1. Claw Clips.  I thought it was the most sassy thing to twist my hair up tightly into a claw clip.  Of course, this was only cool if you let the ends of my hair cascade out of the clip like a waterfall.  Well... sort of.  My curly afro hair did not quite cascade just as the pin-straight hairs of my fellow classmates.  Rather, it poofed out the end of the clip like a neglected poodle. 

2. Corn Rows.  When I was in 4th grade I saw Lil Bow Wow on Nickelodeon, and I thought, "Hey, now he has GREAT hair."  I knew what I wanted.  I often spent 2-3 hours in front of the mirror, attempting to recreate the Bow Wow braids I had seen on the kid rapper.  I wore them to school a few times, then got the great idea to take them out after a couple of days and let my hair be 100% crimped. Hello, accordian!  I rocked it, what can I say. 

3. Sequin Purses.   These were THE purses to have during my freshman year at Holy Family Catholic High School.  A few weeks into school, I saw some of the other girls struttin' the halls, swingin' these sequin-covered satchels.  I had no idea where to find such a tacky looking product (all my purses had come from Target).  I used my mom's eBay account to get one from a seller in China.  I chose multi-colored sequins on a black bag.... to go with everything, right?  I think that bag only made it to school 2-3 times before my self-consciousness gave it a permanent place in my closet.

4. Baby Blue Liquid Eyeliner.  I have our nanny, Alicia, to thank for this one.  On my 11th birthday, Alicia gave my sister and I a makeover... just for fun.  She even left us with some of her old products, my favorite being the tube of baby blue liquid eyeliner.   Let's just say, for the next 4 months (until I had used up every drop of baby blue gunk) I looked like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show.

5. Slicked back bun with devil-horn clips.  I still don't understand my logic on this. Imagine this-- Hair is parted down the middle.  Two front chunks of hair are pulled taught back (giving me squinty eyes) and clipped with butterfly clips near the crown of my head.  The rest of the hair is slicked back (with water on a comb) into a high bun, tight enough to stretch out the nonexistent wrinkles on my forehead.  Doesn't that sound pretty?

6. Altoid powder on my face.  In the 6th grade, I was in gymnastics every day after school.  I would change into my leotard after class, apply extra deodorant, and puff my face with a Caboodle matte powder.  Well, one day, I forgot my Caboodle powder.  I wasn't about to go to gymnastics with a shiny face, heck-to-the-no.  I looked through my backpack.  I saw an empty Altoid box, with only mint dust covering the paper inside.  What did I do?  I applied the Altoid mint dust to my "shiny" t-zone, and headed off to gymnastics, all minty fresh.  Call me "resourceful."

7. The year of the Limited Too "visor."  Visors came in baby blue, baby pink, lavender, and every other color in the world of Lisa Frank & Polly Pocket.   They featured glittery words like "Babygirl," "Cutie Pie," "Angel," and "Diva."  You had to wear your hair in a high ponytail or bun, but NEVER down & natural.   Otherwise, you had styled the visor all wrong.  Who said so?  Lizzie McGuire and her best friend Miranda.  Hey, it was the Millenium, baby. 
8. Tattoo Chokers. This was the year when all the preteen Catholic School girls turned badass.  We went into Hot Topic, wore Converse sneakers with funky laces, and listened to Good Charlotte in our rooms. Volume up. Doors closed.  We weren't old enough to have our ears pierced (we had to be 13), but my sister and I rebelled with those stretchy choker "tattoo" necklaces.  

9. Roll-on glitter... all over your face.  You could get it at Bath & Body Works, Target, Claires, or any drugstore.  Roll-on glitter was "IN."  Roll it onto your cheeks.  Roll it onto the corners of your eyes.  Roll it onto your hair.  Roll it all over your arms.  COVER YOUR BODY IN GLITTER!!!! OR ELSE.... you were "not hot." Gasp.

10. Ankle-Breaker Sandals.  These are the 3-4" platform sandals that women & girls wore in the summertime of 2000-2001.  They usually had a single, wide black strap (not that it could do anything to prevent these heavy clunkers from flying off).  Women usually shuffled with awkward, quick baby steps when wearing these-- understandably.  They remind me of something a Geisha might wear. 

Did YOU ever rock these throwbacks?  Comment below with any more that YOU used to love.  I'd love to hear! :)

Love,

Dylan