The 90s Lip Is Back: Brown Liner and Clear Gloss

The 90s Lip Is Back: Brown Liner and Clear Gloss

The 90s lip is back, a soft brown liner under a clear, glassy gloss. Here are the brown pencils, clear glosses and plumping glosses I would use to wear it now, blended and softer than the first time around.

Charlotte Tilbury was working backstage in the 1990s, and she has written about how she used to mix concealers with a little brown lipstick to make custom nudes for the supermodels of the era. Thin brows, matte skin and a lip lined a shade deeper than the fill: it was the look of the decade, and it is back. This time, the line is softer, the gloss is clearer and the whole thing looks less drawn on. It works on almost everyone, and it takes about a minute.

It starts with brown lip liners. MAC Lip Pencil in Cork is a muted golden brown, the kind of shade that works on fair to medium skin. Fenty Beauty Trace'd Out in I Woodn't is a neutral brown that lasts up to eight hours. Rare Beauty Kind Words in Wise is a warm medium brown. m.ph Overliner in Double Shot is a rich golden brown for deeper skin. Wonderskin 360 Contour in Nutmeg is transfer-proof. REFY Lip Blur Lip Liner in Umber has a soft-matte, blurred finish. MILK MAKEUP Line + Fill in Mood is a rich brown that also works as an all-over color, and MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil in Versatile Chestnut is a warm chocolate.

A quick test: pick a liner that is one or two shades deeper than your natural lip. Any darker and it starts to look like the harsh version.

Notebook collage showing MAC Lip Pencil in Cork, Glossier Glassy High-Shine Lip Gloss in Clear and Charlotte Tilbury Big Lip Plumpgasm as three steps for a 90s brown-lined lip
Brown lip liners

Brown lip liners

Clear and sheer glosses

The second half of the look is a clear or sheer gloss. The point is shine, not color, so the brown liner shows through and your lips look full and glassy.

Glossier Glassy High-Shine Lip Gloss in Clear is cushiony without being sticky. Boss is a clear gel gloss that keeps lips moisturized for hours. MAC Lipglass Air in Zephyr is the lighter version of the classic Lipglass. 19/99 Beauty High Shine Gloss in Glass is very clear and very shiny. Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly in Chill is gentle for sensitive lips. Anastasia Beverly Hills Crystal Lip Gloss is a crystal-clear finish. YSL Candy Glaze in Showcasing Nude is a gloss stick with a sheer nude tint, and Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath in Refresh Rose adds a sheer pink.

Pairing tip: after lining, smudge the edge inward with a fingertip, then put the gloss only in the center of your lips. Press them together and the gloss spreads to just inside the line.

What I would skip: a thick, sticky gloss for this look. It slides over the liner and smears it. Choose a lighter, non-sticky gloss that stays in place.

Clear and sheer glosses

Plumping glosses for more volume

If you want a fuller 90s lip, swap the clear gloss for a plumping one. A lip plumper gloss adds a little tingle and volume, which makes the lined look even more dramatic.

Charlotte Tilbury Big Lip Plumpgasm in Medium/Deep is a brown berry pink that suits deeper skin. Nearly Nude is a soft taupe plumping gloss with a biomimetic peptide. Gucci Hydrating Plumping Lip Gloss in 117 gives subtle color and glass-like shine. MAKE UP FOR EVER Super Boost in Crystal is clear with hyaluronic acid and a cooling feel. Danessa Myricks GlossWork 4D in Abundantly Clear is a clear plumping treatment gloss. Too Faced Lip Injection Cooling in It's Official is a light peachy nude. Wonderskin Lip Relapse is a plumping gloss for everyday, and Charlotte Tilbury Supernudes Big Lip Plumpgasm in Nudegasm Diamonds adds sparkle.

How to use them: line first, then add the plumping gloss. The tingle helps, and the liner keeps the gloss from traveling.

What I would skip: overlining past your natural lip line with a dark brown liner. It was the 90s mistake. Line just on the edge, or a hair over at the center of the top lip.

Plumping glosses

Wearing the 90s lip now

Start with a brown liner one shade deeper than your lips and a clear gloss. Line, smudge inward and add gloss to the center. That is the whole look. For evenings, swap the clear gloss for a plumping one. If you want more color, fill the whole lip with the liner before the gloss, and it reads like a sheer brown lipstick with shine. The modern 90s lip is all about soft edges, so keep a fingertip handy for blending and let it look a little lived in by the end of the day. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Brown Liner, Frosted Lids and Matte Skin and How One Clear Pot Became a Whole MAC Lip Gloss Family. To try the finish at home, I explained how clear lip gloss over lipstick adds shine without changing the color much.