The 90s are back. It makes me feel terribly old to say that as I still feel that they were 10 minutes ago. I came of age in the 90s, watching the rise of the supermodels, and waiting for Vogue to arrive in the newsagents to see the images from the fashion shows. Pre-internet fashion was something you had to wait for – there was no watching the shows live, no social media. I worked in a hair salon on Saturdays and spent most of my money on fashion magazines; the rest I saved up to buy designer clothes. In the 90s you could pay money off items in big stores like Brown Thomas; I remember paying off a pair of bronze Patrick Cox loafers and then wearing them to death. The clubbing scene was a big mixed bag of people from all walks of life, dancing all night long. The fashion at the clubs ranged from people in trainers and tracksuits to girls in PVC catsuits and 8-inch heels, and an attitude of anything goes.

Although the 90s was the age of the supermodel, fashion was finally accessible for everyone. It was no longer unimaginable to want to wear what the rich and famous wore, it was in arm’s reach. And the 90s saw a huge increase in make-up brands that catered for everyone. Bobbi Brown launched in 1991 and was one of the first brands to bring a yellow undertone foundation to the market. This was groundbreaking at the time, yet now we demand this of budget brands. NARS was launched in 1994, along with Stila Cosmetics. In 1996 global giant Urban Decay was launched, as was Smashbox cosmetics. Although MAC formed in the mid 1980s, it really exploded in the early 90s, with everyone wearing it and everyone wanting it. Their Spice lip liner was all that anyone wore. It was a golden age for make-up brands.

There are some things from the 90s that hopefully will never make a return – over-plucked brows being the main one – but pretty much every other trend is back. Blue shadow was huge in the 90s, with pretty much every celebrity sporting it. Now blue is huge again, with brands like Victoria Beckham and Bobbi Brown having beautiful tones available. The difference is that today’s shadows are creamier in texture and blend far easier, creating more seamless looks.

In the 90s all my friends used Max Factor’s stick foundation, in shades suitable for an Oompaloompa – now we have stick foundations from YSL and Tom Ford Beauty that are easy to use and give the most beautiful coverage, never too heavy but able to cover anything you think needs to be. Lipgloss is back, too. I am so thrilled that the craze for dry-looking lipstick is finally on its way out. Juicy Tubes from Lancôme are still one of my favourites and have been around since the 90s. The frosted lip is also making a comeback, but this time round we have lipsticks with micro-glitters that create a sparkling frost – and they are available in a multitude of shades, not just the one pink that everyone wore in the 90s. Tom Ford’s Lip Spark is my absolute favourite and comes in twenty shades from blue to the most beautiful nude tones. Just add some to the centre of your lips to create the illusion of volume if you don’t want to use it all over.

The final trend that I am excited about coming back in the most simple, the grungey eye. This was made famous by Kate Moss in the mid 90s, and to be honest it never really went out of fashion, with make-up icons like Dick Page using the technique with more subtle colours. But now we get to use black again. TV shows like Sex Education take a lot of inspiration from the 90s, with looks designed by Belfast make-up artist Pamela Smyth (who has won an Emmy for her work on Game of Thrones). Pencils that we have available now are far superior to what was available in the 90s: now pencils glide on to the skin and blend beautifully. You don’t need to be precise when applying, just get it as close to your lashline as possible and draw a really thick line, then blend it with a small fluffy brush from the top down, leaving the lashline alone so it stays as dark as possible. Couldn’t be any easier. You can line your inner eye with black to bring it to the next level, top and bottom if you can handle doing the inner top. Apply loads of mascara, and using the tip of the wand you can clump some lashes together for a very authentic 90s look.