Exclamation perfume, focus points and Sun-In hair bleach

Recognise any of these from your 1990s bedroom?

Nostalgia is like chicken soup for the soul to me. I don’t really know why, because, frankly, re-living those horrifically awkward teenage years is definitely not on my bucket list. Getting through them once was bad enough.

But when you can take a step back, don a pair of rose-tinted shades and pretend that social anxiety never happened, it can be kind of sweet. Which is probably why I set two of my novels in the mid 90s. Well, it was either that or my midlife crisis, anyway.

I’ve since made so many TikToks and reels exploring nights out in the 90s, getting ready in the 90s, what we listened to in the 90s, what we had in our bedrooms in the 90s (post-Balthazar Getty crush when I replaced posters of Hollywood heart throbs and cute pics of dolphins with posters of Courtney Love and Sonic Youth).

But the 90s were special weren’t they? I mean, let’s pretend that Urban Outfitters hasn’t bothered revisiting any other decade’s fashion statements and that spaghetti strap dresses and baggy jeans are the *only* nostalgic trends they’ve stocked.

We like to think that our era was more transformative, more out there and more unique than those that came before - or after - us. But in all honesty, my 90s wardrobe was packed with 70s clothes from vintage shops and car boot sales.

Still, there are some unique 90s products and styles that are worth a mention. Not all of them deserve a place in today’s wardrobes/lives, but they all deserve a special place in my middle-aged, fondly-looking-back-on-it-all heart. Here’s why.

Perfumes made a statement without saying a word

I adored Exclamation perfume. I also stocked up on Charlie Red body spray, Tribe and LouLou, and at one point I think I had some Tommy Girl and Cool Water too. Smells are unbelievably powerful when it comes to triggering memories, so I’m quite tempted to jump on eBay and see if I can find some old unopened bottles of these. Not sure how well cheap perfume from the 90s will have fared, mind…It was the early 2000s when I found my actual favourite though. Pack Rabanne’s Pour Elle. A bus driver in New Zealand literally stopped the bus, came marching down the aisle and asked me what I was wearing cos he wanted to buy it for his girlfriend.

Hair spray that bleached your hair from the comfort of your own bedroom

Of course, wanting to get the Courtney Love/Kat Bjelland look demanded some serious hair styling products. And there was nothing better than the instant effects of the worst thing to happen to our hair - but the best thing to happen to our short-lived happiness: Sun-In hair spray. I seem to remember it was less straw-coloured and more straw-textured after a good old spray of this stuff.

Cigarettes that gave us more than cancer…kind of

We all saw the warnings on the back of cigarette packets, but we didn’t have to look at the pictures. So it was easier to pretend lung cancer would never happen to us. Besides, it completed the desired look (see above). Also, if you bought Embassy or Regal you could save up for a free hairdryer. Granted, you’d have to puff away on A LOT of ciggies in order to get your coveted hairdryer. In fact, you’d probably have smoked enough to buy said hairdryer 100 times over and become a prime candidate for an urgent chest x-ray.

Stacker systems that made a statement

We didn’t want gadgets back in the 90s. We wanted huge stacker statement hi-fis. The bigger the better. More often than not, they were tinny, rubbish things incorporating a crap record player and double tape deck. Unless you were some kind of aspiring superstar DJ with a Technics system in your bedroom. Remember balancing pennies on the back of the needle to stop if jumping? Because changing the stylus was such a ball ache - even worse than filling the car up as an adult. I remember two of my friends, sisters who shared a bedroom, both getting one for Christmas one year. No idea how that worked but at that point in time it was still the 80s and they both loved Toni Basil so I think they probably managed OK. Mine was an important piece of my youth though. Especially when I got into the 90s and spent all my spare pennies heading out to record fairs and second hand vinyl shops and the pre-Discogs days. Had to save some of those pennies to prolong the use of the stylus though.

If you miss the 90s my novels The Twenty Seven Club and Parklife will take you back to 1994 and 1996 respectively. Alternatively, just head to Urban Outfitters and spend a small fortune on an updated, shiny new version of your youth. You might need to take out a mortgage first though…

L x