80s Makeup: The History and Trends | DIVAIN (2024)

• Trends

The fashion and beauty trends of the 1980s brought big change to the way women dressed and wore their makeup. The use of loose clothing, dark colours, tied back hair and a rebellious attitude, were part of a cultural revolution in make up and fashion that was represented by the looks of artists like Madonna.

The triumphant '80s makeup style, with eyeshadow, mascara and blush as the main features, is a reflection of an unforgettable era marked by a generation of lovers of spandex, aerobics, hip-hop, and voluminous hairstyles. Do you want to recreate a perfect eighties look? if so then keep reading!

History of 80s makeup

The transition of generations from the 70s to the 80s had a great impact on fashion and makeup. Suddenly, the influence of artists like Madonna and Cher changed the way we dressed and how we wore makeup back to a more liberal look, almost more masculine in some ways. Applying dark coloured eyeshadow, outlining the eye on the inside and out, achieving a heavier and deeper look with make up and creating more marked features like cheekbones with blush and lip liners became a symbol of rebellion of these years.

Makeup trends of the 80s for women

Trending make up looks of the 80s were extravagant and striking, so when we talk about 80s fashion and makeup it is inevitable not to think about the image of celebrities such as Madonna, Michael Jackson or Davie Bowie as well as others. Next, we give you a few ideas and trends that were successful so that you can recreate your own eighties looks with the best makeup and beauty tricks of the time.

Face and skin

Using a foundation one or two shades lighter than your natural skin colour was one of the first steps to achieving a perfect eighties look. Concealer was used to unify the tone in those areas with imperfections on your face and finish with a thin layer of translucent powder for the best unified looks.

Eyes

The eye area was the focus of makeup in the 80s and all efforts were focused on drawing attention to the beauty of the eye. Mascara was applied to both upper and lower lashes to open the eye or add false lashes to give the eye and face a feline and wild touch.

The eye area was often emphasised by using bright blue eyeshadow as well as dark eyeshadow to add depth and mystery. Black eyeliner was also used frequently in 80s makeup as well as other colours such as blue which was a popular choice of eye liner and mascara at times too.

Eyebrows

The fuller, wider and messier, the brow the better, as far as 80s trends were concerned. If your eyebrows are thin, use a brush, pencil or shadow to fill in the spaces creating much thicker eyebrows and giving them a more of a masculine look with pencil and shadow.

Lips

The lips were not the protagonists of 80s makeup. To recreate the style of the era, use matte lip stick in brown and dark tones and outline the heart of the lips to give them a more pointed shape.

Cheekbones

Highlighting your cheekbones with a dark pink blush will add a dramatic touch to your makeup. The trick is to use it like a bronzing powder and use it to contour your face and mark the angles of your face. If you want to go for more extravagant looks, add a little shimmer to the top of the cheekbone, either with a shimmery shadow or with a highlighter, this will definitely define the beauty of your face by showing off your high cheek bones with your new blush makeup.

80s hairstyles

Eighties hair styles were unique, rebellious and striking and this was not only reflected in clothes and makeup, but also in the styles hair was worn in the 80s.

80s hairstyles are defined as crazy and therefore, to recreate a quick look with few products and accessories, you just need to have imagination and not be too concerned about using an entire bottle of hair spray!

You can recreate a curved blow-dry by applying hair spray or styling mousse to some strands of your hair to create volume at the top near the roots. Another idea is to add coloured extensions or strands of curly hair to create a frizz effect and give it that crazy touch so characteristic of the time. Likewise, the irregular cut bangs, the toupees and the perm were other trends that best marked the fashion of this decade.

Manicure

A good manicure is the final element you need to complete your eighties look. In this case you can be as creative as you want and choose a cheerful colours like green, yellow or fuchsia, or opt for dark tones like black, brown or purple. Everything will depend on the image you want to give and how much you want to attract attention.