12 Gorgeous 80’s Inspired Makeup Looks

Let’s start off our list with a softer, classic 80’s Madonna look. Besides the 80’s, this makeup look also takes inspiration from the 50’s and 60’s with the fake beauty mark and the simplicity, yet the styling of the makeup look is a bit more edgy. To recreate this makeup look, start with creating a matte complexion (with the help of a powder foundation) and contour your cheeks. Instead of a shiny bronzer or highlighter, apply a hint of blush to the apples of your cheeks – this way, you’ll keep the focus on your eyes and lips. Apply a matte ivory shade all over your lids and a dusty brown color to the crease (make sure you blend everything out well), and play with your eyeliner a bit. Create a sultry cat eye or leave it a bit more thin, whichever suits your eyes the best. For your lips, apply a bright cherry red lipstick.

A very different, but similarly 80’s inspired makeup look is the mix of stunning neon shades with bold brows. For this look, grab an eyebrow pencil and frame your face with slightly overdrawn brows. To keep your brows in place, apply a clear gel with a small brush once you have your finished brow look. Moving on to the eyes, don’t be afraid to grab the most outrageous neon blue or purple in your makeup collection and apply it all over your lids. You can either leave your lids simple and raw like that, or you can add a bit of shading and smudging with a darker blue. Finish your eyes with a black lengthening mascara and apply a pop of pink to your lips. Don’t forget to use a clear gloss to finish your look!

We love when runway makeup is inspired by vintage makeup looks – and now, you can easily recreate this flaming red and black look with the help of a few, highly pigmented eye shadows. Before starting creating the eye look, create more geometric and bold brows to accentuate your eyes. After your eyebrows are thick and bold, use a light, pinky red in the middle of your eyes and an extended, geometric red shadow in the inner and outer corners of your eye. If you would like to down the look, keep the inner corners a light ivory or champagne shade. Add a red blush and popping red lipstick as a finishing touch and you are good to go!

This look has to be one of our favorites from the list. The contrast of the yellow and grey smokey eye look with the nude lipstick is just perfection, and it’s easier to achieve this look than you think! First, use an eyelid primer to ensure the shadows will stay in place and to cancel out any discoloration on your lids. Be creative with your look and start by applying a deep grey shade all over your lids, including your crease line as well and apply a smudged yellow shade close to the brow bone. To create an effortless, “messy” vibe, smudge the yellow together with the grey and black. Keep the look simple with a nude lipstick and blushed cheeks.

If you are looking for something really creative and crazy for a party or just for practicing your makeup skills, you’ll fall in love with this neon rainbow makeup look. Keep your complexion and brows as simple as possible and focus on your shadow for this look. After applying an eyeshadow base, use a wet, flat brush to pick up the different shades. You can start with any neon shade you’d prefer and create an ombré look with 3-4 colors or go full rainbow with yellow, pink, blue, green, purple and blue. This look also features a stunning cut crease that will make your eyes even more edgy.

A more simple but interesting and show-stopper look can be achieved by glitters and a gorgeous orange shade. To apply the glitters in the most precise way, use a synthetic, flat angled brush to pick the product and instead of smudging, slowly tap the glitters to your lid. You can also use a glitter glue as a shadow base to prevent fall-outs. You don’t need to add a liner or false lashes (the raw the better with this look), but complete your makeup with a metallic orange lipstick. Not a fan of orange? You can recreate this look with any other shade (such as burgundy, pink or eggplant) as long as the shadow matches the lipstick.

A toned back version of the “Neon Barbie” look is this summery, fresh take on the classic 80’s makeup look. Keep your eyelids bare and apply blue or purple mascara to your lashes. It will create a very extravagant look in seconds, even if you are not an expert in makeup. Add a bit of highlight to your cheekbones and choose a neon pink lipstick to complement your eyes.

Another fun way to incorporate that vintage, 80’s blue shade to your makeup is using a turoqise eyeliner to accentuate your eyes. This vivid color is guaranteed to make your eyes pop, no matter what color they are. After applying a bone shade all over your lids, create an angled, soft line with your blue eyeliner – and don’t forget your lower lash line! Complete your eyes with clumping up your lashes with a black mascara or adding false lashes. Once you are done with your eyes, focus on creating a matte, natural complexion with a rosy blush. With lipsticks, either go with something very natural (such as a nude beige) or a clear gloss.

Besides disco neon colors, the first association of 80’s makeup is geometric shapes. This makeup look really plays with the natural shapes and features of your face, so it is the perfect look for an experimental photo shoot or a dress up event. Start by shaping your brows with a black eyebrow or liner pencil and play with 3 or 4 different colors on your lids (we are obsessed with this mix of yellow, green and blue, but if you are a bigger fan of monochrome shades, try out white, black and silver). You don’t have to follow rules while creating this look – just make sure you incorporate some geometric, straight shapes.

Burgundy, red and orange probably never looked better together, and this look with the extravagant eye shadows and high-shine red lips reminds us of one of the most popular 80’s makeup looks. To recreate this look, use a metallic burgundy shadow all over your lids and an orange close to your brow bone (make sure to smudge the lines out and create an angled edge to replace the eyeliner). For your lips, choose a bright red lipstick and gloss to create a vinyl, shiny effect. Keep your face matte and natural with a translucent setting powder and a hint of blush.

Replace this day’s beige, taupe and mauve makeup trends with the classic all-pink look! For this 80’s makeup, use pink and grey eye shadows to create a smoked out eye look. You can skip the black eyeliner and only add black mascara to your lashes to make them look curly and long. Use a berry blush on the apples of our cheeks and a warm brown bronzer on your cheekbones, and use a classic fuchsia lipstick on your lips.

Another over the top, popular 80’s makeup trend was colorful mascara: from the runways to different parties, blue, purple and green mascaras were one of the girls go-to extravagant makeup looks. Besides being a show-stopper, unique look, it is also super easy to create, so it’s perfect if you are not a makeup expert yet. Keep your lids simple with a matte ivory or beige shadow, and let the mascara be the focus of your look. Depending on your outfit, go for royal blue, green, mint, purple or even orange, and apply a nude lipgloss or balm as a finishing touch.

Who knew orange and blue can look that amazing together? Besides the two most popular makeup shades from the 80’s, the glossy lids and the classic lip shape also creates an 80’s throwback. To create a similar look, use an electric blue shadow on your lids and add a clear eye gloss on top (or use MAC’s multifunctional clear gloss that won’t make your lids stick together) and finish your eye look with a very thin, sophisticated black liner and black mascara. On your lips, use either a coral or orange lipstick, and don’t be afraid to slightly overdraw your lips with a nude liner first. Blush is a really important step in this makeup: an orangey beige blush will tie your whole look together.