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Eye Makeup Trends by Decade: The Shadow, Mascara, and More That Ruled the Last 100 Years

And the chic women who wore them.

By Jane Bowen
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A lot changes in 100 years, including the space on and around women's eyes. From the first part of the 20th century to now, trends have ping-ponged between extremes ('80s makeup is still inspiring Halloween costumes, while the more demure decades were characterized by an almost nonexistent application). Not a centenarian yourself? See what you missed by clicking through.

The 1910s: A Sheer Wash of Color or Totally Bare

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, and the Gibson Girl


The Backstory: Makeup had its challenges at the turn of the century. It wasn't widely available: Mascara wasn't even invented until 1915, when Maybelline debuted a dry cake version that required water to turn into a paste-like consistency. The women who dared to wear it had to covertly shop at the equivalent of a speakeasy or go to one of the few apothecaries that custom-blended concoctions. It was far from convenient, and the only women wearing it regularly were screen stars and ladies of the night.


This was a decade of demure fashion and behavior, one in which ladies avoided even the slightest bit of sun (tans were considered as trashy as obvious makeup). Women who wore any color usually stuck with just a bit of blush on the cheeks and lips, and the bold few who put makeup on their eyes dabbed just a sheer wash of gray, brown, or yellow-colored paste on their lids.

The 1920s: Dark, Smoky Eyes

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and stylish flappers


The Backstory: Goodbye prim and proper, hello party. The roaring '20s were a time of soaring wealth and female milestones (women earned the right to vote at the start of the decade and began to enter the workforce in greater numbers). Despite Prohibition, decadent parties were the norm, and the trend-setting flapper came into existence.


Inspired by the increased distribution of movies, expanded reach of cinema stars, and migration of Americans from farms to big cities—where makeup was now widely available—rings of dark shadow became the chic evening look of the era. To make eyes appear even deeper and darker, women caked on their mascara. Red or crimson lips and a highly coiffed bob finished the overall effect.

The 1930s: Pencil-Thin Eyebrows

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Mae West, Myrna Loy, and Carole Lombard


The Backstory: Thanks to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, the eye look of the day was characterized by brows as emaciated as the economy. Over a quarter of the working population was out of work, and a horrific drought was causing a farming crisis in middle America—millions of people lost everything. To escape dismal reality, people flocked to the movies and saw pinched, pencil-thin brows taking over the silver screen. Stars like Greta Garbo and Myrna Loy inspired women to tweeze like mad or even get rid of their brows completely, drawing a thin semi-circle in their place.


Those with money to spare often paired the anorexic brow look with pale pastel shadows—greens, pinks, purples, blues, or neutral tones—and a thin line of black eye pencil, overdrawn at the outer edges to elongate the eyes. Mascara, raspberry or maroon lips, and blush were also popular.

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The 1940s: Nearly Bare Eyes

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Gene Tierney, Hedy Lemarr, Rita Hayworth, and Joan Crawford


The Backstory: Not only did the start of World War II mean that women were going to work in droves, manning factories previously run by men who were now soldiering abroad, but also that items like cosmetics were tightly rationed. Consequently, makeup, especially on the eyes, took on a more practical and understated look. It wasn't much: maybe some beige or light brown eye shadow, plus mascara and balm to keep thicker brows in place.


War-fueled patriotism also had an effect on women's beauty habits: This decade saw pin-up girls come into existence, used on propaganda to further the idea of a beauty waiting at home. Defined eyes and bright red lipstick topped with shine-enhancing balm made for a beauty look meant to boost the morale of the forces.

The 1950s: Winged Eyeliner

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly


The Backstory: Though some women started wearing cat-eye liner in the late '40s, we have Marilyn Monroe to thank for really making the look famous, having worn it in the film-noir crime drama The Asphalt Jungle in 1950. Actresses and fashionable women alike would follow her flirtatious and wickedly feminine lead, pairing winged black liner with equally elegant neutral shadow and pink or reddish-pink lips. The trend was also adapted by Monroe's fellow screen stars. The '50s were big for Audrey Hepburn, with Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Funny Face all being released; Grace Kelly's Rear Window and To Catch a Thief were also popular movies of the decade.

The 1960s: Loads of Lashes

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, Penelope Tree, Brigitte Bardot, and Edie Sedgwick


The Backstory: Youth dominated in the swinging '60s, due in part to the baby boom at the end of WWII. Music was new and brash, skirts were short, and body-exposing cutouts were regarded as no big deal by the stylish set. London was the center of it all thanks to The Beatles, "mod" fashion boutiques, and It girls Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy. The latter's falsie-featuring face covered every magazine worth looking at (Mary Quant Cosmetics is credited with helping to create the mod makeup look).


It didn't take long for other young women to adopt the wide-and-bright-eyed effect, characterized by extra-long false lashes made from human or synthetic hair along the upper and lower lids and tons of black mascara. The lower lashes were so dramatically dark and lengthy (verging on clumpy) that they resembled spiders' legs. To really rock the mod look, over-the-top lashes were often paired with colored shadow—white was a favorite hue—and thick black eyeliner.

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The 1970s: Au Naturale

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Bianca Jagger, Lauren Hutton, Cheryl Tiegs, Jaclyn Smith, Christie Brinkley, and Ali MacGraw


The Backstory: Like most cosmetics, eye makeup nearly disappeared from the faces of women in the 1970s: The look of the moment consisted of a little neutral shadow and barely there mascara. The urge to pare back can be credited to the cultural rise of hippies and anti-Vietnam War feelings, the women's liberation movement (with outspoken leaders who challenged what modern women should look like), and an interest in all that was natural. The first Earth Day took place in the United States in 1970 and led to community cleanups, the beginning of recycling, and the passing of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. An oil crisis gripped the nation, resulting in long lines at the gas pumps, people using bikes instead of cars, and an overall move to conserve and pay attention to the environment. Suddenly, cosmetics were at odds with the earthy beauty ideal being celebrated.

The 1980s: The More, the Better

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Diana Ross, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Summer, Joan Collins, and Debbie Harry


The Backstory: Excess returned, and with disco music, star-studded clubs like Studio 54 celebrating eccentricity and hedonism, and a surging economy, women began to go for it with their eye makeup. Consider: M.A.C Cosmetics was born in 1984 to answer the needs of two Canadian makeup artists who wanted bolder, more highly pigmented colors that would photograph well. Vibrant blues, pinks, purples, and shimmery golds were worn alone or all at once for a rainbow-like effect, extending up to the brow bone for serious impact.

The 1990s: Minimalist Makeup

<p><strong data-redactor-tag="strong">The Icons: </strong>Kate Moss, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Winona Ryder, and Gwyneth Paltrow
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</p><p><strong data-redactor-tag="strong">The Backstory:</strong> As if a backlash to the excess of the '80s, fashion designers dialed it way back in the following decade, celebrating sleek lines, neutral tones, and minimal accessorizing. <a href="http://www.elle.com/fashion/g28475/13-times-kate-moss-proved-that-less-is-more-is-bullsht/" target="_blank">Kate Moss</a> rocketed to fame after posing for Calvin Klein, ushering in a beauty culture that celebrated her gamine figure and fuss-free look. The era's emerging starlets copied the less-is-more approach, and, in real life, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s bride Carolyn Bessette<span class="redactor-invisible-space" data-verified="redactor" data-redactor-tag="span" data-redactor-class="redactor-invisible-space"> was celebrated for her elegant look of </span>taupe shadow, manicured brows, and brown or subtle black mascara paired with pale rosy-brown lipstick.</p>
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The Icons: Kate Moss, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Winona Ryder, and Gwyneth Paltrow


The Backstory: As if a backlash to the excess of the '80s, fashion designers dialed it way back in the following decade, celebrating sleek lines, neutral tones, and minimal accessorizing. Kate Moss rocketed to fame after posing for Calvin Klein, ushering in a beauty culture that celebrated her gamine figure and fuss-free look. The era's emerging starlets copied the less-is-more approach, and, in real life, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s bride, Carolyn Bessette, was celebrated for her elegant look of taupe shadow, manicured brows, and brown or subtle black mascara paired with pale rosy-brown lipstick.

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The 2000s: Full, Lush Lashes

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, and Madonna


The Backstory: After stealing the spotlight at the Grammys in 2000 (perhaps you recall a certain navel-grazing Versace gown?), Lopez made style waves on the Oscars red carpet the following year when she showed up wearing red fox fur lashes by Shu Uemura and enough mascara to fully coat the audience. Things have never been the same, beauty-wise. In that single, solitary moment, women were sold on thick, full, feathery lashes (though the real fur used by the pop star attracted controversy and objections).


Lash bars began popping up at department stores and salons across the country, offering professional applications of faux lashes that required hours-long appointment times. Lash conditioners that promised thickening and lengthening hit the market, and mascara upped its game with gigantic sizes, curved wands, bristles of all shapes and sizes, and fibers added to the formulas for extra length.

The 2010s: Bold Brows

The top eye makeup trends of the last 100 years
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The Icons: Cara Delevingne, Keira Knightley, Lily Collins, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, and Hilary Rhoda


The Backstory: In the 1990s and 2000s, most fashion-conscious women were seeing professional brow groomers and requesting highly manicured, thinned-out, arched looks. Then came 2012, the year a British model and socialite named Cara Delevingne landed her first big fashion campaign for Burberry, walked the Chanel couture runway, and was anointed by Karl Lagerfeld as the It girl. Delevingne's distinctively thick, boyish, archless, legitimately bushy eyebrows couldn't be missed. Models and the over-tweezed immediately started trying to undo whatever damage that had been done.


The brow-obsessed dabbed hair regrowth ointments intended for the scalp across their faces, used lash conditioners to thicken what they had naturally, and practiced darkening and filling in brows with the plethora of powders, pencils, pomades, and tinted gels that hit the market for for extra oomph. Those lash bars that popped up in the aughts? Menus got longer with the addition of new brow services.

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