Somehow it's been 25 whole years since Friends first landed on our televisions in the 90s and not a day goes by where we don’t re-watch it on Netflix or quote it in our day-to-day lives. Could we BE anymore obsessed with Friends?
There were a lot of funny moments and some that left us near to tears but the one area everyone overlooks? The beauty advice. Turns out living vicariously through the iconic characters left us with a wealth of beauty advice.
From the iconic 'Rachel' haircut to the classic 90s brown lipstick (MAC Spice lip liner we see you), Friends has constantly inspired our beauty looks, even 25 years later. There are almost too many to count but, in celebration of this monumental occasion, we’ve managed to narrow it down to 15 very practical tips and learning experiences.
Be ready to relive some classic moments and learn some skincare and make-up tips along the way.
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1
How To Get The Iconic 90's Brown Lip
The 90s were famous for the rise of the brown lip and no one worked it quite like Rachel Green. In an interview with Glamour Jennifer Aniston admitted that MAC's Paramount Lipstick shade was her ‘go-to colour when I was doing Friends’. *Buys immediately*
Don't forget lip liner either. Make-up artist for the show, Robin Siegel, always lined the lip with a neutral tone, such as MAC's Lip Pencil in Spice - £15.
2
Always Keep Talc Handy
In true Friends fashion, it’s important that the people around you go through dodgy beauty experiences so you don't have to. Case in point: Ross and the leather trousers.
Leather shirts and trousers are all the rage at the moment so we’re thankful to have learned this lesson vicariously through Ross: always have talc in your bathroom. Just be wary of making a paste.
3
Make-Up Sponges Aren't New
We may think the BeautyBlender is a fairly new device when it comes to applying make-up, but it's really not. Siegel always kept a sponge in her kit whilst working on the show.
'I always love to choose a foundation colour that disappears on the skin and serves to marry all the colours of the skin as opposed to looking like a masque. Most of the time I used a brush to apply the foundation and blended with a damp sponge. For many seasons I used Cle de Peau Cream Foundation - still my favourite!' says Siegel.
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4
Mask Your T-Zone
The T-Zone was finally recognised as the troublesome area that it is when Chandler, Joey and Ross decided to partake in #maskmonday whilst watching a game of American football.
ELLE recommends Indie Lee’s Clearing Mask - £57.50 to do the job. It flattens any annoying pimples that normally reside in the dreaded area, getting rid of any excess oil but leaving skin hydrated rather than tight afterwards.
5
A Burgundy Lip Is Always Needed
Not quite red, but not quite brown, Courtney Cox was the queen of the moody 90s burgundy lip during the early seasons of Friends. Siegel paired the dark lip shade with 'jewel toned colours, with a hint of navy' to create Monica's signature look.
ELLE recommends L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Shine Lipstick in Map To Nirvana for the perfect wine-y shade.
6
How To Not Fake Tan
We’ve all got a story of fake tan gone wild but never quite to the extent of Ross Geller in the tanning booth. On the rare occasion where you do have a literal line, say down the whole side of your body, grab Isle Of Paradise’s Blend It - £14.95 immediately. The hydrating balm is essentially an eraser for fake tan mistakes, so you don’t have to scrub off all your hard work and start all over.
It's also ideal for those hard areas (can anyone actually fake tan their elbows properly?). Most importantly, we learnt that Mississippily is not an accurate way to count time.
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7
Always Take Photo References When Getting A Haircut
It’s always worth keeping a saved folder of your hair inspo on your Instagram account to show your hairdresser, so that when you ask for the ‘Demi Moore’ you don’t accidentally get a ‘Dudley Moore’. Monica learnt a valuable lesson.
8
Thin Brows
The biggest 90s beauty trend we all regret? Pencil thin brows. They were the 'thing' to do despite how crazy it all seems now. Siegel said the lack of brow made it even more important to keep them well groomed: ' Eyebrows were thin in the nineties so keeping them clean and groomed was a priority. Senna Cosmetics Brow Fix was and is a staple in my kit'.
9
Never Let Your Boyfriend Do Your Make-up
We laughed at the time but watching it now Rachel Green’s face strongly resembles your average YouTube make-up tutorial before blending.
ELLE recommends Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover - £21 to dissolve layers of make-up in case you mistakenly let your boyfriend ever do your make-up for you.
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10
Skip The Homemade Leg Wax
We might be over the whole DIY beauty phase but when Friends first aired it was a novelty. Whilst the ‘make your own leg wax’ kit might be a good snack for when you can’t go into your living room due to your roommate having a ‘we were on a break’ debate, we do recommend going for the superior technical advances in leg hair removal we have now.
Panasonic’s ES-WH90 IPL Hair Removal System - £139, will do the trick without any stickiness and banish unwanted hair for longer.
11
Blush Is Always Needed
Amongst all the kookiness, Phoebe always had glowy skin. 'I used to use rosy/pink colours on her lips and cheeks. Phoebe's wardrobe was always a bit more whimsical and bohemian so I played around with brighter colours', says Siegel.
Her go-to was La Prarie's Radiant Cream Blush, which has sadly been discontinued in the UK but a good dupe is Cosmetics à la carte's Bare Blush - £30.
Siegel recommends blending the cream into the apples of the cheeks, setting it with powder and then adding powder blush or bronzer to finish the look. Excessive, but the staying power is worth it.
12
Men Wear Make-up Too
Joey was ridiculed for his ‘Ichiban: Lipstick For Men’ ad but he was actually just ahead of the trend. Within the past year, the likes of Chanel Beauty and Tom Ford Beauty have both launched collections with make-up products specifically designed for men. Until there comes a time when all beauty can be accepted as genderless, we're here for it.
ELLE recommends Chanel’s Boy De Chanel Lip Balm - £31, not quite 'Ichiban blue' but it’s matte and nourishing at the same time.
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13
Don’t Overdo It On The Teeth Whitening Products
There seems to be a Ross trend here when it comes to making beauty mistakes, and this one was another memorable one. We’ll call it the ‘teeth incident’ and we’ve never not been able to think about it as the worst case scenario when whitening our teeth. Luckily we’ve rounded up the best ones to use so you’ll be able to go into black lighting without causing panic.
14
The Alternative Eye Make-Up
Keen viewers may have noticed there was never a lot of smokey eyes on the show. Instead, Siegel 'tight lined the eyes with a MAC cream eye liner and softened it with dark eyeshadow applied with a small angled brush. I used eyeshadows to define and shape the eye. I loved to use a lighter colour on the lid above the lash line, shades of brown to contour and an occasional pop of colour'.
15
Chanel No.5 Will Forever Be A Classic
Chanel No.5 became Rachel Green’s signature scent when she was a runaway bride who then had a fling with the man she ran out on, and it’s still just as iconic as it once was. The scent tipped off her ex-best-friend Mindy to the affair with her ex-fiancée which sums up just how distinctive the fragrance is.
