While we are absolutely slaying in the beauty game now, it wasn’t exactly the same story back in our high school days. As the beauty world was brand new to us, we thought that any product we could get our hands on was a winner, even when it wasn’t. If one person started raving about a certain lip gloss or flavored body powder in class, you could bet that by the end of the week, every girl had it in her locker.
If it’s been a hot minute since you’ve strutted down the halls as an enviable senior, why not take a trip down memory lane? You might even stumble on a product you swore by that you completely forgot about…remember, Christmas is just around the corner!
Chanel—Le Vernis in “Vamp”
Our first foray into teenage beauty rebellion wasn’t on our faces—as if our mothers would let us! But we were resourceful back then. Being a girl on a mission, where else could we add some edge to our look? Why on our nails, of course!
Everyone went nuts for Chanel’s deep red nail polish in the ‘90s. If you had the dinero to buy Vamp, you bought Vamp. It was one of the trendiest and bestselling shades of the ‘90s—and for good reason, too! This blackened red shade brought unconventional nail colors to the mainstream. In fact, this color transcends high school—why not dig it up before the holidays?
Bath & Body Works Lotion
The critical years of 13-15 were when teens discovered that they could personalize their scents—and we’d be lying if we said we were exceptions to the rule. When we weren’t rocking CK One or Victoria’s Secret Love Spell, we were probably slathering on one of Bath & Body Works’ famous lotions. There was always a bottle of Juniper Breeze or Plumeria body lotion in our backpacks. People could smell us before they even saw us. In fact, the scent trail that followed us probably irked our phys-ed coach and homeroom teachers, but we didn’t care! Having baby soft hands that signaled our entrance was an absolute must.
Manic Panic Hair Dye
High school was a time of experimentation. Those of us who wanted our look to be outside-the-box know this brand all too well. By far the most famous brand of vegan hair dye, if you wanted pink streaked hair or baby blue kissed locks, this was the product to buy. Our parents probably weren’t too happy with us, but at least now we know that layering pink, green, and yellow on our heads isn’t going to do us any favors. And with that knowledge, we can confidently call ourselves adults and laugh at our teenage hijinks.Lancôme—Juicy Tubes
Remember when the mere mention of Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes was music to our adolescent ears? We were too afraid of lipstick back then and so it was between our Lip Smackers or a tube of gloss. Shiny lips were meant to make our lips look enticing, but did it do the trick?
Juicy Tubes glosses applied more like jelly than a subtle glaze—this stuff was thick. If this was your first “adult” makeup product, then you probably applied it every chance you got. Looking back, it seemed like we had a gallon of slobber on our lips from applying it every 10 minutes. While we’ve graduated from this particular line, we can’t quite call Lancôme a brand for high schoolers. Their mature product lines are impressive—and the price tag definitely reflects that.
St. Ives—Apricot Scrub
We don’t know about you, but the St. Ives Apricot Scrub was the mother of all facial scrubs back in our day. Paraben-free, oil-free, and sulfate-free this product was a favorite of ours in high school and still holds a place near and dear to our hearts. All modern-day scrub-lovers can trace the origins of their exfoliation routine right back to this cult favorite. Got dirt on your face? Apricot Scrub. Want to nip a zit right in the bud? Apricot Scrub. Need an A in algebra? Apricot Scrub. This scrub left our faces baby smooth and made us feel like we could actually get over Mondays—even if it was just for a bit.
