Frosted Lips Are About to Be Everywhere

Everything old is new again. At least that's certainly the case when it comes to our current beauty trend cycle. Between lower shimmery eyeshadow, spiky buns, and French manicures, '90s and early-aughts trends are dominating both the red carpet and our TikTok feeds. While now considered the hight of fashion, just a few years ago these trends were topping the list of beauty "don'ts," and could be summed up by one word: tacky. The latest trend to beat the trashy allegations? Frosted lips.

Icy, shimmering lipstick has gone in and out of style since the '60s, when girls packed on the shimmer in shades of white or pale pink inspired by Twiggy. Frosty lips had another strong moment in the '80s, this time in brighter pinks and reds. However, the trend is probably most closely associated with the late '90s and early aughts—hence its current resurgence. Shades of shimmering brown and brick red were popular amongst the grunge set and supermodels alike, while icy pink was the pop divas' shade of choice in the early 2000s.

Somewhere around the release of Mean Girls, frosted lipstick was traded for Lancôme Juicy Tubes, and then pretty much dropped off the map completely as we entered our collective matte-lip era. But after years of drying, transfer-proof lipsticks, glossy lips are back in full force. We've seen lip oils, glosses, and glitters go viral, so full-on frosted is the only logical next step.

In fact, it's already starting. Cool-girl Georgia May Jagger was recently spotted wearing a rose gold lipstick that can only be described as frosted. Paired with eyeshadow and blush in the same shade and not much else, it looks shockingly fresh. Zendaya's recent Vogue Italia cover featured lips so shimmery they were almost chromatic. The glazed queen Hailey Bieber also was recently spotted in a hot pink version of the trend, and major makeup artists like Isamaya Ffrench and Morgane Martini have made the look one of their signatures.

The trend is making its way off the red carpet and into real life as well—or at least TikTok life. MAC's pearl lipsticks are starting to pop up more and more on my FYP, and Revlon's classic '90s browns have gone totally viral.

Makeup artist Alyssa Lorraine's frosty lip hack has racked up views on TikTok. In the video, she uses Fenty's Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Wattabrat ($38) as a lip topper, patting it over a pink lipstick. The result is a bubblegum pink chrome worthy of Britney circa "Oops, I Did it Again."

We're into the retro look of a true frosted shade—especially paired with an '80s blush or '90s lower lash liner—but if you're looking for a more current update on the trend, a shimmering gloss will be your best friend.

Golden or bronzey shades like Kerry Washington's look effortlessly pretty and perfect for summer, while cooler pinks and nudes will deliver you a "clean girl" take on Y2K frost. If you're not into gloss, try a balmy formula like Byredo's Lipstick in Feverish ($44), which is a little more subtle than the frosted lipsticks of yore.

No matter if you're an '80s girl or naughties baddie at heart, there's a take on this trend for everyone. So go on, frost yourself.