Finding Beauty Through the Decades: The 1960s
- MakeupClasses
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
Hey, makeup artists & beauty enthusiasts!
Welcome back to Finding Beauty Through the Decades! This time we're exploring the 1960s, a decade that transformed American culture, fashion, and beauty. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, women's liberation, anti-war protests, and the rise of youth culture, the '60s became one of the most influential decades in style history.
Fashion Through the Decade
The 1960s can be divided into three distinct fashion eras.
Early 1960s fashion reflected elegance and sophistication, largely inspired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Tailored boxy suits, pearl necklaces, pillbox hats, coiffed hairstyles, and smooth bobs with curled ends defined the polished look of the era.
By the mid-1960s, the Mod Movement took center stage. Bold colors, geometric prints, mini skirts, and go-go boots became symbols of youthful fashion. Designer Mary Quant popularized the mini skirt, while model Twiggy inspired dramatic eye makeup, pixie cuts, and exaggerated lashes. Teased bouffants, structured updos, and hairpieces created the volume that defined many hairstyles of the period.
The late 1960s embraced the hippie movement and counterculture. Fashion became more relaxed with denim, fringe, suede, flowing silhouettes, and peace-inspired accessories. Natural hairstyles, including afros, reflected a growing appreciation for individuality and self-expression.
Makeup Trends
Eye makeup was the defining feature of 1960s beauty. Dramatic winged eyeliner continued from the 1950s, while blue and seafoam green eyeshadows became especially popular during the Mod era. Twiggy's signature look made oversized lashes iconic, often created with false lashes or carefully drawn lower lashes.
Complexion makeup remained soft and fresh with pink blush adding youthful color. Foundation and powder shade ranges expanded throughout the decade, making cosmetics more accessible to people with deeper skin tones.
For lips, frosted finishes, pale pinks, soft nudes, and muted mauves completed the classic '60s look.
Beauty Meets Culture
The 1960s were about far more than fashion. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique challenged traditional expectations for women, while the Equal Pay Act of 1963 reflected changing conversations about equality. As women entered new roles in society, fashion evolved alongside them, with pants becoming increasingly accepted in everyday wardrobes.
Color television also changed beauty forever. Public figures like Jacqueline Kennedy became style icons whose fashion and makeup choices reached millions of viewers, while television, magazines, and advertising accelerated beauty trends across the country.
The Space Race introduced futuristic influences, inspiring metallic finishes, plastics, and modern accessories. At the same time, new fabrics like Lycra and changing lingerie fashions reflected advances in textile technology and evolving beauty ideals.
A Decade of Transformation
The 1960s marked the transition from polished postwar elegance to bold individuality. By the end of the decade, makeup, fashion, and beauty had become powerful forms of self-expression, reflecting changing identities, cultural movements, and social progress.
Want to recreate the iconic beauty looks of the 1960s? Follow along with our Finding Beauty Through the Decades YouTube series! In this episode, special guest Lisa Amato joins Dawn to explore the fashion, culture, and makeup trends that made the 1960s one of the most unforgettable decades in beauty history.
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