‘80s MAKEUP IS BACK! AND THESE ARE LOOKS YOU’LL TRULY WANT TO REVISIT
While there are some things about the 1980s we’d rather forget (cringey family photos, larger than life shoulder pads and enormous, permed hair to name just a few), there was a lot to love about the ‘80s.
And it’s not just bracelet pens, creating mix tapes and working out to Jane Fonda videos that we remember so fondly. Makeup ‘back in the day’ was also quite something. Sure, there were some wild trends around with color being everything and blending a low priority. But rainbow eyeshadow and heavily hued cheekbones were nothing if not fun, flamboyant and fearless.
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not going to rush to revisit chalky blue eyeshadow that goes all the way up to our eyebrows. Nor do we ever want to see a frosted lipstick ever again. However, thanks to the resurgence of ‘80s nostalgia in music as well as on the TV, movies, catwalks and across social media, it seems that ‘80s makeup is set to have a real moment. And with smarter formulations to choose from, amazing tools at our beck and call and a whole load of makeup intel under our belts, some of the best '80s trends are better today than they were back then.
Read on to discover (or rediscover!) the ‘80s makeup trends we guarantee you’ll be thrilled to revisit this fall.
Full & Fluffy Eyebrows
The epitome of brow chic in the ‘80s was actress and star of The Blue Lagoon, Brooke Shields. Of course, she could have worn a trash bag for a dress and painted her face orange and still looked amazing. But still.
Sandwiched between the pencil-thin, overly arched brows of the ‘70s and the skinny, rounded brows of the ‘90s were Brooke's thick, bushy brows which inspired nations of women to file away their tweezers and embrace their natural beauty.
Instagram: @brookeshields
How To Do Fluffy Brows: Contoured brows had their moment a few years ago but now the momentum has well and truly shifted back to that ‘80s fluffy look. However, it’s still wise to give them a slightly polished finish – especially if you’re over the age of 25!
To help create the illusion of thicker, fuller brows, use an eye shadow powder that’s a similar color to your natural eyebrows – anything too dark will look harsh and can be terribly aging. Use a strong, angled brush and apply a light touch as you draw short, vertical or angled lines through your brows. Follow the direction in which your hairs grow for a more subtle look then brush the inner corner hairs up with the grooming end of our Mascara Shield. This'll give you that extra fluff factor!
Grungey Eyes
Let’s be honest, like music and passion, smokey eyes are always the fashion. And in the ’80s they were one of two major eye trends. Of course, extreme color (often wearing more than one at once!) was the most obvious iconic ‘80s look, but let’s be honest, not everyone was into such in-your-face makeup. And for those people it was all about dark, grungey eyes that were filled with more smoke than your local nightclub. Think Debbie Harry with a touch of leather era Cher.
How To Do Smokey Eyes: With a creamy concealer for prepping your lids (and hiding those dastardly under eye bags, of course!), plus a black shadow for lining, a brown shadow for blending and our award-winning Corner Brush for creating the precise angles you need, The Smokeshow is literally the only tool you need for crushing the simplest of smokey eyes. We hate to play favorites but this baby is hard not to love.
For tips on how to master the look, check out our video, right here.
Pink Lips
If we had to sum up the ‘80s in one color, it would be pink. The best sneakers? Pink. Leg warmers? Pink. Greatest movie of the decade? Pretty In Pink. Even our ‘80s teenage bedrooms were pink. And it did not stop there because pink was just as prolific in makeup.
Of course, candy pink eyeshadow was everything, but pink was also on everyone’s lips as girls decided they just wanted to have fun. And with colors ranging from hot fuchsias to sugary pastels, pink lips were as vampy or cutesy as you wanted them to be.
How To Do Pink Lips: To make pink lips feel more 2024 than 1984, ditch the extremes. Avoid flat, opaque lipsticks and give super frosted formulations a similarly wide berth. See-through shine or satin, glossy finishes, paired with glowing skin and black lashes deliver a much fresher, modern look.
Try Spin-On® Lip Gloss in Pop for a stunning wash of color minus any risk of ‘80s overkill. Because ‘80s makeup is great, but taking the trends too literally? Not so much.
Bronzer
Vibrant, heavily pigmented cheeks, painted in anything from bubblegum pink to dusky mauve, were huge in the ‘80s. Bold eyes, lips and cheeks – ha, what could possibly go wrong? (*erm, everything!). Deep, bronzed cheeks with darker shades along the cheekbones and contouring along the jawline also never went amiss. The rule was, you could never apply too much. But again, hadn’t anyone heard of the word ‘blending’?
How To Do Bronzer: There was no room for subtlety back in the ‘80s but these days bronzer should take on a way more natural role in your makeup routine. It’s all about glowing, healthy-looking skin, not baked in ‘I’ve just spend the past six months on a tanning bed’ color.
On that note, your ideal bronzer should mimic the color your skin goes when it tans and it should be no more than two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Our fabulous new Bronzers come in three beautifully wearable shades to help you get it right. And trust us, we spent a long time coming up with these shades to ensure they work with most skin tones.
To apply, use a large brush like our Essential Blush & Blend Brush, swirling color only where the light naturally catches your skin – eg. across the forehead, on the temples, just under the cheekbones and around the jawline.
Now excuse us while pop 'Purple Rain' on Spotify and sing at the top of our voices...