Image Bank

1910s

The style of make up in the 1910s was quite heavy in terms of colours used as eyebrows, eyeshadow and lipsticks were all quite dark in tone. Although the images above are black and white, we can tell that there was dark make up used due to the contrasting tones used. The lighting used in these images is quite high key, which helps to increase contrast with the dark tones and makes the make up on these women pop. 

1920s

1920s make-up was quite similar to 1910s in the respect that there were heavy/dark colours used. However, in this decade, there was more focus on a heavy and smoky eye look paired with a dark or a red lipstick. This helped to attract attention straight to the woman's face as there was so much going on, and made the rest of her facial features appear softer.

1930s

The 1930s brought a softer and more natural make up trend. Whilst there was still a popular use of red lipsticks, the rest of the look would be much more subtle - particularly when it came to eye make up. This make up style was very much influenced by 'hollywood glamour' as magazines often featured beauty guides of stars at the time. This lead to brands such as Max Factor becoming household names.

1940s

In the ten years from the 1930s to the 1930s, make up looks softened even more and trends became a lot more natural. For example, before the 1940s we saw a trend on overly plucked, 'pencil thin' eyebrows. Once the 1940s hit, trends switched and grown out, shaped eyebrows were popular. Despite rationing from the war, women were still able to not only able to carry on using make up were also able to develop new looks and trends.

1950s

Red lips were often a statement piece of make up in 1950s. This is largely down to the rockabilly style that was extremely popular at this time, as well as it often being worn my Marilyn Monroe. This was the case for the last few decades. However, this was not the primary lip colour due to the emergence of pastels - particularly pinks. This choice of lip colour was particularly popular with younger women as it created a look of innocence and youth.

1960s

The most famous make up trend in the 1960s was a result of the work of Twiggy. Twiggy was a model who was largely known for her extreme eye make up with minimal/simple make up on the rest of her face. In Twiggy's case, her eye make up consisted of a sharp black line in her crease and long, drawn on bottom lashes. This is an iconic symbol of her work. Not only did people recreate this look, but would also put their own twist on it and create their own eye-dominated looks.

1970s

Though not as extreme, the 1970s carried on the trend of the 1960s with the heavy eye make up, as people often worn bold eyeshadow or eyeliner paired with an otherwise simple make up look. A tanned look was desirable at this time, which meant that bronzer was a popular item of make up and was often applied liberally to achieve the sun kissed look. 

1980s

The 1980s saw a very unique style of make up emerge, with the use of bright, vibrant colours and  heavy looks. It was a time where there appeared to be no rules to make up and people used it as a way to express themselves and have a creative outlet that they could show off all day. Gender boundaries were pushed during this time and it was not just women who explored the world of make up - men started to use cosmetics, particularly in the rock and roll subcultures.

1990s

There were a couple of popular make up trends in the 1990s, which means that I will have to narrow my work down to one of these looks when it comes to my work. The first trend seen in the 90s was the grunge look, which was directly influenced by the grunge music scene. This look was primarily messy and focussed on not trying hard to look good. The other trend was a more natural 'no make up' look, which involved neutral/brown toned matte make up. I will most likely recreate the grunge look for my 90s shoot as it is more symbolic of the time itself and is more unique.

2000s

The 2000s is often criticised for its trends in make up - particularly, how heavily things were worn. This was a time of dark fake tan, thick black eyeliner and lots of lip gloss. Whilst these looks may have been extreme, it made them unique to the time and can easily be recognised as a "00's look". I feel that this look will be easy to recreate as it is so iconic and unique, meaning I will be able to relate it to this decade quite clearly.

2010s

At the current time, make up has some very distinct trends and it is interesting to see how far it has come in the last 100 years. Current trends include thick eyebrows, extreme highlighter and big lips. However, as there are no rules to make up, people have began leading their own path and going against the trends to discover their own personal style. Therefore, for my 2010s shoot, I will most likely have the models do their own make up as it will be a more realistic representation of current make up trends.