The '90s were an incredible time for our culture. We were at peace with the world, technology was booming, there was always something new and exciting developing (hello, Internet), and pop culture was at its peak. A lot of us '90s kids have severe nostalgia for Nickelodeon slime and our Skip-Its, but nothing beats the innocence of the lip glosses every '90s cool girl had.
You just got a wave of nostalgia for your younger self, didn't you? I turned 10 years old in 1998. To paraphrase Queen Britney, I was not a girl, not yet a woman. This mean that I wasn't "allowed" to wear makeup on a regualr basis (though that didn't stop me from sneaking some on in the school bathroom.)But I was allowed to wear lip gloss, and I took advantage of that. I coated my lips in layers of sticky, sparkly, watermelon-flavored Lancome Juicy Tub. I caked my pout Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker. I filled my MUDD purse with the essentials — Fruit Stripe gum, Tommy Girl perfume, and a tube of roll on lip gloss. Basically, I was the epitome of cool and set to be cast on the Real World as soon as I turned 18.
If you too thought you would win Legends of the Hidden Temple (that monkey was three pieces, you morons, get it together) and spent your childhood trying to balance on your Pogo ball to impress your neighborhood crush, then you probably had these 15 lip glosses cluttering your Caboodles case.
1Fetish Lip Gloss
Not only do you remember that Christina Aguilera endorsed it, but also the fact that your mom probably gasped when she saw the word Fetish on your Christmas list that year. You felt incredibly grown up using this, and probably had to have an older sister buy it for you.
2Liquid Lip Smackers
You had about 50 of these, in various flavors, but you constantly licked the cotton candy and watermelon one off of your lips. It was super sweet, incredibly sticky, and heaven help you if it was a particularly windy day outside. Nothing like waving to your crush while peeling your hair off of your lips. Also, that little sponge applicator? Didn't you feel like a total high schooler using it?
3Lancôme Juicy Tube
Talk about sticky lips. The Lancôme Juicy Tubes were so sticky and thick that it felt like paste on your mouth. But you know what? They came in shimmery, pretty pinks and you rocked it. Also, was Lancôme not the fanciest name for a brand you could think of back then? Ooh la la.
4Naturistics Sweet Lips
Mm, I can still smell the kiwi sent of the Naturistics Sweet Lips gloss. I used to feel so tropical.
5Rolly Lip Smacker
One of my absolute favorites, the Rolly Lip Smacker collection was one to envy. That little ball was so cool and trendy, and it made swiping on some gloss every ten minutes during class super easy and discreet.
6Fruity Roll On Lip Gloss
The fact that the packaging for these fruity roll-on lip glosses included a pair of lips and the word KISSING made you feel like you were going to bring all the boys to the yard. I had about eight hundred of these.
7Delia*s Stackable Lip Gloss
If you had a Delia*s catalog, then you knew what it meant to be cool. And if your mom actually let you buy anything out of it, then you were basically the Drew Barrymore of your friends. Especially if you had a collection of those stackable lip glosses. I mean, look at those colors! Those little pots looked so cool on your dresser and you made sure they were proudly displayed because like, make-up was your ~LyF3~.
8Naturistics Glossy Lip Balm
Tubes were so childish, that's why you insisted on Naturistics Glossy Lip Balm. Not only did you feel grown up unscrewing that little top, but the design was so sophisticated and the brand included flavors like vanilla, mango, and tropical fruit.
9Smackers Lip Sparkle
Like wearing glittery cake frosting on your lips, the Smackers lip sparkle was the perfect accessory for the girl who wanted gloss, but whose parents wanted to keep her in the tween make-up forever. You didn't care, this stuff was the bomb.
10Maybelline Kissing Koolers
Dear Kardashians, Maybelline made the letter K way cooler than you ever will with their Kissing Koolers lip gloss. How many of you practiced your lean-in kiss face while wearing this stuff? Oh, just me then.
11Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker
OK, not technically a gloss, but we can not talk about '90s lip cosmetics without mentioning the pinnacle of' 90s wear — Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker. Not only did it taste great, but it actually gave your lips some oomph and a little bit of color.
12Maybelline Kissing Potion
Another Maybelline product, this was for those of us that graduated from the Kissing Koolers. The Maybelline Kissing Potion not only sounded sexy, but looked totally sophisticated and grown up. Also, Kim Basinger was the model in the ads, so what did you have to lose?
13N.Y.C. Lip Gloss
Thanks to some popular Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen movies, I was vaguely obsessed with New York City and wore many glittery graphic tees to accommodate this love. I also insisted on buying N.Y.C. lip gloss because, obviously, that's what all the other New Yorkers wore.
14Victoria's Secret Sweet Talk Lip Gloss
Remember when you reached that age where entering Victoria's Secret no longer felt weird, but really, really cool? You had officially graduated from Bath & Body Works (although you still bought their cucumber melon body spray because hello, you're not a robot) and you and your friends could waltz into VS with the air of a sophisticated, elegant woman looking to pick out some panties. But you steered clear of the thongs and bought as many Victoria's Secret Sweet Talk Lip Gloss tubes as you could, and made sure to let the boys see it on your desk at school.
15Lip Rageous *NSYNC Lip Balm
Because it was the '90s and that's why you had a flavored lip balm with JC Chavez's face on it.
