If we could define the 80s with a phrase or a word, it would be ‘vibrant’, the decade where creativity flourished at its best was full of music, fashion, and art, implicit in all this is also makeup and trends that marked the time.
Great music stars such as Madonna, David Bowie, Queen, Michael Jackson, and Prince showed their maximum splendor during this decade.
Each of them managed to maximize their essence, influencing the masses and generating trends in fashion and makeup.
Personalities such as Princess Diana, Iman, Grace Jones, and Debbie Harry (to name a few) were seen as the beauty icons of the time.
More than 20 years later, these trends are back in the spotlight and again, they begin to take the catwalks and the streets.
In this article we will show what makeup trends you should recreate from this fabulous era.
Key events in makeup during the 80s
Max Factor, Covergirl, Revlon, Coty, Lip Smacker, surely these makeup brands are familiar to you since most of them can still be found in the supermarket or pharmacies.
Several of them had a great boom during the 80s, so we want to share some information about them.
1 – Max Factor
This brand of Polish origins became popular thanks to the wide variety of products it had, lipsticks, eyeliners, nail polish, shadows, mascara, and foundation were part of its collection.
What was even more attractive is that it they had a colorful selection of tones; from green to yellow.
Max Factor was the perfect brand to get out of your comfort zone and dare.
2 – Revlon Natural Wonder Cosmetics
As the name implies, this brand was part of the Revlon company for a long time, to be more exact from 1963 to 2000.
Like other brands that had their heyday in the 80s, they were characterized by having on-the-market products such as shades in yellow and pink, as well as red lipsticks.
Another factor that influenced its relevance is that it was one of the first companies to offer a medicated foundation.
3 – Covergirl
The American makeup company was founded in Maryland in the 60s, they diversified their market by offering products for almost all tastes as they had makeup in both natural tones and more striking colors.
In the late 1980s, Covergirl was bought by Procter & Gamble and later by Coty in 2016.
Living up to its name, Covergirl used to hire famous actresses, singers, and models of the time as ambassadors, women who were common to see on the covers of magazines.
4 – Maybelline
At that time, the flagship product of the brand was a ‘lipgloss’ called Kissing Koolers, which was a success in the market thanks to its characteristic flavors such as Cherry cola and Watermelon Swirl.
The women who were icons of the time
As we said before, the 80s were the decade of creative freedom, where people, specifically women, dared to experiment with their looks and while some preferred to maintain a classic look and give it a different touch using eyeliner. Personalities such as Lady Di, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna bet on makeup that was much riskier and full of color.
80s icons:
- Madonna
- Debbie Harry
- Grace Jones
- Lady Di
- Olivia Newton-John
- Cyndi Lauper
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Jerry Hall
Makeup trends in the ’80s
1 – Over the top blush
If you consider that you have a risky personality and are not afraid to leave your comfort zone, then this trend is for you.
Debbie Harry was one of the personalities who used it the most and it consists of applying blush in a greater amount than you usually do, in doing so, you must get out of the cheek area by applying the blush also on the temples, you can even connect it with your eyelid and brow bone.
2 – Color in eyes and lips
“More is more” was the motto of the ‘80s, while today if you use a very striking eyeshadow, surely your lips are made up with more subtle tones.
In that decade it was fashionable to emphasize both the eyes and the lips, the most common combinations were purple and red and Grace Jones was one of the main ambassadors.
3 – Metallic eyes
Metallic shades were a ‘must’ of that time, and more so with stars like Cyndi Lauper who carried the trend to the maximum.
Although sometimes, she used to use a metallic tone on her lips as well; Currently you can create your look by focusing on using the brightest tone for the eyes, and for the lips, you can apply lipstick in a softer tone and with a matte texture.
4 – Natural makeup 80’s version
The taste is broken into genres and just as some women opted for a more extravagant and daring makeup, some were fans of natural makeup and used it only to enhance their beauty, such as the case of Princess Diana and Michelle Pfeiffer who became an icon thanks to her role as Elvira on ‘Scarface’ in 1984.
Both looks were characterized by being discreet, usually, the lips were made up in peachy tones and with a glossy texture, and the eyes were framed by applying eyeliner, Ladi Di made the blue eyeliner her ‘trademark’ since she always applied it in the waterline.
This type of makeup is timeless and easy to replicate, if you do it you will surely look incredible.
5 – Hot pink lips
It is one of the most practical trends and one that has remained throughout the years, Madonna was one of the celebrities who most used this color to highlight her lips.
Although the British singer used to combine them with heavily made-up eyes and a lot of eyeliner, today you can wear them with a much more minimalist look.
To highlight your eyes you can apply contour and mascara, if you prefer that your eyes look bigger, then apply white eyeliner on the waterline.
Tips to create the most iconic makeup of the 80s
Surely after reading the above information, you were left wanting some of these trends, that is why we share a small guide with the international makeup artist, Sandy Linter shared in byrdie.com so that you can practice and expand your creativity in makeup.
1. Apply concealer
Before starting to apply the color, apply a little concealer to the eyelid and blend it with a brush.
2. Apply translucent powder on the mobile eyelid
3. Select a black eyeliner
Draw a line from the middle of the basin outwards and another on the upper lash line, connect with the lower lash line, apply a little more color on the eyelid, and then blend with a brush.
4. Select a purple shade for the eyelids
We recommend that you opt for a pencil shadow like this one from Makeup Forever that Sandy uses, it will be easier to blend and you will not stain your makeup. Blend with a brush.
5.Select a lavender powder shadow
Apply the shadow on the rest of the eyelid, then blend with a brush. Ideally, you should shape the eyes with the pencil shadow and reinforce the look with the powder shadow. This type of makeup requires you to spend time blending the product.
6. It’s time to wear mascara
Apply a mascara that adds volume and definition to your lashes. Apply contour and then choose a blush in pink tones.
7. Lip color and definition
For the lips, choose a vibrant pink shade, before applying lipstick, line your lips with a lip liner in the same shade, then apply the lipstick, and to create a slightly brighter effect use lipgloss in the same shades.
