Popular trends come and go in waves. Things that were popular decades ago may barely be resurfacing now in 2024. Things that are popular now may suddenly fall off the map until another 50 years pass by. When reflecting on the magical decade of the 60s, trends that were adored back then are occasionally still remembered with love and respect. After all, the 60s was an era known for a large handful of life-changing moments in history. Antiwar protests, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Cuban Missile Crisis were topics that took over on news stations. Conversations about social norms started shifting in a brand new direction also.
As far as fashion goes, pencil skirts, kitten heels, and leather vests were sold at boutiques everywhere. The beauty routines women leaned into were just as exciting. Makeup trends of the 60s are certainly worth exploring if you appreciate any of the beautiful celebrities who were famous at that time. Pulling in beauty inspiration from the likes of Barbra Streisand, Sharon Tate, Twiggy, and Diana Ross is a fabulous starting point for modern members of the beauty community. For a better insight into what the 60s was genuinely like, click here to see 33 photos that showcase true 60s lifestyles.
To gather this list of 60s makeup routines that are coming back, 24/7 Tempo consulted several beauty services. These include Maybelline, Charlotte Tillberry, Glamour Daze, Byrdie, and Medusa’s Makeup.
Nude lips
These days, tons of people are inspired by Taylor Swift and her billion-dollar status as a musician. That means the classic red lipstick look is all the rage, since red lipstick is part of Swift’s signature look. Back in the 60s, though, nude lips were the more acceptable way to go.
As a way of keeping attention on their eyes, women of the 60s would stick to nude lip colors that didn’t draw in too much attention. Nude lipstick colors come in neutral shades of pink and brown. Along with rocking red lipstick in this modern era, beauty lovers are starting to bring the nude lip trend back to their makeup routines as well.
Doe eyes
Whenever you flip through magazine photos of women from the 60s, the reveal of their doe eyes is easy to acknowledge. Cat eyes have been popularized more recently, but beauty lovers are starting to revisit the idea of doe eyes in 2024. The purpose of mastering doe eyes is to make your eyes appear bigger and more innocent.
Just think of an innocent female deer, which is also known as a doe. When your eyes fit into the “doe” category, you instantly look more like a doll than anything else. This specific makeup trend pairs well with fashionistas who are currently working on bringing baby doll-style dresses back in the fashion world.
Winged eyeliner
You can’t go wrong with winged eyeliner. There’s a reason it’s been around since the 60s. Winged eyeliner has been an incredible makeup craze for decades now. There’s simply no way it will die off anytime soon. In 2024, plenty of celebrities still honor the winged eyeliner look before hitting red carpets or posting selfies on their social media pages.
While it’s true that winged eyeliner was beloved in the 60s, modern celebrities like Bella Hadid, Vanessa Hudgens, and Zendaya have proven that winged eyeliner will always be an impressive makeup trend to experiment with. Truth be told, winged eyeliner never lost its mojo in the beauty world.
Matte skin
For a lengthy stretch, beauty lovers were convinced that highlighter was always necessary as part of their makeup routines. Adding highlighter creates a dewy complexion since it forces the light around you to reflect off your forehead, cheekbones, and nose in a shiny manner.
Back in the 60s, matte skin was the most popular makeup trend to stick to. The women of the 60s didn’t apply highlighter under any circumstances. Highlighter didn’t even exist back then. They also skipped out on bronzer and contour. As of now, the idea of revisiting matte skin is an interesting notion to beauty lovers everywhere.
Subtle blush
Too many beauty lovers are convinced that the more blush they have on, the better their facial results will be. In reality, that isn’t always true. Back in the 60s, women knew that subtle blush would always look absolutely fabulous. That’s because when it comes to blush, a little goes a long way.
Back in the 60s, blush was often purchased in soft pink or peach shades. It simply added a natural flush of color to the cheekbones to help women look more lively, revitalized, and healthy. Beauty lovers today can reflect on the subtle blush trends of the 60s before getting too heavy-handed with the amount of blush they apply to their cheekbones.
Sharp eyebrows
Many women preferred dawning sharp eyebrows back in the 60s. This trend is resurfacing now since plenty of beauty lovers have embraced the reality surrounding eyebrows in 2024. The truth is that your eyebrows most definitely define your entire face. Back in the 60s, women weren’t keen on plucking their eyebrows too much or leaving their eyebrows too bushy.
Instead, they made sure their eyebrows were clean-cut, perfectly sculpted, and filled-in wherever sparse areas were. Undeniably, the aesthetics of 60s eyebrows were a big deal. The simplicity of sharp eyebrows from the 60s are interesting to beauty lovers today since they offer such a chic and sophisticated result.
White eyeliner
It’s easier to make your eyes look bigger when you use white eyeliner on the bottom waterline. That’s a little trick the women of the 60s embraced as part of their makeup routines. This special makeup hack is something modern beauty lovers can hold onto if they want to boost the size of their eyes.
The white eyeliner trick goes hand-in-hand with the doe eye trend of the 60s. Back then, white eyeliner was regularly used on the bottom waterline, but never used on the top lid. Black eyeliner was always reserved for the top lid. Depending on the type of white eyeliner pencil used, it could also be doubled as a base for eyeshadow.
Faux bottom lashes
1960s Makeup with a Cut Crease and Big Lashes
1960s Makeup with a Cut Crease and Big Lashes
Rocking faux bottom lashes was a common feat during the 60s. This trend is resurfacing today since bottom lashes make such a difference in a typical makeup look. When your bottom lashes are neglected, it isn’t always the first thing anyone notices. But when bottom lashes are clearly added, they’ll make a person’s face look more dramatic and enticing.
Sometimes, actual faux lashes don’t need to be glued on if the hairs are already long enough. In some cases, some mascara coating the bottom lashes is all that’s required. In other cases, a five to 10 individual wisps of faux lashes across the bottom will create gorgeous results.
Blue eyeshadow
Women boldly wore eyeshadow in nearly every color back in the 60s. Still, blue was arguably one of the most popular eyeshadow colors to choose during that era. It worked well on women who had naturally blue or green eyes because it made their eye colors pop significantly.
Blue eyeshadow also paired well with women who had darker eye colors since the lighter blue color made darker eyes look more dramatic. For these reasons, blue eyeshadow is becoming popular again in 2024 within the makeup community. Tons of top-notch brands sell eyeshadow palettes with eye-catching shades from sky blue to royal blue.
Rounded eyebrows
Another eyebrow option women of the 60s leaned into was the rounded eyebrow look. Rounded eyebrows helped women look more expressive, curious, and conversational back then. More recently, eyebrows, with a flatter look have risen in popularity. Where did the expressiveness go?
The notion of rounded eyebrows making a comeback from the 60s is fabulous for beauty lovers who want to give off a more warm and welcoming vibe. Now that we’ve dived in on makeup trends from the 60s, let’s find out a little more about fashion fads from that era. Click here to uncover 60s fashion fads we’ll most likely never see again.