Victoria Beckham's Most Posh '90s Beauty Moments Are Still Inspiring Us Today

Having evolved from pop star to fashion designer to style icon, Victoria Beckham has been on quite the journey with her look. She's had a lot of influences, but it all started back in the mid-1990s, when she was just finding fame as part of the Spice Girls. Her beauty game at the time reflected the biggest trends of the era, from eye shimmer to two-toned lips, and while the trends might have had their day, we can still learn a thing or two from Beckham's lookbook. 

"You know, I've been so lucky to work with the best makeup artists in the industry, which has just been so, so great," the former pop star revealed in a 2021 episode of the "Breaking Beauty" podcast, confirming that she doesn't have any regrets about her '90s glam. "And I look back at pictures, and people always say, 'Oh, do you cringe at any of the pictures?' You know — do I cringe at that heavy lip liner? No ... it was a journey. Do I cringe at those skinny eyebrows? No, it was a journey and way too much blush, you know, we were working so hard, and we were so exhausted." Speaking about her over-blushing specifically, Beckham shared that she and her bandmates would wear more blush as they got increasingly tired on their world tours. 

We wouldn't recreate every single element of the standard Posh Spice '90s makeup look today, but there were basics in Beckham's beauty game that definitely translate. Ever the muse, she demonstrated an understanding of how different colors worked together on her skin, also balancing more dramatic features with understated complements. Victoria Beckham's wardrobe during her WAG era was iconic, but these makeup looks from her '90s girl group era might be even more legendary.

Making a name for herself as Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham was associated with all things chic and stylish from the release of the first Spice Girls single "Wannabe" in 1996. That year, Beckham, then Victoria Adams, embraced that fierce public image with an equally fierce '90s beauty look. The epitome of the decade's moody vibes, she had all the right ingredients: dark, dramatic eyeliner, a sharp contrast between her dark-brown lip liner and a frosted pink lip, and warm bronzer. Victoria Beckham's stunning face has transformed since her Spice Girls days, but we'd adore it if she recreated looks like this today.

Victoria Beckham's role in the Spice Girls was as the most stylish and fashion-forward member, but that doesn't mean every moment needed to be over-the-top. In this 1997 look, she opted for soft glam instead, going for less coverage and a more relaxed hairstyle pushed back by a classic acrylic headband. But there were still '90s elements here, from the definitively plucked eyebrows (check out Victoria Beckham's method for doing your eyebrows if you like what you see) to the brown-toned lip liner. Even today, we'd replicate this subdued look at any low-key outing, from brunch to girls' night. 

In the '90s, makeup palettes could be icy with cool tones, but they could also be earthy. Victoria Beckham's natural warm coloring perfectly suited the browns and bronzes that she frequently wore during the decade, including during her first live performance with the Spice Girls. Again relying on a headband to show off her glam look, she rocked a bronze smokey eye with lighter shimmer brightening the inner area — still definitely a trick we'd use today — and a warm-bronze lip. Once more, she wore her go-to lip liner to make her puckers pop. 

In 1995, before the Spice Girls had really risen to the heights of stardom, Victoria Beckham was spotted with actor Anna Friel, donning another soft glam aesthetic that would still work today, even if she wasn't quite nailing the "barely there" eyeliner trend. Starting with her foundation and blush, she leaned into warm tones that matched her skin, keeping it matte rather than dewy. She added a golden shimmer beneath her eyes, focusing on mascara and tightlining to bring the drama, and finished the look off with a subtle nude lined lip. 

Three decades later, and we're still not over Victoria Beckham's 1996 pixie. The best thing about this edgy, spiky 'do was that it showed off her makeup, which tended to follow predictable patterns that we came to love seeing on the pop star. The vibrant peachy blush was the standout element of this makeup look, which you can replicate today — perhaps adding some dew drops and highlighter to give it a modern update. Beckham also wore a pink lip and her go-to earthy eye look here, but the blush was definitely the loudest. 

We're so used to seeing '90s-era Victoria Beckham with short hair that her ultra-glamorous beauty look at the 1997 MTV Europe Music Awards had us doing a double take. Aside from the voluminous 'do, Beckham took things up a notch with her makeup here, going for a smokey eye with hints of purple along with dramatic liner and lashes. She kept her brown-pink lip, this time going for a more vibrant pink with a glossier finish, paired with peachy matte blush. The sparkles around her eyes might not be en vogue today, but we'd still give this look a try for a special occasion!

In 1997, Victoria Beckham attended the Billboard Music Awards with her bandmates, and she was officially in her main character era. While her sleek lob was peak Posh Spice, she understood the pop star assignment with a bold smokey eye that extended to her under-eye area, matching the cool-brown shade to her cool-brown-and-pink lip. We might not wear this exact eye look today, but we can certainly take some tips from Posh on matching tones, and making sure that all elements of a makeup look complement each other. 

All millennials remember the 1998 release of "Spice World," and Victoria Beckham attended the premiere in style. Keeping her white 'fit and simple lob understated was the right move, since her glam was the star of the show. Again, Beckham went with a dramatic smokey eye that brought together brown earthy hues with shimmery gold, further adding to the eye-catching look with deep liner that contrasted against a nude-pink lip. This level of beauty drama might be too intense for the everyday, but it's a good target for more formal night events and will definitely show up well in photos.

In one of her most toned-down beauty looks of the '90s, Victoria Beckham looked refreshingly comfy in her skin in one 1998 snap. Her streaked brond hair was a hallmark of the era, and one that will probably come back to the fore before we know it, while her makeup was relatively simple and adaptable. She ditched the smokey eye for simple liner and mascara, and went for less of a contrast between her lipstick and lip liner. You could get away with this low-key vibe in any era, since it's giving "unbothered."

Victoria Beckham experimented with her image in the second half of the '90s, as she rose to global stardom. By the end of the decade, as she lit up the famous Christmas lights on London's Bond Street, she was firmly in her edgy-chic era with a black choppy pixie, a deep-brown lip, and her usual bronzer. Although she was preparing to say goodbye to the '90s, she was holding on to some of the decade's trends that had become her own, from the brown lip to the short hair. A bridge between the '90s pop star and the noughties fashion designer, this moment was definitive in Victoria Beckham's stunning style transformation.