." Today, Moss usually sticks with similar makeup to what she rocked in the '90s, ultra-thin eyebrows included. 

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is another famous lady whose makeup often looks like it belongs in the '90s. Crawford — who began modeling in the late '80s and had her career explode in the '90s — has revealed that prior to entering the industry, she wasn't much of a makeup person. "When I started modeling, I knew zero about makeup and skincare," Crawford revealed to Vogue in 2019. 

Considering that the star learned the majority of her makeup skills in the '90s, it's not surprising that a classic brown cut-crease look combined with nude lips is her go-to. While Crawford looks stunning in various makeup styles, the model has admitted that she prefers a less-is-more approach to makeup nowadays.

"I have found as I've gotten older, I wear way less makeup," the supermodel added. "I would say that's the biggest evolution for me which is kind of counter intuitive, but that also means that taking care of your skin is more important because you're not covering it up with makeup."

Hollywood star Drew Barrymore looks flawless without makeup, which is why the star often rocks a minimal makeup look. "I think there's natural makeup. I don't pile it on every day," Barrymore told The Cut in 2014. "Most days, I go out and don't wear any. I want to let my skin breathe. I get photographed like a dark-circle zombie. I just don't care. I don't think it's real. It hasn't put a gun to my head to put on more makeup. I'm just trying to get my s*** done."

While the star loves rocking a bare-faced look, she does occasionally serve a bold lip, too. And looking back on her career, a dark-red lip was a signature look Barrymore was particularly fond of in the '90s, so when we see her rocking it nowadays, we can't help but compare the makeup. Granted, today, the "Miss You Already" actor gravitates more toward a bright-red color, unlike the moody and dark shades that were popular in the grungy decade. And even though Barrymore prefers a natural look, the actor revealed that she often does find confidence in makeup. "... when I do a little concealer, a little blush and lip gloss, I get mad at myself that I don't do it more often because it does look nice. I do feel like I look a little prettier," she added.

Underlining is back from the early aughts and grungier than ever, but what many may not realize is that the messy eye makeup trend that was actually popular in the '90s. " ... the grunge influence meant some makeup looked intentionally undone — a lived-in smokiness or even a smudged, slept-in liner vibe," Amber Renee tells us exclusively. And one star who pioneered the smokey-eyeliner look was actor Winona Ryder. In the '90s, the "Edward Scissorhands" star's makeup was either simple and minimal (aka a no-makeup makeup look) or dramatic with smoked-out eyeliner and a natural, pink lip. Two decades later, and Ryder's approach to makeup hasn't changed much, as smoked-out eye pencil is still her signature look.

"You would think that by now, with what I do, I would know how to apply makeup," she told Allure in 2015. "But I'm actually quite terrible at it and very, very lucky that I don't need to wear a lot in my everyday life. I've always just stuck to tinted moisturizer and you know ... I've spent my life having other people apply it, and it's weird because you would think that I would have picked up all these amazing tips but it's actually the opposite." Luckily, for a grungy look like this one, Ryder doesn't need a steady hand or precise application.

Halle Berry may have been successful in the industry since the early '90s, but her look is definitely frozen in time, as the actor hasn't aged a day since her breakthrough. Seriously, when we look at side-by-side images of Berry in the '90s and today, it's truly difficult to believe that there are almost three decades between them. And one reason that might be the case is that Berry's makeup routine is still very similar to what she rocked in the '90s.

For the 2025 Academy Awards, the actor went with a neutral yet sculpted look that channeled a modern Bond girl, but many of the features were staples in the decade in which she rose to fame. "I was going for a cool, edgy vibe tonight, with shades of silver throughout the whole night, and I wanted my beauty look to be strong and sexy, yet subtle," Berry revealed to InStyle, referring to her Oscars makeup done by celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo. Berry's nude lips outlined with a brown lip pencil were another classic makeup look popular in the '90s. 

Supermodel Naomi Campbell knows what suits her, and she sticks to it. And when it comes to makeup, this usually means brown eyeshadow and a nude lip. "Lips were defined with darker lip liner — think deep browns, plums, or brick tones — often filled in with a lighter nude or beige, creating that high-drama pout," Amber Renee explains exclusively to Glam. "Eyes were generally neutral-toned, featuring brown or gray smokey shadows, sometimes with a slight frost, and lots of black eyeliner, especially in the waterline."

Campbell, whose career blossomed in the '90s, is known for her striking features — always subtly enhanced with makeup — as well as her flawless base. However, the star revealed that she doesn't like overdoing it when it comes to her face makeup. "I don't like my base to ever look like a mask. I don't really wear base on my forehead, because I want to just look like I don't have anything on," Campbell shared on her YouTube channel in 2019.

Actor Liv Tyler is known for her ethereal beauty, and any makeup she chooses to wear only enhances it. While the star's makeup has changed over the years, a look from the '90s that she remained loyal to is a bold lip. Whether she opts for a dark pink or a red with pink undertones, the actor looks stunning with statement lips and a subtle-eye look.

Speaking to Into the Gloss in 2013, Tyler revealed that the '90s were definitely a different era as far as beauty standards are concerned. "Everything has changed so much in fashion and beauty since the '90s, when I was starting out," she said. "... I would go to things all the time where I did my own hair and makeup ... It was just a different time. There weren't as many paparazzi, the red carpets weren't what they are now — there's a lot of scrutiny going on and the maintenance is intense! Think about seeing Julia Roberts on the red carpet in the late '80s and early '90s in a suit with no makeup on, and that was okay."

The actor added, "I really learned about makeup and skincare from watching my grandmother and my mom." However, while Tyler loves a statement lip for industry events today, she is a no-makeup makeup fan: "With makeup, I like to look like I don't have makeup on."

Musician Gwen Stefani has had an undeniably bold style evolution, so it's not surprising that her go-to makeup look has always been dramatic. The singer — who rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the band No Doubt in the early '90s — is a huge fan of a red lip, a look that has definitely become her signature style over the past three decades. 

What's particularly interesting about the musician is that her red lip is always her own. "I could do a perfect red lip in less than a minute. In fact, I never worked with a makeup artist my entire career, really, other than one here or one there," she told Glamour in 2022. "I had a bad experience when I was doing [an early] No Doubt record. This guy came and did my makeup for the artwork and I remember thinking I looked ugly. I was like, 'I look prettier when I do my makeup,' but I was too scared to say something." And while many have rocked bold lips in the entertainment industry, we have to admit that the crown of the most perfect red lip definitely belongs to Stefani, who pulls the look off like no one else.

Even though the singer sticks to makeup styles she loves the most, the star has revealed that makeup is about more than just looking better. "I found magic in the makeup. It's not even about how people look; it's how they feel," she revealed. "Once that makeup goes on, the confidence that comes with it is what stayed with me." 

Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow often rocks a makeup look that is the epitome of '90s style. "The biggest hallmarks of '90s makeup were all about contrast and minimalism with attitude," Amber Renee shares with us exclusively. "Thin, over-plucked eyebrows reigned supreme, often paired with matte, velvety skin that leaned more powdered than dewy." And if there's one thing that Paltrow's makeup artists do perfectly, it's creating matte yet natural-looking skin.

The star usually rocks a flawless base that enhances her freckles and sun-kissed skin, a subtle gray/lavender eyeshadow look, and nude lips. But when she's not attending industry events, the actor is all about letting her skin breathe. "I've never been a makeup person really. I always love not wearing makeup," Paltrow told People in 2020. "For me, makeup has always meant that I'm going to work," she explained. "All through junior high and high school, makeup never became part of my routine. And I think part of that is because I was always a little bit of a tomboy. I like the feeling of having clean skin."

Now, for some more dramatic A-lister style changes, check out these celebs who are nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair color.