In recent decades, beauty trends have swung like a pendulum pendulum from one extreme to the next every few years: razor-thin eyebrows in the 2000s to thick Instagram brows in the 2010s, flat matte bases to dewy glass skin, and blinding highlights to blush blindness. As beauty consumers in 2026 seek novelty, the past might end up being the best source of inspiration. These vintage trends and products will bring both a sense of nostalgia and a touch of elegance to your vanity.
Hair Rats and the Gibson Girls
The Gibson Girl represents the ideal woman in illustrations and photography in the 1910s. In many of these illustrations, a messy updo is visible, with hair piled atop their heads. Even now, a lived-in look is popular with celebrities, whether it be a messy bun or loose waves.
To recreate the iconic Gibson Girl accurately, a hair rat is essential. Hair rats create volume and the poofiness associated with Edwardian or Progressive Era hair. To make one, start by collecting some hair from brushes or combs. It might take a few weeks, but once you have enough, get some fabric that matches your hair color. Make a small tube with the fabric; sewing it is more accurate to the period, but fabric glue works too. Sew or glue one end shut, then stuff it with hair like a long pillow and sew or glue the other end. If that is too much effort, foam from rollers, cut-up hair donuts or bun makers, and satin heatless curlers work well too.
If your hair is too short to do a bun, don’t worry! Extensions are historically accurate. You can buy a fake bun to pin on top of the hair to create the desired effect. Wealthy women and men throughout history used hairpieces in this way for whimsical styles.
1920s Heart-Shaped Lips and Painted Knees
Starting off a century ago, women of the 1920s were painting their lips to resemble a heart. Heart-shaped lips are easily achievable with trending lip stains. Lip stain markers especially are precise enough to get a sharp Cupid’s bow and last all day long.
Since hemlines were shorter than ever in the 1920s, women often painted their knees with floral designs or embellished them in other ways so that the design would show when the wearer danced. Ripped jeans with tights modernize the flapper girl knees. Wearing tights that peek out through the rips shows off your style.
1930s and the Lipstick Index
The 1930s, known for the Great Depression, mirrors the economic hardships of today. The Lipstick Index refers to an uptick of women purchasing inexpensive beauty products like lipsticks during financial recessions and depressions. People are looking for small luxuries to brighten up their day.
Lip trends have become more diverse in the 2020s. The market has branched out from sticky lip glosses, bullet lipsticks, and the horribly drying matte liquid lipsticks of the previous decade. The beauty shopper of 2026, feeling the weight of financial burdens, might pick up a squeeze tube lip balm, a lip liner, or a lip oil while getting groceries.
This trend of little luxuries also extends to the makeover that press-on nails have undergone. In 2020, when nail salons closed, it was an easy way to do nails at home. Now, with money being tighter, press-on nails are an affordable option reflecting the overall trend of at-home beauty treatments.
Nail Polishes of the Past
Instead of being called nail paint, which is a more apt description, we paint our nails with nail polish. However, nail polish originally referred to a powder. As the name suggests, to apply, the powder is buffed and polished on.
Due to Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut nails, nail powders, which are similar to these polishes, are now a popular option at salons and can be seen on many press-on manicures as well. Instead of being used on their own, now nail salons buff powder on top of tacky gel polish or semi-dried regular polish to create unique finishes.
This TikTok shows a vintage collector who makes vintage fashion content demonstrating these products.
Sweater Clips of the 1950s
Sweater clips are two small clips connected by a chain, allowing a sweater to drape gracefully over the wearer’s shoulders. This effortless style gives an old cardigan new life and can even be easy to DIY.
Using brooches, pins, or decorated safety pins and an old necklace, you can make yourself a set. Simply attach the brooches to each side of the chain with glue or using jump rings and pliers. When using safety pins, attach the chain to the little loop at the bottom of the safety pin. Safety pins have to be twisted open to add beads and charms as decor, or they can be glued on to make something into a pin. Otherwise, they are available on sites like eBay and Etsy for relatively cheap.
Speaking of brooches, there are many elegant ways to wear one. Pin a brooch to a lapel or a hair tie, or wear it as a pendant.
Cold Creams and Simplicity
Hollywood starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor used simple products like Pond’s cold cream on their faces.
Cold cream is a perfect option for a gentle cleanser, as it does not strip the skin of any of its natural oils. Alternatively, it can be used as an affordable first cleanse to take off makeup. The cold cream contains oils, which will dissolve into most makeup products, removing them easily and gently. Then you can follow up with a foaming cleanser.
Even if you do not wear makeup, a double cleanse is still beneficial for removing products like water-resistant sunscreens. It can also be applied as a moisturizer on top of the skin two times a day. If skincare is overwhelming, it is a great place to start.
In 2020, dewy, wet-looking skin dominated the beauty space. Cream products only, little to no powder. Now, in mid-2020s, a satin finish somewhere between the hyper dewy look of clean girl and the ultra-matte full glam of the 2010s is desirable.
In line with these trends and to reduce waste, metal compacts can be used to store these products. If the flimsy plastic hinge of your drugstore powder, blush, or bronzer breaks, you can repress the product into a metal compact.
You can purchase these at flea markets, thrift shops, and online or buy them from modern companies like Besame Cosmetics, who make replicas of vintage products. They are also cost-effective and last longer than flimsy plastic packaging.
Why Do Some of These Trends Echo the Past?
Many trends mentioned above, such as the messy bun, nail polishes, and lip trends, have maintained a through line to modern-day fashion. Nail polishes from the early 20th century contain mica, which catches the light in a flattering way similarly to nail powders that are buffed over gel in 21st-century nail salons.
Above all, many of these practices involve the use of little money, just time, and innovation. Instead of coming from TikTok Shop or Sephora, the next addition to your makeup bag or jewelry collection may be found at a thrift shop or on eBay.
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