Last night we watched the premiere of the final season of Mad Men and woke up completely obsessed with the glam new looks of our favorite characters. This season begins in 1970, meaning 10 years have passed since the AMC hit’s premiere, set in 1960. We enlisted the head of the show’s makeup department, Lana Horochowski, to take a look back at the evolving beauty trends of that decade, allowing us to answer the question of the moment: Is your spring glam going to be ’60s mod or ’70s disco?
Defining The Decades
Mad Men's Lana Horochowski walks us through the beauty trends of the '60s and '70s.
'60s vs. '70s: Eye Makeup
Bold cat eyes and false lashes à la Twiggy were the name of the game in the '60s. According to Lana, after Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, Revlon launched their metallic Moon Drops collection, introducing gold, silver and bronze shimmer as a trend. The look was still a dramatic eye, but black eyeliner was replaced by frosty shadow.
'60s vs. '70s: Nail Polish
All Mad Men fans know Betty and Joan always have flawless manicures. Since Betty's character is more '60s and traditional, Lana often put her in bubblegum pink lacquer. Joan's stylish character wore a white, frosty lacquer in last night's show, marking the beginning of the '70s.
'60s vs. '70s: Lipstick
When it came to lip color, Lana says the characters' lipsticks "went from matte, chalky whites to pale pinks to lip glosses." According to the makeup guru, shine signaled the beginning of the '70s and eventually the disco era.
'60s vs. '70s: Face Makeup
Lana says, "At the start of the '70s, everyone was moving away from heavy creams and toward liquid foundations that let skin show through." Matte powders have a '60s feel to them, while natural, dewy skin radiates a '70s vibe.
'60s vs. '70s: Eyebrows
"I think a bold, full eyebrow should always be on trend because who wouldn't want that?" says Lana. We couldn't agree more. An ultra-defined brow says '60s cool, while the '70s was all about a more natural arch.
