MAC has a long, storied history in the beauty industry. Ever since the Canadian-born company launched in 1985 as Make-Up Art Cosmetics, it’s been a favorite of beauty lovers. By the time the ’90s rolled around, MAC’s popularity would reach new heights. The brand would become the go-to for professional makeup artists, making magic both on-screen and on the red carpet. You couldn’t open a beauty magazine without seeing a mention of the brand. If you were watching a movie or TV show, there’s a good chance the actor was wearing some sort of MAC product. It was everywhere. Some of our favorite stars even wore MAC lipsticks off-duty.
Teens in the ’90s all knew that the MAC counter in the mall was the hottest destination. They were innovating the beauty industry year after year. In 1994, MAC made history when it launched the very first Viva Glam campaign, featuring then-rising drag star RuPaul. MAC even created a custom lipstick shade for one of the world’s biggest pop stars of the time to use on her tour. MAC continues to be a makeup mainstay in pop culture. After all, it was only last year when MAC sold out of its Nightmoth lip liner after it was revealed to be used on Jenna Ortega in Wednesday!
If you’re feeling inspired to time-travel back to the ’90s and re-create iconic lip looks from some of the era’s biggest stars, keep reading to find out which products to add to your cart. Sadly, some were discontinued, but a lot of them are still available (like the brick-red lipstick Jennifer Aniston wore in Friends).
R&B singer Aaliyah was a major beauty icon in the ’90s, and she often wore MAC. According to Rashad Haughton, Aaliyah’s brother, her go-to staple was the peachy-beige Cherish lipstick.
Aaliyah paired the Cherish lipstick with Chestnut lip liner (and Espresso eye shadow) as well as the since-discontinued Chelsea lipstick. In 2018, MAC released an Aaliyah collection with brand-new shades that paid homage to her favorites.
Friends’s Rachel Green undoubtedly had a massive impact on beauty and style. (Raise your hand if you had the Rachel haircut!) In a 2017 interview with Glamour, Aniston revealed that she wore MAC lipstick in the shade Paramount during filming. "It was a browny brick. I remember that was my go-to color when I was doing Friends,” she said.
Another shade that Friends lead makeup artist Robin Siegel was reported to use on Aniston was MAC’s Touch; however, it has since been discontinued. If you’re looking for an alternative for the warm, neutral brown, MAC’s Taupe could be a good option.
Courteney Cox’s cranberry lip on Friends was a perfect representation of the era’s dark lipstick trends. Siegel used MAC's Spice It Up to get the look.
Spice had almost every ’90s It girl obsessed—from supermodel Linda Evangelista, who caused it to sell out after naming it as her must-have beauty item, to Drew Barrymore, who once told US Weekly that in the ’90s she "wore MAC Spice lip liner for five years.” (Siegel also used the liner on Aniston in Friends.) While you can still get Spice, it might not look exactly like it did in the ’90s, as shown in makeup artist Erin Parsons’s TikTok when she compared an old pencil with a new one.
If you feel like channeling Agent Scully’s reddish-brown lip from The X-Files, you’re in luck. Marrakesh, the orangey-brown shade reported to be Gillian Anderson’s go-to back then, is now available after being previously discontinued.
This stunning red is still popular to this day. But its origin involves Madonna! She wore the lipstick all throughout her Blond Ambition Tour, and it was reportedly created by MAC just for the singer. Tejano legend and red-lip legend Selena Quintanilla was also known to wear the shade. (For MAC’s history-making 2016 Selena collection, the brand made a new red called Como La Flor after the singer’s hit song.)
Okay, this is technically the early 2000s, but MAC’s Angel was a favorite lipstick of Kim Kardashian. As a ’90s teen, she also loved Revlon’s Toast of New York.
Kardashian paired Angel with MAC’s Stripdown liner, making it her signature look for years.
Velvet Teddy is a forever classic. The perfect combo of peach, pink, and nude looks good on almost everyone.
This rich, pigmented plum was all the rage back then and surprisingly wearable. You can easily blot it down for a lighter look.
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