Eyeliner through the decades
Makeup (and eyeliner especially) has been an integral part of culture for centuries. In recent Western history, eyeliner has taken many forms and styles and evolved with the times we live in. Each decade had one or more memorable style that is synonymous with that period of time. Some of these looks were used for daily wear, a special occasion look, or were only seen at costume parties. Let’s take a trip in our time machine and discover the quintessential eyeliner looks from the 50’s until today.
The 50s
Much of what we see in terms of eyeliner today is an exaggerated pin up look. This style gained traction in the 1950’s. This unique mid-century look can be seen on every iconic actress of that time period as well as popular pin up illustrations. To make the look authentically 50s you need a neutral shadow base and your liner needs to flare out at the outer corners of your eyes, with or without a subtle flick upwards. Our Insanely Intense Tattooed Eyeliner in the classic jet black is the best choice for an authentic 50s look.
The 60s
When you think about 1960s makeup, chances are the iconic model Twiggy comes to mind. Big, bright eyes accentuated with exaggerated liner along the top lid with drawn on “lashes” on the bottom water line. Eyes take center stage in this look and the rest of the face tended to be neutral, often paired with a nude lip. Chalky blue eye shadow on your top lid and white eyeliner in your water line are key components to this look as well. You could use jet black to create this look or put a twist on the old classic and try any of our other Tattooed Liner shades. If you want to go bold and bright, we suggest trying the shade Plum.
The 70s
The age of disco had no shortage of theatrics, especially when it came to makeup! This look focused mostly on bright and shimmery eye shadows with a thin line of eyeliner tracing the top lid. Try this look by creating a monochromatic smokey eye using blues with grey tones, pile on the blush, put on your best and brightest red lip - and voila! You are now a certified disco diva.
The 80s
If you thought the 70s were over the top, then the 80’s should really blow your mind! In this totally tubular decade there was a lot of neon, pastels, and neon-pastels. Eyeliner was bold, multicolor, and dramatically drawn. You could create this look using a colorful Tattooed Liner shade on the top lid and apply your favorite shade of Gem Eyeshadows with your Luxe Pro Smokey brush along the lower lash line. Similar to the 70s, there was no shortage of blush in the 1980s, and the pinker the blush the better!
The 90s
After two decades of some very bold makeup looks, the 90s shifted towards a less colorful and subdued style. It was all about messy hair and either a whole lot of makeup or a look that was more of a low maintenance look. Tightlining your eyes with jet black or brown Tattooed Liner would enhance your lash line and make it look fuller. The bottom lash line was loaded up with eyeliner in the 90’s and often perfectly smudged. Use your Smudger brush to gently fan out your eyeliner to create the effect.
Early 2000s
In a lot of ways, the beginning of this century mirrored a muted version of the 80s. Bright, shimmery shadows, tons of glitter, gloss and colorful eyeliner were all popular. Try our Eye Lights in shades Blue Sky or Chill paired with a classic black Tattooed Liner to recreate this post-millennium style.
Today
Present day style is a much more exaggerated cat eye or winged eyeliner that was originally popularized by pin up models of the 50’s. Many looks are created with black eyeliner, but as long as you get the winged look down (it takes practice!) really any color can be used to create your desired look. Winged eyeliner is typically paired with a neutral or dark smokey eye, especially if the liner color isn’t black. Any of our Tattooed shades would work great to create today’s styles.
So that’s it! We’ve described every iconic eyeliner style from the 1950’s until today. Which one is your favorite? If you’re feeling creative and want to try to recreate a look we’ve discussed in this post, send us a selfie tagged with #SkoneGirl for a chance to be featured on our social media.
Skone's Insanely Intense Tattooed Eyeliner. Comes in 5 colors or buy all 5 colors. Bold, one stroke, waterproof, smudgeproof liquid eyeliner.
