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History of  Makeup The Evolution of Beauty Through TimeHistory of Makeup
The 1970s Era

1970s Makeup: The Natural Look, Sold and Refused

Makeup sold on the promise that it would not show, a rule that made the label say what was inside, prestige counters for darker skin — and, at the edges, glitter, a lightning bolt and punk paint.

The essayThe Natural Look, Sold and Refused

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A 1970s collage: a portrait of a young woman drawn in soft coloured pencil and watercolour, with long, centre-parted hair, sheer glowing skin, softly brushed brows, a pearly wash on her lids and glossed lips, surrounded by a bottle of sheer liquid foundation, an open compact of translucent powder, a pot of lip gloss, a mascara, a small pocket mirror scattered with glitter, a marbled pale-pink compact and a torn fashion sketch of a woman in high-waisted flared trousers.
Commissioned illustration
1970 – 1979Nature & Glitter
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The 1970s Era: The Chronology

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In short

The 1970s sold the natural look as a product line, from Cover Girl’s Super Sheer range and Estée Lauder’s Fresh Air Make-up of 1970; made American cosmetics list their ingredients under a rule published in 1973; saw Fashion Fair take prestige makeup for darker skin to department-store counters; and met glam and punk faces painted to be seen.

The 1970s Era at a Glance

  • The Natural LookSheer bases, skim-on tints and gloss, sold as the face itself.
  • On the LabelIngredient lists required on American cosmetics from the mid-1970s.
  • Fashion FairPrestige makeup for darker skin at department-store counters from 1973.
  • The RefusalsGlam glitter, a lightning bolt and punk’s painted lines.

In the 1970s Era

Nature & Glitter

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Ingredients

What the face was made of