The History of Makeup by Liz Kronstad

The History of Makeup

Timeline 1900

1910

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1

1900 The 1900s or commonly referred to as the Edwardian Era (1901-1910). The Edwardian Era referred to Queen Victoria's successor, King Edward VII and also the "Belle Ă&#x2030;poque", or "Beautiful Age". During this time period the "Gibson Girl" illustrated by artist Charles Dana Gibson was to bring confidence and independence to the feminine ideal of beauty and makeup. The 1900s idealised pale skin and the appearance of youth. Makeup was mainly used for stage performances and women of ill repute, ordinary women definitely wore makeup, but denied doing so. A slight touch of rouge to the cheek or on the eyebrows was quite popular in the 1900s.

1910 The 1910s was a turning point for makeup. The look for the 1910s was all about sophistication. People desired pale skin. Eyeshadow and lip stain, were supposed to appear as spare as possible. Later on in the 1910s the obvious use of makeup became more acceptable. Makeup was used with questionable elements, both because they were available and because the side effects were not yet known.

1920 In the 1920s the Flapper look came into the fashion industry and with it came cosmetics. The Flapper look entailed Dark kohl eyes, red lipstick, and it was fashionable for women to use bleach to keep their skin a pale milky white colour. Liquid rosy red rouge, applied just under the cheekbone, was a popular choice in the 1920s. A key look for the Flapper style was that women craved an exaggerated cupid's bow, which was achieved by colouring slightly above the natural lip line. This look was called the bee-stung pout.

1930 In the 1930s it was all about having a very light complexion with a delicate pink undertone, this was considered the ideal. Rouge was used sparingly, if at all. A light application of cream rouge was mainly used. The ideal eyebrow look of the 1930s was super-skinny and women used olive oil or a dab of petroleum jelly on their eyelids for a bit of shine. At night, deep blue, green and purple eyeshadow, sometimes with flecks of mica or other metallic, were worn around the eyes. The eyeliner pencil was a must have in the 1930s. The lip-line of the 1930s was longer and sleeker. The upper lip was often exaggerated into a sharp "bow". Lipstick worn by the everyday women was almost always red. The lipstick had to be applied with a lip brush, then blotted because the formula was so heavy.

1940 In the 1940s natural beauties, with "a little support" were the ideal. Face powder was used to match the skin or to give a nice rosy glow. To get the effect that was wanted a slightly darker warmish foundation was used and then powdered over with a powder that was lighter than the original skin tone. A light rouge on the apples of the cheeks was popular in the 1940s. Eyeshadow was all about the natural skin tone colours, whereas lipstick colours included light reds, fuchsia, pink reds and orange reds.

1950 In the 1950s pastels ruled the decade, pale pinks, greens, blues and yellows. If there was a colour to showcase an era, it would have been pink for the 1950s. Creams were the in thing in foundations and shadows. It was the era of the "mask effect". Foundation had a cream ivory base, and cream or liquid base near to natural skin colour. Rouges were pastel or rose colour and pink hues in shadows and reddish pink lipstick were also very popular.

1960 In the 1960s eyeliner was the most important makeup tool. Liner was doubled up at the end of the lid and white eyeliner was drawn over the upper lid to inner corner of the eye. The most popular palettes for eyeshadow were blue, grey and white. Eyelashes were placed on both the top and bottom for a retro 'flapper' effect. Lots of powder was worn in the early 1960s to just a dab of translucent by the end of the decade. Lips were very pale pinks and reds, outlined with a pencil. The lips were intentionally pale so that all attention would be drawn towards the eyes.

1970 In the 1970s women loved using white eyeliner but they also used black as well. Black eyeliner would be smudged slightly for a smoky effect. Eyeliner was also applied beneath the bottom lashes as well. A big part of the 1970s was shimmer. Blue, green, and brown eyeshadows with a shimmery effect. Some eyeshadows were claimed to have crushed fish scales in them to really make them shine. Eyeshadow was used underneath the lashes as well as on top of the eyelid. Bronzer powders were applied all over the face and berry shades were placed on the apple of the cheek.

1980 The 1980s saw a dramatic change from previous decades where women had kept makeup natural and light. The 1980s trend was to pile the makeup on and experiment with bold, bright colours. Popular eyeshadow colours were blue, fuchsia, turquoise and even neon colours. It was either one bold colour or a mix of several bold colours. The eyes were a very important part of the 1980s. For blush women heavily applied different shades to the cheeks. Coral, pink, bronze or red were popular choices for blush. Women opted for thicker eyebrows than the years before.

1990 The main theme of the 1990s was brown, and almost all makeup supplied would be brown. Eyebrows were to be dark and defined, either well-plucked or bushy and natural. The eyes had a light smokey eye look. Often in shades of brown and purple, but also green and blue. For the lips, the shades came in apricot, brown, purple and red, but all lipsticks contained a brown base.

2000 Mineral makeup really exploded onto the scene in the 2000s. The trend was great because the makeup offered just as much coverage as its liquid counterpart, and had a much gentler content. Another plus was that the highly pigmented product lasts for a long time, so you could get your money's worth out of it. Blue and silver eyeshadow was a big yes for the 2000s. The rock chick eyeshadow look was big as well, best known for this statement look is Avril Lavigne. Thin eyebrows were big in the 2000s. The 2000s were all about that California glow, or the fake California glow, Spray tans were big in this period. An overall bronzed glow was the preferred look for many. Blush was also piled on, resulting in a pretty colourful (a.k.a clown-like) effect. Not the most flattering look.

2010 For the 2010s makeup is everythingâ&#x20AC;Ś nude and natural makeup, red lips, smoky eyes, bright eye shadows, silver eye shadow, fake tans and pink are dominant factors for the 2010s. Contouring is one of the biggest and most dramatic changes compared to the previous decades. The famous Kim Kardashian, is the main source for bringing contouring to life. Larger pouty lips is something that has been welcomed into the makeup community by mainly the Kardashians as well. Lipstick colours and types of lipsticks have a massive variety, that is only growing. Focus on eyebrows is a big yes for the 2010s. Different shapes and styles, but mainly sticking with a thicker and darker look, with a fuller brow and ample arches. Highlighter also known by its technical terms strobing, non-touring, or luminizing. Highlighter comes with one goal in mind, making that area at the very top of your cheekbone, coming in right under your eye, shine bright like a diamond.Â

By Elizabeth May Kronstad 2MOKA, Mysen VGS. Monday 14 th of May 2018.