History of Makeup: The 60s Makeup Look

Experience the magic of 60s makeup and discover how to create a magical, mod, 60s inspired makeup look.

Darlings, join me in looking back at one of the most magical eras of makeup – the swinging 60s! I have decoded the magic of 60s makeup to help you create a gorgeous, 60s-inspired look.

I’m often inspired by archival makeup references and 1960s makeup looks are a hotspot for graphic 60s eye makeup; soft, arching brows; and the perfect pastel-nude lip colours. Watch as my incredible Pro Artist Ria creates a quintessential 60s makeup look inspired by iconic looks from my makeup archive. Follow along darlings and discover expert tips and tricks on how to create a 60s makeup look that channels the euphoric, free-love feeling that defined the decade. 

60s Makeup Looks: An Overview

In the 1960s, the mod makeup look was extremely popular – everywhere you looked there were doll-eyed beauties with bouffant hair styles and babydoll dresses.

60s eye makeup was all about graphic socket definition that made the eyes appear rounder and downturned with a doe-eyed look. Black eyeliner and eyeshadows were a staple used to create graphic lines that tricked the eye into appearing rounder and more prominent, as well as heaps of mascara to exaggerate the look of lashes (especially the bottom lashes which were made to look piecey and well-defined).

Eyeshadow and blush colours were kept notably light; creams, whites and pale blues were used to give the eyes a more open look and pastel pinks gave the cheeks a barely there flush. Lipstick was used light-handedly, with the most popular shades of the 60s being natural, nude tones with a powdery, pastel pink tone that let the eyes be the main event.

How To Get a 60s Makeup Look

Darlings, discover how to recreate this 60s makeup look and transform into a 60s vision inspired by the magical mod stylings of the era.

60s makeup look

  1. Fair model with blonde hair having concealer applied by an artist under her eyes, around the nose and around the mouth.

    Step 1: Radiant Complexion

    Your 60s makeup look should start with a radiant base that sets a flawless-looking foundation for the rest of your 60s-inspired look. To get the look of a 60s star, apply your perfect shades of my complexion heroes: Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation and Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer. Apply foundation first, using the flat end of my Hollywood Complexion Brush to smooth my hydrating, hyaluronic acid-infused formula evenly onto the face. Then, place concealer everywhere you’d like to lift and brighten the look of – I recommend under the eyes, around the nose and along the corners of the mouth. Finally, set your foundation and concealer into place by tapping a light layer of Airbrush Flawless Finish powder onto the skin with my Powder & Sculpt Brush.

    Tilbury Tip: Complexion products will always look better when applied onto moisturized skin. I always apply Charlotte’s Magic Cream before makeup to help skin look smoother and plumper.

    Shop Beautiful Skin Complexion Kit

    Discover my Beautiful Skin makeup routine

  2. Fair blonde model with brow gel being applied to her eyebrows.

    Step 2: Thin, Rounded Brows

    Eyebrows were kept neatly groomed in the 60s with the favoured shape being a rounded arch. Thin, softly shaped brows complemented and accentuated the roundness that 60s eye makeup looks sought to achieve. To get the look, use the spoolie end of my Brow Cheat eyebrow pencil to brush your brows upwards and outwards to reveal a thinner brow shape, then add subtle brow strokes to sketch out a more rounded-looking arch. Once you’re happy with your brows, use Brow Fix clear brow gel to help them stay in place while you get into the 60s swing!

    Shop Supermodel Brow Kit

  3. Fair blonde model with brown pencil eyeliner being applied in a curved arch above her crease.

    Step 3: Graphic 60s Eyeliner

    60s eye makeup looks are famous for their graphic lines and black and white contrast. Many 60s makeup looks featured a half-moon shape that stretched from the inner corner and along the crease to the outer corner – this was to create that doll-like eye shape. My powder eyeliner The Classic is perfect for creating a 60s eye makeup look; it glides above your natural socket without skipping to create a precise, 60s-inspired crease, then effortlessly blends and diffuses with a swish of my Eye Liner Brush. Then, take the same eyeliner along your upper and lower lash line, connecting to the outermost point of the crease you’ve created and softly blending for a flattering, smoked-out effect.

    Shop The Classic eyeliner

  4. Fair blonde model with eyes closed having a nude matte eyeshadow being applied to her eyelid.

    Step 4: Define with Matte Eyeshadow

    The matte shades in The Sophisticate Luxury Palette will help add dimension to your 60s eye makeup; take the dark brown shades on my Eye Liner Brush and follow along the linework you’ve created to help set your eyeliner into place, then mix the cream and soft brown shades as the perfect nude colour to wash all-over the lid.

    Discover The Sophisticate makeup look

  5. Makeup artist applying black liquid eyeliner close to the upper lash line of a fair blonde model.

    Step 5: Intensify with Eyeliner

    To get the classic 60s doe-eyed effect, reach for a liquid eyeliner like The Feline Flick in Panther to intensify the look of your lash line and accentuate the graphic 60s details you've created. Then, use the beige-nude shade of The Super Nudes Duo Liner and glide along the water line for an enchanting, eye-opening effect.

    Discover how to apply eyeliner

  6. Makeup artist applying mascara to lashes of fair blonde model, creating a 60s makeup look.

    Step 6: Build Volume with Mascara

    Add lashings and lashings of Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! mascara to your 60s makeup look for fluttery, lifted-looking lashes. My push up-effect formula is perfect for creating dreamy, doll-like lashes, combing through each lash hair and giving them a 24-hour vertical lift effect.

    Shop Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! mascara

  7. Step 7 of the 60s makeup tutorial - draw on bottom lashes with liquid eyeliner

    Step 7: Draw on Faux Bottom Lashes

    Darlings, you can create the illusion of 60s-inspired bottom lashes with The Feline Flick liquid eyeliner. Making small strokes along the lower lash line with jet-black eyeliner creates the effect of individually separated bottom lashes with no false eyelashes required.

    Shop The Feline Flick liquid eyeliner

  8. Makeup artist applying a nude pink lipstick on a fair blonde model to create a 60s makeup look.

    Step 8: Soft, Pastel 1960s Lips

    Popular lipstick shades in the 60s included sherbet pinks, sweet peaches and powdery nudes that gave the lips a softly pinched coat of colour. The decade saw a decline in red lipstick, favouring light and airy shades that resonated with the mod makeup aesthetic. From my lipstick wardrobe, I recommend my Pillow Talk Original Lip Cheat and Hot Lips lipstick in Kim KW as the perfect nude-pink combination for recreating a 60s-inspired pout. The natural-looking, nude-pink tones of Pillow Talk Original expertly shape the look of lips and Kim KW is the perfect nude with a hint of pastel pink to pair it with for easy, pale-pink 60s lips.

    If you want to wear lip gloss to hydrate and accentuate the look of your lips, choose Collagen Lip Bath in Refresh Rose or Pillow Talk to give them a glossy, plumped effect.

    Tilbury Tip: For deeper skin tones, choose a deeper shade of lip liner like Pillow Talk Intense, then apply pale-pink lipstick in the centre of the lips and softly blot the edges with your fingertips.

    Shop Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk Original

    Shop Hot Lips in Kim KW

  9. Makeup artist applying liquid contour makeup in three dots along models cheeks.

    Step 9: Lightly Sculpted-Looking Cheeks

    60s makeup looks were less concerned with contouring the look of the face and instead accentuated the natural roundness of facial features. The best way to lightly sculpt the look of your face in true 60s style is with a silky liquid contour like my Hollywood Contour Wands. I created this formula to give the complexion a seamless, sculpting effect that buffs and blends to create Hollywood-inspired, skin-like contours. Three dots of liquid contour along the cheekbones will be plenty to softly define the look of your cheeks and a single swipe down either side of your nose is the secret to effortlessly contouring the look of the nose.

    Shop Hollywood Contour Wands

    Discover how to contour for your face shape

  10. Step 10 of the 60s makeup tutorial: apply liquid blush to the cheeks

    Step 10: Babydoll 60s Blush

    Similar to the lipstick trends of the 60s, blush was applied with a light hand in barely there pastel pink shades to softly blush the look of cheeks. To get the 60s blush look, I recommend my Matte Beauty Blush Wand in Pillow Talk Pink Pop as the perfect pop of ballet pink. This natural-looking shade has a magical matte finish that beautifully lifts the look of the complexion while channelling the babydoll charm of 60s makeup looks. I suggest applying one dot of blush onto the apples of the cheeks for a sweet and understated flush – by focusing your blush at the front of your face, your cheeks will appear rounder and more prominent.

    Tilbury Tip: If you’re a blush lover, you can certainly add an extra dot or two – just dot, dot, blend and pop!

    Shop Matte Beauty Blush Wand in Pillow Talk Pink Pop

    Discover how to apply liquid blush

  11. makeup artist applying faux freckles on a fair blonde model using a brown lip liner pencil.

    Step 11: Finishing Touches

    Darlings, now that you’ve applied a magical mod makeup look that exudes classic 60s style, it’s time for some finishing touches! 

    First, try adding some faux freckles to your look with my Lip Cheat lip liner in Foxy Brown; lightly dot the saddle-brown shade onto the nose and cheeks, then tap them out with your ring finger to create the illusion of natural-looking freckles. 

    As for styling – think miniskirts and middle partings, go-go boots and huge, backcombed hair to complete your full 1960s fantasy! 

    Finally, spritz AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray onto your face to lock in your 60s makeup look!

    Discover how to get the faux freckle look

    Shop Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

Darlings, are you as in love as I am with this 60s makeup look? You can shop the look on CharlotteTilbury.com and in the Charlotte Tilbury App - I’d love to see your recreations of this magically mod makeup with gorgeous, graphic eyes and babydoll lips and cheeks! Tag me on Instagram @CharlotteTilbury, darlings – I can’t wait to see you all try these looks at home!

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