70s' Hairstyles and Makeup

There's been the age of the loud look, the nude look, the pastel look, and who knows what other look! That crazy red lipstick, funky neon eyeshadow, equally funk nail colors... The list of fashion madness is endless. In sharp contrast to that though was the look of the 70's. They practically never indulged in the edgy look. The look was clean, simple, and inconspicuous. Natural colors for the skin, modest eyeliner, glossy lips... That was how they did it. Fashion in the 1970s was interesting indeed. But that was how it worked when it came to cosmetics. Hairstyles, however, were a different story altogether. If the makeup looked like it was all kept together, the hair most definitely did not work in coherence. Or maybe it did... Oh well, they had their moments! How about a better look at those moments, by getting a look at the traditional 70s' styles for makeup and hairdo.

Retro Hairstyles
**Click on the images for a better view.

The Natural Look

The first of the many looks that ruled the age of hotpants and bell bottoms, was the look that said au natural. It wasn't uncommon to see women sport a simple look for their hair. Jazzed up with blunt bangs, or fringes, as they were often called, women would very simply part their hair down the center or sometimes on the side, and wear it down, straight and long. For a touch of "spice", they'd often toy around with headbands or scarves.

The Feathered Look

Talking about the long hair look sans a mention of the feathered look, seems a tad incomplete. Synonymous with Farrah Fawcett, thus, being call "The Farrah", this was some look, and how! Looking its best with long, or at least, shoulder length hair, this one worked with layers and curls, to create that beautiful voluminous look, and a load of hairspray to keep it in place. Talk about popularity, because ladies aside, men sported it too!

The Afro Look

Go Afro! I think Afro, and I think Diana Ross, Lauryn Hill, and more recently, maybe even Macy Gray, or Alicia Keys. I also think of Jimi Hendrix, and Ludacris (from instances when he wore the look). I'm thinking that the names taken so far are almost enough to speak about the Afro look, and that by now, you definitely can identify what this hair looked like. This look was undoubtedly "big" in the seventies.

The Gypsy Cut
Another popular look for women back then, the gypsy look was perfect for all those wavy haired girls. Bearing close resemblance to the shag cut, this was the long hair version, thus making it a more feminine look too (the shag was better suited for short hair).

The Wedge Look

Now, the wedge definitely has the edge! If short hair is your thing, and you feel inspired by the glorious days and fashion from the 70s, try the wedge haircut. Dorthy Hamill wore it, as did Katie Holmes, Pink, and Milla Jovovich, amongst many others. A look that's a mix between a short bob, and something which tapered in at the end, the wedge is also sometimes known as the tapered cut. These days, there are umpteen variations that can be played around with when it comes to the wedge look.

So, while those were the popular looks for women, in case of the men, popular looks were long hair with long sideburns, the pompadour look, as well as the surfer hair, which made for more of a cute look for teens and young men, in general. Now that the hair's been taken care of, let's move on to makeup...

Retro Makeup

Shimmer & Shine
The 1970s saw makeup trends transform to practicality. Until then makeup made no sense. There was nothing like the subtle look for the day, and sensual look for the night, but the 70s changed that. The reigning look for day time use was the "natural look", which dealt with nude colors, but that did not necessarily make it a pale look. It was, in fact, almost like wearing makeup, yet not wearing any. What was also popular, and quite contrary to the "nude" look, was the oh-so-tan look! So, although they didn't go heavy on makeup as such, they most certainly did splurge on the fake tanners, in the form of fluids and sprays. Well, what can I say... It does allow you to pull off the California sun-kissed look! Then there was also moisturizer, or even better, there was tinted moisturizer, and lots of it, because we simply love that shiny, glowing look, don't we? For the eyes, the use of heavy eyeliner and mascara, and fake lashes was also a miss during the day. Dark eyes were out, and iridescence was in. Pearly colors such as silver, pink, purple, and even gold were the way to go. Talk about iridescent, because even the lips wore a glossy look. Dull lipstick had been dumped for frosty gloss. Yeah, this was indeed the look that took over the makeup scene in the 70s.

I want to believe that you got some insight into the look from back then, and the next time you want to try out a new look, maybe this could be it. So, have fun with it, and go recreate the look of the shimmery seventies for yourself!