Eye Makeup Trends by Decade: The Shadow, Mascara, and More That Ruled the Last 100 Years
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The 1970s: Au Naturale
Like most cosmetics, eye makeup nearly disappeared from the faces of women in the 1970s: The look of the moment consisted of a little neutral shadow and barely there mascara. The urge to pare back can be credited to the cultural rise of hippies and anti-Vietnam War feelings, the women's liberation movement (with outspoken leaders who challenged what modern women should look like), and an interest in all that was natural. -
The 1980s: The More, the Better
Excess returned,and with disco music,star-studded clubs like Studio 54 celebrating eccentricity and hedonism, and a surging economy,women began to go for it with their eye makeup. Consider:M.A.C Cosmetics was born in 1984 to answer the needs of two Canadian makeup artists who wanted bolder,more highly pigmented colors that would photograph well.Vibrant blues,pinks,purples,andshimmery golds were worn alone or all at once for a rainbow-like effect,extending up to the brow bone for serious impact. -
The 1990s: Minimalist Makeup
As if a backlash to the excess of the '80s, fashion designers dialed it way back in the following decade, celebrating sleek lines, neutral tones, and minimal accessorizing. -
The 2000s: Full, Lush Lashes
Lash bars began popping up at department stores and salons across the country, offering professional applications of faux lashes that required hours-long appointment times. Lash conditioners that promised thickening and lengthening hit the market, and mascara upped its game with gigantic sizes, curved wands, bristles of all shapes and sizes, and fibers added to the formulas for extra length. -
The 2010s: Bold Brows
In the 1990s and 2000s, most fashion-conscious women were seeing professional brow groomers and requesting highly manicured, thinned-out, arched looks. The brow-obsessed dabbed hair regrowth ointments intended for the scalp across their faces, used lash conditioners to thicken what they had naturally, and practiced darkening and filling in brows with the plethora of powders, pencils, pomades, and tinted gels that hit the market for for extra oomph.
