Vintage Trends of Makeup You Probably Forgot About

Hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to makeup trends. They are always fresh and forward-thinking when the latest trends emerge. They are in line with the current fashions, movies, and society. So no one hesitates to pluck their eyebrows into thin lines or apply gold metallic lipstick.

Once that trend is gone, and society moves on to bigger and better things in beauty and society in general, the makeup trend becomes dated and silly. We can’t help but laugh about how we used false eyelashes to make ourselves look like baby dolls or how we applied harsh brick-red blush. That’s all part of the fun with makeup. It’s fun to play with makeup, then you can move on to the next trending thing.

It’s okay to cringe at the beauty of our past looks. They were once logical. It’s fun to laugh at what we thought was “cool” back then. Here are some vintage makeup trends that make us cringe. What are your thoughts?

Arsenic Powder

It was considered the pinnacle of beauty in the 1800s and 1900s to be very pale. Tuberculosis was a factor in this. It became fashionable to imitate the fragile skin and deathly pale complexion of those who were fighting the disease. Because it was fragile and feminine, women began to look for ways to lighten the skin.

Arsenic powder can be used on the skin or eaten as arsenic wafers. The poison can be applied or consumed to create a pale complexion, which can make many women sick.

Whitening Creams

Although the 1920s saw many famous Black celebrities and entertainers, such as Josephine Baker and Louis Armstrong – that doesn’t mean society has forgotten its racism and accepts people of color as equals.

You had more options the lighter you were. This is why so many bleaching and whitening creams became available. The adverts and names of these brands made it clear that skin whitening was directly tied to prejudice. The brands were known by names like Black-No-More and featured ads featuring frazzled-looking Black women transformed into polished white women.

Although many Black magazines and newspapers opposed bleaching and the symbolism it represents, many people choose to participate in it in order to improve their lives in a racist society.

Cupid’s Bow Lips

Cupid’s bow lips were popularized by Clara Bow and other movie stars in the 1920s. Some versions of the lips looked almost doll-like and some were more realistic. Many flappers created unrealistic outlines with lipsticks, rather than following their actual lip shape. While some women did this to protest the Victorian’s soft and natural beauty ideals, others simply followed the example of the movie stars.

’20s Round Blush

It’s all about contouring your cheekbones and making them pop at sharp angles. In the 1920s blush was used to give the face a fuller appearance. It was used in circles, just like a doll’s blush. People believed it would make them look younger and more healthy.

It was a time when more women joined sports like tennis or golf. So rosy flushes became trendy.

Radiation-based products

Radiation-based beauty products became very popular in the 20th century when beauty enthusiasts believed they were purchasing the latest scientific breakthroughs in skincare and anti-aging. Radior cosmetics advertised in 1918 that Radium had found a fountain of youth and beauty. Radium was discovered by scientists in a way that they never imagined. It is a revolutionary beauty secret. Radium Rays energize and revitalize all living tissue.

Radium products, which were found in everything from toothpaste and lotion, caused a host of health problems for women years later

Spare Eyebrows

The 1930s saw beauty standards shift with the advent of the new decade. To make the lips look larger and more full, dark, vampire-like eyeshadows were replaced with lighter shades. It would be great if women could do the same with their eyebrows.

Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo were the pioneers of eyebrow trends. They advocated a crescent-moon, over-plucked shape for their eyebrows. Some women pluck their eyebrows completely and then draw their arches every morning to match the new style.

Native Islander Look

The “Native Islander” makeup look was popularized in 1954 and 1955. This painting was inspired by Paul Gauguin’s Polynesian paintings in France, which mainly focused on women. The Polynesian look emphasizes straight, somewhat heavy eyebrows rather than the arched, thin line of sophistication. Lips are full, pouty and round. The Associated Press wrote in 1954 that natural planes and the contour of the face enhance eyes. Although this seemed to be a good idea, it was a sign of insensitivity when white women were instructed to use dark foundation. To mimic the skin tones of Polynesians, they were advised to use a dark-toned bronze foundation to darken their complexions.

Powder mask-like

It took centuries for women to be comfortable wearing makeup. This is why powder became so popular in the 1950s. The “mask effect” was coined for their excessive use of foundation in early ’50s. It was exactly as it sounded: Women wore so many makeup products that it appeared they were wearing masks.

Hollywood actors wore heavy makeup to make the look trendy. Women who watched the movie wore a lot of cream, powder, and foundation.

The Pale Look

It was fashionable to use foundation and powder to whiten your skin to make it appear more pale. This was known as “The Italian Look” and reflected a ghostly color. It was believed to be vampy. The chalky-white skin was often paired with a bold look, such as oversized eyes and lips that were rimmed in black eyeliner and lipstick. It was intended to be sultry but women soon grew tired of its chalky look and moved to warmer colors.

Cleopatra Eyes

In 1963, Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra was released. With it came a new trend in eye makeup. Everyone wanted to recreate Taylor’s bold eyes from the movie and channel the Egyptian ruler. Cleopatra’s eye style was characterized by blue, green, or even chalky white lids and a geometric eyeliner that extended well beyond the eyebrows. This look was bold and very costume-y, even though it wasn’t something you would see on young women during the day.

The Baby Look

In the mid-’60s youth culture took hold and girls in their late teens or early twenties became bolder in their fashion and makeup choices. Red lipstick was a trademark of their grandmothers and mothers, so girls stopped using it. Instead, they chose coral or pale pink shades. Many even wore white lips to dismay their parents.

Although the pink color may have looked chalky and washed out on the lips, it was an edgy shade that set young women apart from their “future homewife” expectations.

Daisy Eyes

Twiggy was all the rage in the 1960s. Everyone wanted to emulate her “daisy eye” look after she was featured in Vogue. This makeup trend was targeted at teenagers and helped to capture the brewing hippie culture.

The Windsor Starin 1968 wrote that “Daisy eyes” is a style for young people. It involves drawing tiny petals on the bottom of the eyelashes and putting a liner on top of the eyelid. It was bold and creative, but you can imagine it raising quite a few eyebrows.

The Vamp Revival

The ’70s were known for their bold, outlandish fashion styles. However, they also borrowed a lot from previous decades. In particular, the 1970s brought back the ’20s in both style and makeup. The “Vamp” look was very popular in the early 1970s. Women started to embrace dark, moody colors and the sultry look of the Gilded Age. People who got tired of glitter and pastels turned to dark and deep greens and midnight blues with bold red lips.

Over-Plucked Eyebrows

Period films such as The Boy Friend (1971), The Great Gatsby (744) and The Great Waldo Pepper (1775) drew more attention to the 1920s. As a result, more women started to recreate the Gilded Age beauty looks.

With the rise of deep lipsticks and dark shadows, came the need for over-plucked eyebrows. Women began plucking their eyebrows dental-floss thin, following the example of Marlene Dietrich and other silver screen stars.

Blue Shadow

Blue eyeshadow was a popular choice for women in the mid-70s. Pastel looks never completely vanished, but with the rise of disco, women began to want bold, fun colors that could be worn on Saturday nights.

Because it was so rich and pigmented, a powder blue shade became very popular. The ’50s experimented with blue as well, but the ’70s version was more pigmented.