By Anne-Marie Jones

The 80’s were iconic for so many reasons – the rise of the shoulder pad, Madonna/Prince/Michael Jackson/Cyndi Lauper, movies like E.T, The Goonies and Back To The Future, and my personal highlight, the birth of me.

Fashion and makeup was bold, funky and unapologetically loud! Here’s how you can capture the look:

Bright, vivid eyeshadow

Bright blues, purples, pinks, and greens often worn all the way up to the brow bone. There was no such thing as ‘too much’ or ‘too loud’, and the idea of using a white base to make the colours pop was a new concept.

Heavy blush

Applied heavy-handedly, usually in shades of pink, red or coral. Same as the eyeshadow, the key look was DRAMA!

Bold lips

Hot pink, deep red, and orange lipsticks were IN. Frosted lipsticks were popular, and shades like black, green and blue were being adopted by the punk and goth subcultures.
M.A.C launched the iconic Russian Red colour in 1985, Revlons ‘Cherries In The Snow’, despite being created in the 50’s, was still a top seller too.

Defined brows

Eyebrows were thicker, fuller and darker, more natural, which helped the eyeshadows really stand out.

Madonna and Brooke Shields were the prime examples of this look!

Dramatic eyeliner – Black eyeliner was usually applied both on the upper and lower lash lines, sometimes winged for extra drama.

Big eyelashes – Thick mascara and false lashes to make eyes pop. Maybelline Great Lash was still the most popular mascara, and coloured mascaras in colours like blue, purple and green were also trendy (especially blue!).

Frost and shimmer – Frosted lipsticks and shimmering eyeshadows were hugely popular. Frosty, pearlescent pink lipstick was very on-trend. One of the leading colours was Wet n Wild’s #528, which was later replaced by #528a Pink Ice, which is still available today.

What was your fave 80’s makeup look? Let ue know!