History of Makeup: The 80s Makeup Tutorial
Immerse yourself in the electric world of 80s makeup with celebrity makeup artist Sofia Tilbury.
- 15th February 2024
- By Charlotte Tilbury
8 minute read
Shop 80s Makeup
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Step 1: Prep Skin with Skincare
Darlings, always prep your skin with supercharged skincare before applying makeup! Reaching for hydrating, glow-boosting products will help your skin to look smoother and more flawless while helping makeup to glide on effortlessly. Before creating this 80s makeup look, use my Glow Toner as a radiant, pore-refining toner that leaves skin feeling baby soft, then apply Magic Eye Rescue to the under eyes to help nourish the eye area and brighten the appearance of dark circles. Massage a few drops of Charlotte’s Magic Serum Crystal Elixir into the skin as a hydrating, youth-boosting step, then follow with Charlotte’s Magic Water Cream to immediately drench and revive the appearance of skin.
Step 2: Illuminate and Colour Correct
Once you’ve prepped your skin with skincare, you can use makeup to create a luminous, even-looking canvas for your 80s makeup look. My iconic glow booster, Hollywood Flawless Filter, is perfect for illuminating the look of the complexion; swipe the doe-foot applicator onto the high points of the face and blend with the large end of my Hollywood Complexion Brush. Then, apply Magic Vanish colour-correcting concealer, using the peachy tone to brighten and conceal the appearance of darkness or dullness around the eyes.
Step 3: Perfect with Foundation, Concealer and Powder
Since 80s makeup is all about colour, it’s important to use foundation, concealer and powder to create a beautiful, blank canvas that lets eyeshadows, lipsticks and blushes pop. With my Magic Complexion Brush, buff Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation into the skin to create a medium-coverage, radiant base, then build coverage with Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer. Apply concealer under the eyes and around the mouth, then blend upwards with the tapered end of my Hollywood Complexion Brush to create a flattering lift effect. Add a light veil of AIRbrush Flawless Finish pressed powder to set, lightly pressing it into the skin with my Powder & Sculpt Brush and focusing on the T-zone and underneath the eyes.
Tilbury Tip: Do you love the look of bright, highlighted under eyes, darling? I created AIRbrush Brightening Flawless Finish as a beautifying, brightening pressed powder that behaves like a ring light, capturing light in the centre of your face and lifting the look of your complexion.
Step 4: Create a Beautiful, Blown-Out Crease with Eyeshadow
To create an 80s eye makeup look, start by laying down a vibrant cream eyeshadow base in a punchy pink shade, then use a deep, purple eyeshadow to create the beautiful, blown-out crease that was everywhere in the 80s. I recommend the ENHANCE shade from The Vintage Vamp Luxury Palette which is a sultry aubergine colour that creates the most magical 80s-style crease. After perfecting your shape, use my Eye Blender Brush to blend the outer corners of your eyeshadow look upwards and outwards towards the temples.
Step 5: Define the Lash Line with Eyeshadow
While bold, punchy colours are the showstoppers in every 80s eye makeup look, you can use darker eyeshadows to add dimension and definition to your 80s makeup look. Tap into the SMOKE shade in The Vintage Vamp Luxury Palette with my Eye Liner Brush then trace along the upper and lower lash line to build intensity. These dark colours are perfect for giving your 80s makeup look a smokey, after-dark feel, darlings!
Step 6: Highlight the Brow Bone and Inner Corners
Makeup is all about light and shade, darlings. To give your 80s eye makeup symphonic shimmer, use sparkling shades that help eyes to look more open and ready to party. The PRIME and POP shades in The Vintage Vamp Luxury Palette will give your 80s makeup look a glistening disco glow that would look fabulous at the roller rink or on the runway. Using the Eye Blender Brush, sweep the golden POP shade all-over the lid, then lightly highlight the brow bone and inner corners with the sheer, glimmering PRIME shade.
Step 7: Add Colourful Eyeliner
80s beauties were always looking for new ways to play with colour, and adding a vibrant, velvety eyeliner to your eye look is the perfect pop to set your 80s makeup apart. My Rock N Kohl eyeliner in Velvet Violet complements the moody purple tones in The Vintage Vamp Luxury Palette flawlessly and looks so impactful along the lash line. To apply, run the easy-glide formula as close to the lash line as possible to create a thin, eye-enhancing liner that provides the perfect pop of purple.
Step 8: Exaggerate Lashes with Mascara
Mascara connects all the dots when it comes to eye makeup, darlings. In the spirit of 80s makeup being all about more-is-more, don’t be afraid to add an extra coat or two of mascara! Create stretched and lifted-looking lashes with my Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! mascara; the formula is designed to give an instant push up-effect that leaves lashes looking lifted and full. The Super Black shade is perfect for giving your eye makeup the ultra-black, ultra-fluttery look that pops alongside colourful 80s makeup.
Step 9: Bold Brows
In the 80s, bold brows were just as common as bold lips and eyes. You can cheat the look of bushy, 80s brows with my Brow Cheat eyebrow pencil – it’s a super-fine brow pencil that effortlessly sculpts and shapes the look of the eyebrows. Use my brow secrets to create effortless 80s eyebrows; define the look of the tail of your brow with light, hair-like strokes, then brush up the inner portion of the brows to turn up the volume and perfect the fluffy 80s brow makeup look.
Step 10: Bright, Bold Lips
Bright colours have never been more in vogue than they were in the 80s – no 80s makeup look is complete without a statement-making lip colour! Whether you love a red-hot red lip; the playfulness of a bright pink; or the drama of a bold berry or purple, find your perfect 80s lip combination in my lipstick line up and unlock 80s pout perfection! Try my Lip Cheat in Berry Naughty to overline and fill in the lips with purple-berry lip liner, then use Velvet Underground K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick to give your 80s look a shockwave of fuchsia with a sumptuous, satin finish. This lip duo is divine, darlings!
Step 11: Dialled-Up 80s Blush
80s blush looks are famous for their use of bright, pigmented shades and heavy-handed, face-sculpting application. Blush was non-negotiable in the 80s, darlings, with pinks, reds and berry tones being used to give the cheeks an unapologetic rush of colour. To give the complexion an 80s flair, apply a small amount of liquid contour using my Hollywood Contour Wand and let blush do the rest of the talking. Two dots of Pinkgasm Beauty Light Wand onto the apples of the cheeks will make them blush and glow, and it will look fabulous topped with Cheek to Chic powder Blush in Love is the Drug. To apply, drape the Bronzer and Blusher Brush through the hollows of the cheeks and onto the temples to unlock 80s blush magic! These shimmering pink shades will mesh beautifully together, layering to create a head-turning 80s blush look.
Step 12: Finishing Touches
Darlings, you’re ready to put the finishing touches on your 80s makeup look! Lock in your look with a spritz of my AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray - my airbrush-effect setting spray will help your complexion to look smoother and blurred while setting your 80s makeup artistry into place.
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Author Details
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
