Blame it on The Beatles, the designers or the fact that work consisted solely of sipping martinis and looking fantastic: the 60s are the ultimate decade of pop culture influence and fashion, and few things have maintained the relevance of the rebellious post-50s era. Full lashes, bright colours and sweeping liner are only some of the decade’s best looks, so here’s our guide to going from 2010 to Twiggy with only a couple of steps.
Liner
If mods and Pattie Boyd have taught us anything, it’s that bold eyeliner is essential in maintaining the look of Hard Day’s Night. And while the 90s comeback and 2010s have called for a return to all things smoky, the 60s call for something much less dramatic, with a sweeping liner in the fashion of Barbarella or Edie Sedgewick taking precedence over a shadow-heavy aesthetic.
Concentrating on the top eyelid, increase the liner’s width as you move away from the eye, making sure to leave a winged tip at the end that creates a Cleopatra look. But while the liner speaks for itself, use a dark shadow to smudge and set your liner to prevent pulling an Amy Winehouse “ her beehive is epic, but that makeup works only for her.
Lipstick
While the 50s and early 60s called for fire engine red, the later decade saw lighter shades of lip colour thanks to heavier liner and fake lashes. Just like makeup how-to’s dictate today, balance between makeup application was essential, and if you’re hoping to recreate the look of Twiggy or any other 60s personality, you need to embrace the same rules. So while a matte nude shade might work well in the summer, you can still opt for a sheer gloss to work with winter time pale skin.
False Lashes
Liner, light shadow and false lashes: let’s face it, 60s makeup was all about the eyes. And while fake lashes can sometimes be taken as a beauty faux pas, by applying them correctly, they’ll help you reach Elizabeth Taylor makeup proportions.
If you’re hoping to ease into the aesthetic subtly, like the liner, concentrate only on the ends of your eye to heighten the Cleopatra look. However, if you’re hoping to be a little more mod than glam, you can fully commit and apply the full set of lashes to your top and bottom eyelids, using eyeliner and mascara to help blend them in and create a wide-eyed Twiggy look.
Shadows
60s-inspired shadow can go be approached in one of two ways. First, you can opt for metallic pastels that you apply below the eyebrow and under your eye for a Laurel Canyon-esque aesthetic. Or you can do your take on 60s smokiness and opt for a darker look seen on the likes of mods on Carnaby Street.
For a darker look, stick with the sweeping liner, but use a flat brush to apply a brown or black shadow at the crease of the eyelid, and run parallel to the shape you’ve already created. Because your eyeliner sweeps up, your shadow will eventually meet it, then use a lighter shade on the actual eyelid to blend everything together. Because of the defined lines that already exist, you’ll still be channelling Edie and 60s greats “ but in an updated way that keeps you looking fresh.
