The Best 80s Makeup Trends

Explore the top 80s makeup trends and styles for a retro-inspired look that's both bold and glamorous.

The 80s were the most glamorous and boldest era, with lots of bright and vivid makeup trends that became popular, and set their mark for years to come. The 80s were interesting and fun, although had its fashion and beauty ups and downs, but brought forth looks and trends that paved the way for the fashion and makeup industry. The trends of the 80s are still popular 40 years down the road, and the vivacious and whimsical looks, mostly badass, are making a major comeback now. The makeup looks and trends of the 80s will take you right out of your comfort zone, and that is the very aura and essence of the 80s makeup. It was the era of goddesses Whitney Houston, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and more, who stood out from the crowd, and so will you with these popular 80s makeup trends.

The 80s girls, literally, just wanted to have fun, and their makeup looks spoke for themselves. Here's a breakdown of the popular and iconic makeup trends of the 80s era, that are even popular now.

COLORFUL EYESHADOW

All the cool girls of the 80s wore colorful eyeshadow, and they were not just usual colors, they were bright and bling, and loud enough to pop. Popular colors included blue, pink, and purple, and they were worn just not on their own, sometimes the cool crown combined all bright shades together to get the ultimate look. Think of heading to a skating rink, three colors on the eyes and a bubble gum in the mouth.

BLACK EYELINER AND PINK LIP

The pink lip is an ever so popular makeup trend that is still in style, and so are bold rock star eyes, but the 80s were a bang as girls rocked both these trends together. The popular girls all wore a blendable gel eyeliner, and that is what coined the term, 'messy yet glamorous', and wore a pink lip with their rocker eyes. Think of raccoon eyes, think of going absolutely grunge, and even line your lips a darker shade if your want to opt for the quintessential 80s style.

LASH-TO-LID EYESHADOW

The lash-to-lid eyeshadow got all the hype in the 80s, and these days it is quite a popular Tik Tok makeup and beauty trend. You can achieve this 80s look by applying a powdery shadow extending from the lash to lid, of course in a bright and fun hue. This is an easy to create look, and you can even use your fingers, or go pro with your makeup brushes. This look is no fuss and simple, and perhaps one of the most seen looks on 80s magazine covers.

BRIGHT SUMMER MAKEUP

The 80s were all about going all out with your hair, makeup and beauty look, and even if one was headed to the beach, women made sure they applied the most colorful of shades. Fun summer makeup was the trend, and included coral lipstick, shimmery golden eyeshadow, and other bright shades that screamed fun in the sun. These days, the bright summer makeup has made a comeback in the form of sun-kissed skin, the bronze goddess look along with bold hues on the nails and lips.

SUBTLE LIP

While the 80s were not at all subtle, they were in-your-face and loud, but also included the soft and subtle lip, paired only with the dazzling eye that screamed color. The subtle lip look has been around since then, and have been opted for by fashionistas and makeup artists either as dabbed with balm or blotted with soft natural colors. To attain a simple 80s makeup look, one can wear a subtle lip along with a colorful eyeshadow.

NEON BONANZA

Neon colors were a huge part of the 80s, not only in makeup, but in fashion too. The 80s era revolved around neon colors, and you could see neon colors on leg warmers and fanny packs, and even on headbands. Neon colors then started to dominate the makeup industry, and the electric pink lipstick became all the hype, which can flatten nearly all skin tones. 

BUSHY EYEBROWS

A major part of the 80 were thick and natural eyebrows. This is an 80s trend that has since then come back into vogue, and is sported by models including Cara Delevingne. If your natural brows aren't thick, you can create this look using an eyebrow brush and a brow gel, and run it through your eyebrows for a bold and dramatic eye makeup style.

DRAPING

There are so many unique and trendy makeup techniques these days, that can make your look go from boring to wow. While we have caking, baking and contouring, the 80s were big on draping. Draping is simply contouring with blush, and this technique has been around for quite some time, and is known as 'color grow.' For this technique, the blush is applied not only on your cheeks, but blended all over. This results in higher and sharper cheekbones, and hues like bright pink and fiery red are best for it.

METALLIC LIPSTICK

Frosted and metallic lips were very popular in the 80s, and this trend is seen on the runways again. Earlier in the 80s, baby pink frosty lips were the bomb, and metallic lips created a sensation too. These days, a lot more color options are available in frosty and metallic finishes, and you can play around and some bling to your style by using a metallic or frosty lip and complimenting the eye with a shade from the same color family.