1960s Makeup Tips To Get The Trendy Vintage Look

The 1960s saw a tremendous change in the attitude of the youth. It could be called the quintessential youth-oriented decade as more and more of them emerged out of their shells and defined the decade as their own. 
The makeup trends also saw a huge change during this era. The au naturel look of the hippie tribe and the dramatic eyes of the modern and highly-fashionable brigade were to be seen in the youth and while these two extremities of makeup trends were rampant, pastel colors gained popularity in both these makeup trends.

Read on further to know in detail about what influenced the makeup styles and the color palettes in the 1960s. The false eyelashes came with a bang in this period. Lets read all about it.

Towards the end of the 1950s, the youth had started emerging as self-dependent and also had some disposable income at their hands to spend it on makeup and fashionable clothes. To look stylish had become an important need by then and apparently, everyone had started spending on stylish products. 

To cater to the growing demand of the youth, many new stores selling fashion products emerged all over especially in high-end streets such as Carnaby Street and Kings Road in London. This highly fashionable look was at its peak from 1964 to 1967. Many youth-oriented television shows, films, and magazines showcased young actors and actresses wearing a very fashionable look impacting the youth all over. 

Model Twiggy created a rave in those days with her signature white eyeshadow and black crease look. This along with bold geometric patterns in apparel was seen trending amongst the youth. 

The hippie culture in the late 1960s emerged with a very different taste in makeup. The hippie girl or guy appeared with a more natural looking face. They used more natural products and instead used a lot of accessories such as floral bracelets, flower headbands, and floral scarfs. The hippie or the flower child culture was a vast contrast to the mod fashion look in the 1960s. 

The makeup trends in 1960s started with the continuation of the 1950s look. The makeup trends in the 1950s mostly consisted of a flicked upper eyeliner, a matte eyeshadow, mostly in shades such as green, blues and greys, and lipsticks ranging from soft red colors to light pinks and corals. 

In the 1960s, the eyeshadow of the 1950s was replaced by a distinctive pale lid with dark eyeshadow crease. The lipstick of the 1950s gave way to pale lips to match the pale eyeshadows. Pastel colors created a riot in the makeup trends and younger women carried pastel colors from their ensemble to their makeup. 

The eyes were the main focus of the high-fashion makeup trend of the 1960s. The rest of the face had more natural hues, often pale. The accessory of the decade was false lashes. Almost everyone seemed to be wearing false lashes. Some fashionable girls even wore two sets of false eyelashes. False eyelashes were worn on both upper and lower eyelashes. These lashes were crafted from human hair, animal hair, and even synthetic materials. They often came in long strips and had to be cut. They only came in black or brown colors and could be decorated further with glitter or rhinestones for a bolder look. 

Mascara saw a whole new invention in this era. Although invented in the late 1950s, it became popular now and was available in a tube with a wand applicator. Some of them were waterproof whereas some weren't. Lash curlers were also available but they were not as harmless and efficient as the ones we get today. If not applied properly, they could give you a nasty nip on the eyelid. 

The eyeshadows came in powder form and they were basically in a matte finish. White eyeshadow, mostly worn by model Twiggy, became the rage but the other colors such as blue and green were worn as well. There was a fashionable dark crease line which was left in a definite form and was not smudged or blended. Today, this trend continues but in various shades and with a lot of blending. 

The upper eye line, flicked out and winged up at the ends, continued from the 1950s into the 60s as well. 
The eyebrows had seen a major change in trend in this era. They became more shaped, groomed and defined with a brow pencil. Model Twiggy had a tweezed lighter touch of her eyebrows while Elizabeth Taylor wore a heavier penciled look on her eyebrows during the 1960s. Both the styles were in trend. 

Blush on the cheeks was more natural and soft in colors ranging from corals, pinks, and peach. 

During this decade, the trend of applying the blush on the entire face came up instead of just applying it on the cheeks. The idea was to create a natural glow on the entire face. Blushes were also in a matte finish and free of glitter. 

Corals, peaches, and pinks were the ruling colors of the decade and beige-pink nudes were also seen. The lips were not defined with a lip pencil and left natural and understated. Even the lipsticks had a matte finish. 
Red, pinks, and browns were prevalent during the beginning of the decade but gave way to softer nudes and corals in the mid-60s. These colors re-emerged towards the end of the decade. 

Big eyes, nude lips and tons of powder is basically how anyone would describe the quintessential 1960s look. The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about the vintage makeup trends of the 1960s is model Twiggy. She left a mark on the makeup industry which is prevalent in some ways even today. Her signature eyeshadows, eyebrows, and eyeliner shaped the makeup trends of the 1960s and had the youth following her blindly.

It is fun sometimes to recreate that vintage look. In vintage themed kitty parties, events and functions, it is just all about who has managed to recreate the vintage look the best. If you want to learn some basic tips on how to recreate that vintage look, then we have just the perfect tutorial below.  Just browse the pictures below and follow each and every makeup tip of the 1960s vintage style right from foundation to lips. 

The most important feature of the 1960s makeup trends is the iconic thick winged liner. Winged eyeliner has become the most crazed addiction in the makeup world for ages. It is first seen in photographs of the famous model Twiggy. 

To create this kind of thick winged liner, you need to draw a think line across your eyelid according to the natural shape of your eye. This line should be close to your lash line. You can then fill in color to get a thick liner. You need to flick the line out aiming towards the tail of your eyebrow giving the look of a wing. You can do this easily using a crayon eyeliner with a thin tip which is easy to slide across. You will have a cat-eye appearance and your eyes will also look larger on opening. 

The hippies followed this makeup trend too. They skipped the darker shadows and darker lipsticks but applied eyeliner in a similar way. 

The eyeshadows of the 1960s were also very iconic. Mostly cool tones were used in the shadow such as gray, blue and white. A cooler background shade was opted for because more focus had to be given to the thick eyeliner and heavy lashes. 

Today, however, warm-toned eyeshadows are used, mostly browns and reds. Some people do get experimental with cool toned eyeshadow palettes but the browns and reds are more prominent. Today a lot of cut-crease eyeshadow trend is seen but the birth of this trend was in the 1960s. 

The cut crease style is when the lid of the eyes are carved out definitely with an eyeshadow color and then this crease is blended with an alternative color. A lot of tutorials are available on the net explaining how to apply the 1960s eyeshadow. 

False eyelashes were initially created in 1916 but the 1960s saw their more rampant use. What was remarkably different in the 1960s trend was the use of false eyelashes on both upper and lower lashes as done by the famous model Twiggy in her famous photograph. This photograph of hers led the makeup trend of eyelashes in 1960 and it became a huge seller of lashes the world over. 

The lashes were always liked better if they were longer and spidery and to get that result women often used tons of mascara. Even today, more focus is applied on lashes being longer than thicker. Today, however, the best of both worlds is also making an entry into the lashes industry and women are opting for longer and thicker both. The tutorials explain about how to apply the eyelashes first and then one can apply a line of eyeliner on them or even mascara on them to make them look thicker. 

Foundation, or the base of your makeup, was essentially pale with a matte finish during the 1960s. No highlighter, no bronzer and no contouring, it was only a pale foundation with a matte finish during those times. 

Women during the 1960s applied a pale cream foundation in order to cover the entire face. The foundation had a matte finish with no shimmer or glitter. They further set their foundation with a touch of translucent powder. The idea of using foundation and powder in combination also was created during the 1960s and it is being used still today. It became a breakthrough product for women interested in applying makeup. 

Today, however, many brands are coming up with a foundation and powder product rolled into one to cut down the hassles of carrying two separate bottles. Today, concealer is used a lot more to correct the blemishes and dark circles under the eyes. 

Blush was not very popular during the 60s as the paler look of the foundation was the trend. To apply a blush would only give color to the cheeks and that would contradict the pale tone of the foundation in trend. If women used blush at all, they only used soft and peach tones to give a more natural look. Blushes were available in the form of powder only back then because cream and liquid blushes were not invented yet. 

The 1960s can be called the era of the explosion of color but the colors were used with more subtlety. If blush was even applied, it was applied to the hollow of the cheeks, beneath the cheekbones and also in a narrow triangle shape. 

The eyebrows in the 1960s makeup trend were a combination of the 1920s and 1940s. In the 1960s, the eyebrows were perfectly sculpted, full of body and also well-groomed. To get that kind of brow look, women used brow pencils. These eyebrows looked much better than the thinly high arched brows of the 1920s. 

The eyebrows in the 1960s were very neat and there was not much preference given to their shape. Twiggy's eyebrows were very neatly groomed with high arches but were not very busy or very thin. They were somewhere in the middle and looked very natural. Even the hippie women styled their eyebrows like this as it gave a lot of well-groomed neatness to their faces. The picture below shows a woman with eyebrows shaped with a brow pencil. 

Some women back then even went to the extent of shaving off their entire inner brow to be able to fill it in better with the desired shape and thickness of a brow pencil. 

When eyes were to be made the focal point of the makeup trends in the 1960s, the lips had to take a backseat. Women used colors that were very light or similar to their skin tone to give more attention to their eyes during the 1960s. 

Their shades were mostly pale pinks, nudes and soft reds and coral tones. Some women even applied foundation on their lips and then just added a sheen with vaseline to create a nude effect. Often in the modeling or fashion world, bold models even wore white lipstick during the 1960s to enhance the look of their eyes. 

As many fashion trends are making a comeback in today's fashion world, one is intrigued about which 1960s makeup trend will make a sureshot comeback. The cut crease eye shadow and the winged eyeliner with false eyelashes have been the most voted trends which will never lose their fame and might come back with a bang. 
Matte skin might take some time to make a come back as people today are very much obsessed with their bronzers and blushers. Even lips will stick to a fuller lip trend with the use of a lipliner. 

As we are discussing the makeup trends of the 1960s, no trend is complete without the hair. Here is a brief mention of the hair trends in the 1960s. 

Fake hair was a big hair accessory during the 1960s and people wore it without any inhibitions. Real hair wigs were used and they were very easy to wear and remove like a cap. As big hairdos were trending, hair accessories such as hair pieces were invented which were attached to the back of the head to create a bigger hair look. 

Hair combs and slides were also used a lot. They were made from plastic and often decorated with rhinestones and color. Headscarves were also a huge fashion statement and they were used in many ways to tie your hair. Leathers, flowers, and feathers were used extensively to dress up the hair. The hair bouffant was carried forward from the 50s to the 60s in a bigger form. These and many such hair trends ruled the fashion industry in the 1960s. Detailed hair tutorials are available online for those who want to try and create the same look with hair and makeup just like the vintage look. 

The above tips give you a brief idea about the makeup trends during the 1960s. Do experiment with those looks with your friends at home or try having a 60s theme party with hair and makeup done from that era. It will be fun recreating a look that our ancestors carried! You can even have awards and prizes for someone who is able to replicate that look perfectly. A 60s theme party is a common theme for a kitty party or a teenage girl's party. It brings on pretty vintage vibes and it's a lot of fun.