1970s Makeup for Black Women 

  • Depending on generation/age group, certain demographics would hold onto certain styles/trends longer (someone in their 40s-50s would do their makeup differently than someone in their 20s-30s in regards to the looks popular at the time).

Eyes

  • Shimmer shadows in browns, grays, and softer blues and purples for the daytime, more vibrant (not 80s vibrant) shimmer blues, purples, and greens for the evening, color was often brought down to the lower lash line for both day and evening; 

  • evening looks could oft consist of a 3-toned colorway using the same color in a light, medium, and deep shade (such as baby blue, blue-gray, and navy) with shimmer on the lid and the lightest shimmer being used on the inner corner of the eye and brow bone, everything was well blended; 

  • for the evening a soft cat-eye liner was oft applied to the upper lash line with black pencil and the lower lash line was lined with black as well; 

  • white liner was used on the waterline; 

  • mascara was applied to top and bottom lashes for daytime and evening but with differing intensities, black/brown for daytime, black for evening; 

  • natural false lashes could be used for the daytime or just mascara; dense false lashes could be used in the evening or heavier mascara

Foundation/Base

  • Lightweight liquid foundation or powders with some pearlized shimmer for a healthy glow

  • Bronzer applied liberally all over the face and well blended. Swept with a large brush on the cheekbones, the tip of the nose, chin, jawline, and hairline. The color chosen is two shades darker than the face to maintain a natural look (this often wouldn’t be feasible for richer-skinned Black women as just like foundation shades, bronzer shades were limited in depth)

  • Shimmer highlighter is used on the tops of the cheekbones (light golden/rose gold hues for deeper skin)

Blush

  • color is a deeper version of a natural blush, like a vibrant peach or berry/raspberry stain. The color is blended to look like a natural flush

  • used on the apples of the cheeks or swept into an ‘L’ (high to low, out to in) shape

Brows

  • The eyebrows are kept natural, brushed, and tamed with clear mascara. The application is light to look natural. Arch was relatively high and on the thinner side.

Lips

  • raspberry, plum, cranberry, mulberry lipsticks for most of the decade

  • Were dewy and glossy for much of the decade; just lipgloss for the very natural look. 

  • Shiny clear glosses or pink and nude pearl lipsticks coat the lips

  • Light brown lips (standard cream finish), not overly made up, sometimes in the same shade as the foundation with lip gloss

  • Vibrant glossy shades for evening


Links

1930s Makeup for Black Women

  • Depending on generation/age group, certain demographics would hold onto certain styles/trends longer. Someone in their 40s and (if still using makeup at the time at all) 50s would do their makeup differently than someone in their 20s-30s in regards to the looks popular at the time.

Eyes

Foundation

  • Natural skin tone (no foundation) or lighter pan-cake foundation (substitute for colored pressed powder) on moisturized skin but trying to maintain a neutral or golden brown undertone as anything too pastel pink will go corpse-like and ashy on deeper skin (pale and with a pink undertone was the standard for white women in this era https://vintagedancer.com/1930s/1930s-makeup-guide/)

Brows

Blush

Lips 

Previous

Period Makeup
Next

Aging