By Alison McGill
When it comes to iconic beauty looks, there was no greater decade for them than the ‘80s. The big, glamours manes. The punky hair colour. The bold makeup that was playful, intentional, worn to be seen and make a statement.
This was a decade of viral looks made for TikTok, so it’s no surprise ‘80s makeup been embraced so passionately by platform users. To date #80smakeup has over 86 million views. Some icons of the era? Madonna, Grace Jones, Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, Princess Diana, Molly Ringwald, the ladies of Dynasty, and British singer Toyah.
For Spring 2024, ‘8os makeup was the biggest trend on the fashion runways and my Gen X heart is happy to see it. So many of the ‘80s makeup trends I wore in my tween and teen years are back, and bring a renewed sense of fun and freshness with them.
Here are four of the biggest and best throwback ‘80s makeup trends happening now.
BLUE EYESHADOW
This one is iconic and empowering to wear. There’s something about wearing a slash of this cool shade on your lids that brings mood of sass and swagger. Pinterest hailed Blue Beauty as one of its Pinterest Predicts top trends of 2024. Every shade of blue is haute this season, from aquamarine to powder and denim, and this eye-catching trend looks striking on every skin tone.
Celebrity Inspo: Dua Lipa
Get The Look
This is the perfect palette packed with nine moody blue hues in a variety of finishes from matte to frost and glitter.
BUY: Colorpop Blue Moon Shadow Palette, $18, colorpop.com
FULL BROWS
Those ultra-thin brows Pat McGrath created for the Maison Margiela show were a moment of brow drama, but it was all for the runway. What’s trending in brows IRL is quite the opposite of those ultra-thin arches. Fluffy and full eyebrows à la ‘80s Brooke Shields (the OG eyebrow influencer) are on trend for Spring and we’ve even seen some Royal eyebrows looking a little more volumized than usual—Megan Markle was recently seen sporting noticeably fuller brows.
Celebrity Inspo: Lily Collins
Get The Look
This brow gel adds volume, hold and just the right amount of tint. Available in nine shades, including Gingersnap which is perfect for redheads—that is a hard match to find.
BUY: Urban Decay Big Bush Brow Volumizing Tinted Brow Gel, $36, urbanddecay.com
BOLD BLUSH
In the ‘80s, nobody did power cheeks better than Grace Jones. The singer emphasized her God-given, razor-sharp cheekbones with thick stripes of fuchsia blush, expertly blended to create the ultimate colourful contour. Fashion runways and award season red carpets have taken a page from Jones’ beauty playbook this season and we’re seeing cheeks highlighted with intense levels of colour we haven’t seen for decades.
Celebrity Inspo: Da Vine Joy Randolph
Get The Look
Grab this one when you can because this new release is already a sellout. Build to your perfect colour intensity with this innovative and hydrating jelly blush formula which comes in four poppy shades.
BUY: Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint, $33, sephora.com
PINK AND PURPLE COMBOS
These two shades are the ultimate girly duo and truly were at the core of most iconic ‘80s makeup looks. Look no further than the John Hughes classics Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink for evidence—Molly Ringwald made the pairing her signature beauty look in both films. The way to do it today is to mix and match these hues on the face to create a look that pops but doesn’t scream. A soft touch is key.
Celebrity Inspo: Emma Stone
Get The Look
This eye shadow palette features a mix of pink and purple hues punctuated with a few glitter shades and a rich berry for adding smoke at the lash line. Bonus: the baby pink and apricot shade can also double as blush.
BUY: Too Faced That’s My Jam Mini Eyeshadow Palette, $44, sephora.com
