Few eras have captivated the world as much as the ’90s. In beauty, the grunge decade manifested itself through dark lips and thin-arched brows. Though lately, it seems that the Internet’s been more than a little obsessed with beauty looks evocative of the ’90s. The resurgence of ’90s glamour comes courtesy of Friends, the American sitcom that defined the growing-up years of most kids from that generation. In particular, beauty enthusiasts on Tiktok and Instagram have been completely smitten with the rich, brick-toned lipsticks worn by the women on Friends.
Throughout the show, Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, sported a deep red-brown lipstick that became emblematic of her role. Courteney Cox’s character Monica Geller also rocked deep plum and wine shades throughout the series. And now, 30 years after the sitcom first took over the screens—and our young hearts—we’re hunting down the perfect lipstick that lets us channel ’90s New York City beauty in the chicest way.
Rachel Green’s Lipstick
MAC Cosmetics has long been hailed as the OG professional beauty label, especially with its ultra-pigmented lipsticks, originally created for backstage beauty artistry. So it’s no surprise that the lipstick Rachel wore for much of Friends comes from MAC. Some of Rachel’s most memorable scenes were accompanied by shade Paramount, a deep brick red with a dusty, rose undertone.
Comfort is paramount when rocking a bold lip, and MAC certainly doesn’t disappoint. On the lips, the satin finish is lightweight, long-wearing and supercharged with dense pigmentation that’s central to the brand’s DNA. As seen on beauty content creator Monica Ravichandran, the berry colour is stunning on most skin tones—including complexions with olive undertones.
Monica Geller’s Lipstick
Rachel was not the only one setting the trends; Monica Geller was a beauty maven of her own conviction. With dark hair and brows to contrast her medium skin, Courteney Cox pulled off intense makeup effortlessly. Her iconic lipstick comes in the form of MAC’s Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick in Spice It Up. The formulation of Spice It Up is much glossier than Rachel’s lipstick of choice, and features a slightly brighter red base. On Monica’s complexion, the colour leans into its warm peachy undertones that bring out the radiance of her skin.
@gillianxgrace Is this shade better than Rachel’s?.. I love them both so much omg! @maccosmetics @MAC Cosmetics USA Spice It Up! #makeup #monicagellerlipstick #maccosmetics ♬ original sound – Gillian Grace
Nude Lipsticks From The ’90s
In the later seasons of the show, the women of the cast started to embrace more nude tones on the lips. Even Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), known for her eccentricities and four-dimensional personality, started experimenting with more muted looks in the later half of the show.
Of course, there exists no truly universal nude, so each woman took on the MLBB phenomenon—My Lips But Better, for those unacquainted—in their own ways. Phoebe’s true neutral is the lightest of the trio and sits closest to her natural skin tone. Rachel’s iteration of the nude lip comes through in a dusty, mauve-tinged hue, while Monica’s low-key lipstick of choice ventures into light-brown territory and is finished with a subtle shimmer.
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