A 1960s makeup collage I made.

Makeup Timeline

1960- The Color Additive Amendment requires that colouring ingredients in cosmetics (as well as food and drugs) must be tested fro safety and approved by the FDA.
1962- Helena Rubinstein offers the first “Day of Beauty,” consisting of an exercise class, massage, lunch, facial, shampoo and hairstyling, manicure, pedicure, and makeup session—all for $35.
1963- Texan Mary Kay Ash spends her life’s savings to develop her skincare formula; six years and millions of dollars later, she rewards her top sales directors with pink Cadillacs.
first major cosmetics line designed especially for women of colour.
1965- The “pale look” is trendy—pale lips, no blush, bleached eyebrows, lots of dark eye shadow, mascara, and false eyelashes.
1965- Pablo-- one of the first celebrity makeup artists –- introduces “fantasy” and “bizarre” eye looks incorporating jewels, flowers, and op art designs.
1966- London’s Mary Quant creates the mod look—lots of bold colours and geometric designs—in fashion and makeup.
1967- Estee Lauder launches Clinique, a company that downplays glamour and stresses “scientific” skincare. Salespeople wear lab coats, and products are packaged in antiseptic green.
1967- Supermodel Twiggy’s look is all the rage. She draws lashes around the eyes with a pencil and applies multiple layers of falsh lashes and mascara.
1968- African American model Naomi Sims appears on the cover of Life, and black models Bethann Hardison, Toukie Smith, Pat Cleveland, and Grace Jones hit the fashion runways in New York and Paris.
1969- Biba store opens in London, selling dramatic makeup in shades of purple, plum, and turquoise.

1960s makeup

In 1961 girls blended shades of lipstick at home, but first blotted the lips with Max Factor Pancake makeup and white eyeshadow cream was one of the top sellers ( used for brightening eye sockets, but women later used it for highlighting or wrinkle-hiding). Eyes are the focus which were darkened using dark eyeshadow, liquid and kohl eyeliner, and mascara and were smudged on eyes in North America and Europe. The film Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor had very emphasised eyes and everyone learnt how to apply eyeliner and socket lines. Models Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy along with actress Julie Christie all had lined eye sockets that said Sixties Chick with chic. Young girls were frowned upon if they wore red lipstick so they used softened pink and peach colours which were acceptable to parents, but then became a trend. At the end of the decade it was the no makeup look. Lips became paler until girls could go no paler using white lipstick and would do no lighter. Cosmetics by Mary Quant brought out cosmetics that were great and affordable like the cheek contour shaders and highlighters. She encouraged users to use brushes to apply eyeliner and blusher to achieve a hollow cheek, wide eyed look like Twiggy. She made out leaflets with diagrams of the look. Her trademark is the Quant daisy logo. Psychedelics did the fantasy eye make-up with heavy white and black lines. The hipppy movements had natural wild looks and rejection of cosmetics. Face and body painting was also done. Veruschka, America’s top surrealist model got covered in flowers and Twiggy liked daisies.
If you want to use the look today you can use eyeshadows ranging from grey to black, eyeliner such as liquid, kohl and creamy pencil and mascara. Liquid eyeliner is a black line which won’t smudge/bleed if dry, but be careful and if you make a mistake wait until it is dry and wipe it off with a tissue. It is best for rimming the upper eyelid or defining the corners of the eye. Using it on the lower lid is not a good idea because it’s harder to apply, eyelashes get in the way and it gives an unnatural line. Kohl eyeliner can be used on the upper and lower eyelids, smudged and blended it gives a very black line, but don’t touch or cry because it will not stay put. Regular eyeliner gives a smudge line, goes on smoothly and you can’t make accidents with it, but the colour isn’t vivid, but you can use lighter shades such as slate for eyeshadows. If pale lipsticks aren’t available you can use white lipstick that most companies sell which can be melted with another colour and poured into a pot like an old eyeshadow or blush pot, but you’ll need a brush to apply it with. Pale cream foundation or concealer can be applied to the lips first to lighten up or tone down the lips.