Vintage articles and more in the Vintage beauty & fashion category at Click Americana

Suntan was the big beauty buzzword until we knew just how bad it was for us

1950s

See how ‘suntan’ became the big beauty buzzword, starting in the ’50s

Companies promoted it. Celebrities touted it. Everyday people paid attention, and then spent hours in the sun, trying to get the perfect suntan.

1980s

Pretty in pink: The hottest styles & colors for ’80s prom dresses

When it comes to ’80s prom dresses, the first thing you have to understand is the utter, absolute importance of Seventeen magazine. And even in the eighties, the costs added up: Dresses ranged from $80 to $200, and most girls said they were spending $130 to $150.

1960s

“You’re soaking in it!” Vintage Palmolive ads featuring Madge the Manicurist

Remember the old Palmolive dish soap ads, featuring Madge the Manicurist (actress Jan Miner), who was always telling women how terrible their hands looked?

1970s

Vintage Lip Lickers flavored lip glosses (’70s & ’80s)

Girls who grew up in the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s: Do you remember these little ‘Lip Lickers’ brand of lip glosses that came in metal slide-top tins?

1980s

Vintage jelly shoes were THE footwear for summer in the ’80s & ’90s

In the summer of the ’80s and ’90s, jelly shoes were the fad footwear. The popular jellies are made of plastic and came in vibrant, translucent colors.

1970s

Love’s Baby Soft: Because innocence is sexier than you think? Eww. (’70s & ’80s)

Love’s Baby Soft hit the market in the mid-’70s with a creepy ad campaign with lines like ‘that irresistible, clean-baby smell, grown-up enough to be sexy’ and ‘innocence is sexier than you think.’ So how did America respond?

Woman with multicolored eyeshadow and big 80s earrings

1980s

How to get awesome & authentic on-trend ’80s eye makeup, like multicolored eyeshadow

To see where each shadow color should go for the different eye looks, just follow the diagrams.

1980s

How to make the perfect ’80s hairstyles: Tips for her from 1986

See how to recreate and color 11 different ’80s hairstyles with this step-by-step guide and retro beauty tipsheets from 1986!

Actress Lynda Carter sheds her 'Wonder Woman' superhero image (1980)

1980s

Actress Lynda Carter on leaving her Wonder Woman superhero image behind, and beginning new adventures in the ’80s

Here’s an interview with Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter from 1980, when she was just about to star in her own CBS special – and just before she started to model for Maybelline makeup.

1980s

Remember tasty vintage Maybelline Kissing Potion, Kissing Glosses & Kissing Slicks from the ’80s?

Vintage Maybelline Kissing Potion, Kissing Slicks & Mini Kissing Stick – different ’80s lip glosses in mouthwatering flavors like strawberry and cherry.

1960s

Blue eyeshadow: The good, the bad & the ugly vintage makeup

See more than two dozen examples of vintage makeup, showing the evolution of blue eyeshadow from the ’50s to the ’80s. As you will see, sometimes it works… and sometimes it really, really doesn’t.

1980s

Swatch: The new wave of watches on wrists in the 1980s

Swatch (short for “Swiss watch”), an up-to-the-minute quartz marvel introduced in 1983 with bold colors and zappy graphics, is gambling that clunkiness will become the byword in chic, or reverse chic, for the 1980s.

1970s

Lip Smackers from Bonne Bell: The super trendy vintage lip balm from the ’70s & ’80s

Here’s our collection of vintage Lip Smackers ads, featuring delish fruity flavors (like a drool-worthy watermelon!) and those of popular sodas, including Dr Pepper, Crush orange soda, Hires root beer and 7-Up.

1980s

Stylish ’80s shoes for men from the 1983 JC Penney catalog

What were the hottest shoes for men from the 1983 JC Penney catalog? Guys were swapping traditional shoes for either running shoes or casual shoes with the lightweight and cushiony comfort of a running shoe.

1980s

Old-fashioned flannel nightgowns & pajamas, ’80s-style

Pajamas that, by their appearance, whisk you back to the memorably warm, cozy little bed you slept in when you were 10 are all the more efficiently escapist and, therefore, all the more to be prized.

Model Jennifer Connelly as Jenny Connelly in 1982

1980s

Before she was famous: Meet a young Jennifer Connelly (1982)

Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly started out as a child model. Here’s a look back to those days in the early ’80s when she was just getting her career off the ground!

1980s

Casual ’80s menswear from the 1983 JC Penney catalog

Casual ’80s menswear was something new — more relaxed than sportswear, but more socially-acceptable than pajamas. The big new star of this era: jogging suits.

1980s

Trendy ’80s women’s shoes from the 1983 JC Penney catalog

Looking for some fancy retro footwear? Women of the ’80s could select from spike heels, wedge heels, “flats,” pumps, penny loafers, moccasins and boat shoes, just to name a few women’s shoes from the 1983 JC Penney catalog.

1983 catalog - Clothes for girls from JCPenney

1980s

Fashionable ’80s clothes for girls in the 1983 JC Penney catalog

What was big in terms of fashion for girls in the 1983 JC Penney catalog? Some styles featured grown-up fashion translated into youthful looks – oversized shirt-dresses, dirndl skirts and drop-waist minidresses. See inside the catalog here!

1980s

The ultimate ’80s beauty basic: Hairspray

19-year-old Debbie was not even born during the heyday of the bubble, the beehive, the flip and the bouffant hairstyles — yet, she regularly performs a grooming ritual that dates back to that other era: she is a hair-spray fanatic.

Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific vintage shampoo

1970s

Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo & conditioner (’70s-’80s)

Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo & conditioner are extra rich, extra thick — so it leaves your hair shiny clean and fresh. Slightly spicy. Slightly flowery. And ready for compliments.

1980s

18 stylish ’80s swimsuits: Shapely, slimming, sexy summer swimwear (1986)

Brunette Alison and blonde Larisa show off the newest, sexiest ’80s swimsuits for every figure type… yours included. 1986 was time to shine in a swimsuit that makes you look terrific!

1980s

Aapri apricot facial scrub (1980s)

Aapri is made with finely-crushed seeds immersed in a creamy base that will actually get rid of that dead skin layer that can clog your pores and cause skin problems.

1980s

Gunne Sax prom dresses of the eighties

Prom gowns are going romantic! Full-length pink taffeta-confections – like those from Gunne Sax — are the hottest-selling dream creation as high school prom season nears. Take a look back!

1980s

i80s: Apple Computer clothing and rainbow-logo retro merch from the eighties

Apple Computer was once known for their apple-shaped, multi-colored rainbow logo. In keeping with that style, you could buy all kinds of Apple-branded merchandise — from gym bags to running shorts, and thermoses to picnic baskets. Take a look!

1980s

Mariska Hargitay takes on modeling & a ‘Falcon Crest’ role (1988)

While the stars were still aligning for her first big part – a recurring role on Falcon Crest that started in 1988 – the 24-year-old daughter of the legendary beauty Jayne Mansfield took on a job modeling for a Southern California clothing store.

1980s

How to get hot eighties hair & makeup (1982)

Start 1982 with a to-the-minute layer hairstyles like the ones shown here for short, medium, and long hair – plus four new makeup looks!

1980s

109 colors of Revlon nail polish (1981)

109 colors of nail polish from 1981, from Super Platinum to Spunsugar Pink to Blackberry. The professional nail enamel you can use at home. Dries fast. Looks wet. Stubbornly resists chipping.

1980s

Pantene haircare: ‘Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful’ (1987)

“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” “This was my perm two weeks ago.” “My hair was so dull and dry! And my conditioner made it

1980s

Get a prescription for the perfect haircut for you (1988)

Choose the style that suits your hair type — we’ll tell you how to make it work for you!

1980s

Miss USA 1981’s winning new look (1982)

Winning new look When Kim Seelbrede, Miss USA 1981, asked us to give her a glamorous new look that would be easy to manage, versatile

1980s

Make a ruffled prairie sweater, fringed pioneer jacket & more (1982)

Roundup of country sweaters to knit and crochet Take your pick from our prettiest looks for fall, partnered with your favorite country-music singers in Opryland,

1980s

Polished, professional & pregnant: ’80s maternity clothes

Polished, professional… and pregnant (1987) From the time you begin to show, you want to look your professional best. These tailored — and sophisticated —

1980s

Actress Linda Evans for Ultress hair color (1985 & 1986)

“Even Europe never made shades more beautiful than lustrous, luminous Ultress.” – Linda Evans

1980s

Linda Gray of ‘Dallas’ models silk dresses to sew (1982)

For the rich girl look at penny-pincher prices, sew silk! Opulent enough even for Linda Gray (Dallas’ superspender Sue Ellen Ewing), who models them here,