60's makeup: History and trends behind the look

When we think of 1960s makeup, we think of the iconic Twiggy model, false eye lashes, eyeliner, natural lips, and tricks to make eyes look bigger. This makeup style became one of the hottest trends in vintage fashion.

The 60s were characterised by the all new ideas and thoughts that emerged, and for being the era of youth. At this time individual expression and personality was reflected through fashion. The 60's look of beauty was varied, from women who preferred natural looking makeup, to the those who opted for a more striking look with dark eye shadow and well-defined eyebrows.

As popular iconic looks from the vintage years always seem to find a way to come back 'in' and mix with current trends we wanted to review the characteristics of 60's makeup and give you some tips. Take note!

History of 1960s makeup

Women's makeup in the early 1960s focused on chic eyes, lots of face powder, natural lips, and pale pink blush. Right in the middle of the decade though, this iconic style evolved into simpler and more feminine looks, the best examples of this are the models Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.

With the London Fashion explosion came new styles with revolutionary hair and makeup.
Since the 50s, London led with its "modernist look" or "mod look" and the shops began to adapt to the trends set by the younger generation. The mod look was just one of the three that dominated the 60s, along with the classic and the hippy. However, the most remembered of this vintage ear was the 'mod style'.

"Cat eyes", which were so common in the 50s, were replaced by false lashes in the 60s. The 60s were also the first vintage era where women's makeup and clothing from the 20's came back into fashion and were adapted to the looks of the decade.

Characteristics of makeup from the 60s

Face

At the beginning of the 1960s women used a lot of face powder. As the decade progressed powder was later only applied enough to cover imperfections. Around the year 1963, coral, pink or peach blush began to feature in every woman's beauty range and used to create a natural blush or glow.

Eyebrows

1960s eyebrows are characterised by being clean, groomed, shaped, and well defined with an eyebrow powder or an eyebrow pencil.

Eyes

The eyes were the focus of makeup in the 60s, as false lashes, a lot of mascara, and eyeliner were used. The most popular shadow colors were shades of blue, green, gray, and white. It should be noted that many women also used false lashes at the bottom or painted them with eyeliner, like the Twiggy.

The distinctive eye makeup of the time was achieved keeping a pale upper eyelid with a dark streak just in the arch of the eye, from the inside to the outside point of the eyelid. White eyeliner was also applied to the inner line of the eye to make it appear larger and more open.

Lips

Since the eye was the highlight of the 60s beauty and makeup, the lips kept a natural look, they were often lined and coloured with lightly with coral, pink and peach tones to enhance women's natural beauty.