Beauty by the decade: The hair and makeup trends we got from each era

1920s: Doll lips

Before The Roaring Twenties, nice girls didn’t wear makeup. This new attitude towards glamour shifted after flappers took over and melded perfectly with a decade that celebrated jazz, dancing and Old Hollywood.

Actress Clara Bow made the Cupid’s bow famous, and soon after women everywhere started shaping their smiles. And with the help of stencils and metal lip tracers, women’s now heart-shaped lips took center stage. But it wasn’t until the latter part of the decade that cosmetic entrepreneur Helena Rubinstein created a “self-shaping” lipstick that contoured the lip line with newfound precision.

1920s: Finger waves

Just as the attitude towards makeup was changing, so was the attitude towards women’s hair. Long, flowing locks were a thing of the past, as modern bobs and shorter styles were making their way into the mainstream. And while a modern-day finger wave can be seen occasionally on the red carpet, this time-consuming trend was the preferred way to style your strands in the ’20s.

1930s: Matte ivory skin

While the twenties and thirties saw similar trends, a more sensible approach to beauty evolved during this decade that saw the brunt of the Great Depression. With less money to spend, cosmetic companies focused on feminine innovations that every woman could wear. This in turn created a spike in sales that many refer to as the “lipstick index,” whereby women buy budget friendly finds for instant gratification during an economic downturn.

This decade was all about the “Tea Rose” complexion, which was a more natural departure from the twenties. Face foundations were manufactured in an ivory hue with a slight touch of pink. Many actresses also made this subtle makeup trend famous through cinema and public appearances.

1930s: Short red nails

It was in 1935 that Max Factor introduced Liquid Nail Enamel to his already cult cosmetic repertoire. And with celebrities such as Bette Davis on board, the classic manicure took off. The shape in question was a short and round.

1940s: Victory rolls

This decade saw a wartime influence on women’s beauty rituals, as a much more subdued and sophisticated routine rolled in. And with rationing well under way, many beauty products were in scarce supply, creating a much more wholesome approach to beauty. This shift saw the rise of a fuller brow, longer and more luscious locks and a daring contrast from the decades past.

During this era, women were expected to look good, but never overdone. A departure from the heavy makeup of the ’20s and ’30s saw women looking much more natural in a way that was both practical and pretty. This trend catapulted the Victory Rolls, a style that is said to have been named after soldiers returning home.

1940s: Full eyebrows

Gone were the days of barely there brows, as more natural shapes took form. This less severe look to the curved and needle-thin brows were ushered in by Hollywood actresses Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly. These more prominent fixtures on the face would reign supreme (albeit with a few shape changes) until the nineties.

1950s: Winged liner

This was the golden age of makeup, and everything glamorous was on the rise. Models started giving actresses a run for their money on magazine covers, and post-war beauty icons such as Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe were taking over.

The undeniable influence of Marilyn Monroe saw the trend of a more glamorous cat eye. Liner was used along the length of the lid with a slight flick at the corners for a feline friendly vibe with the help of pencils, liquids and gels.

1950s: Red lips

This decade was perhaps the most glamorous of them all, and bold red lips were an easy and accessible answer for all women. These crimson pouts were seen on the mouths of Hollywood royalty, and a cult following was born. Women everywhere were running to cosmetic counters to grab their very own bold red hue.

1960s: Clumpy lashes

The Swinging Sixties introduced a more graphic approach to fashion and cosmetics, as everything mod was major. This was definitely a transition decade that saw a departure from the glamour days of the fifties and prepped for the free-spirited seventies. This “London Look” period introduced a fresh approach to beauty in the form of more dramatic eyes, voluminous hair and bright bold colours.

Thanks to British model Twiggy, dramatic lashes were a prominent fixture in the beauty circuit. Lower lashes became the new cat eye. And with an emphasis on long and full, falsies and drawn on lowers became a trend.

1960s: Beehive

With the influence of Brigitte Bardot’s infamous deconstructed beehive, the sixties saw women channeling their favourite style icon. It’s said that this style was created in a Chicago hair salon, and soon after this intricately placed, teased and heavily sprayed style took the beauty world by storm.

1970s: Feathered layers

This flower child decade proposed a ‘less is more’ approach to makeup, with everything natural and nude finding its way onto women’s faces. Hair looked more layered, messy and carefree.

With Farrah Fawcett playing an enormous role on pop culture in this decade, her long feathered cut was the envy of everyone. And with flicks and wings on her head of hair, this style was created with perms and a new breed of heat-styling tools.

1970s: Bold middle part

Women’s strands took many shapes this decade, as anything from androgynous bobs to soft and feminine flew. But it was the pencil straight and middle-parted hair that really took off. This chic style is still a favourite today.

1980s: Frosted blue eyeshadow

A far cry from the seventies, beauty trends got a little louder and larger than life. Sitting front row were voluminous strands on the decade’s most prominent faces, like Cindy Crawford, Brooke Shields and Christie Brinkley.

Not for the faint of heart, this beauty trend was popularized by the decade’s biggest names. This bright approach to beauty was seen everywhere from fashion to beauty to home decor.

1980s: Crimped hair

This decade saw some shocking styles, including mullets and massive hair. And with music legends such as Madonna trying the trends, women everywhere were buying crimping hair tools to copy her curly coif.

1990s: Over-plucked brows

With the nineties back on our radar, we’re revisiting some of the decades most daring beauty trends. From lip glosses to glitter eyeshadow’s and the “Rachel” cut, the trends were a little less bold than the eighties. This era saw a subculture of grunge go mainstream, and the preppy kids of Bayside High taking their acid washed jeans and flannel shirts to the public.

With grooming and fitness on the minds of everyone, waxing and plucking became a national pastime. From Gwen Stefani to Drew Barrymore making a case for a tiny brow, women everywhere started plucking them off and replacing them with a well-kept arch instead.

1990s: Brown lipliner

Thanks to celebs like Pamela Anderson, heavily lined and overdrawn lips were popping up on pouts everywhere. And with brown and nude hues as her colour of choice, cult classic pencil shades were born (hello, M.A.C Spice!).

2000s: Nude lip gloss

This decade kept the grooming and fitness trend in mind, but ran with it a whole lot further. From Botox to spray tans and chunky highlights, the millennium was shaping up to be the most over-indulgent (and tacky) yet.

During this decade, Britney Spears could do no wrong (except in 2007), so when she was seen wearing gobs of gloss, girls everywhere starting making their mouths a whole lot shinier. This decade also saw the rise of trout pout thanks to Jessica Simpson, which had women everywhere rushing to get their lips plumped and perfected for product.

2000s: Fake tans

With MTV and pop culture shows playing heavily on beauty trends, women everywhere were opting to look more and more like what they saw on TV. And while fake and bake was around for a while, celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton popularized the products.

2010s: Ombré hair

With hair finding it’s more natural shades, to brows becoming fuller, this decade has been a lot less glossy and glitzy than the past. And with the rise of Instagram beauty experts, to YouTube vloggers teaching us everything we know about application, social media is at the forefront of the beauty industry.

With hair looking a lot less frosted than the early 2000’s, this decade started seeing colour sitting at the bottom of the strands versus the root. And while this trend is still around, we’re definitely seeing spin-offs in the form of balayage and subtle sombre’s taking shape.

2010s: Countouring

This trend wouldn’t be where it is today without the Kardashians. With their glam squad’s ability to transform their face through the use of highlighting and shading, contouring quickly caught fire. And with palettes selling out at Sephora, to people spending hours watching YouTube videos trying to master this trend, there is no sign of it slowing down.