70s makeover: Step-by-step guide to a new you (1978)
From the scrubbed to the sensational look, with expert tips on how to do your own makeover
It’s true, of course, that not everybody can face the world like our model — without a bit of makeup and with her hair simply anchored behind her ears — and still look pretty good.
But if a little professional expertise can make the amazing transformation opposite, think what it could do for the rest of us! Our experts started their you-can-do-it-too demonstration by setting our model’s fine, straight hair on rollers, to give it body and wave, and sweeping it to one side in a lovely line that follows her face shape.
Vintage makeup how-to
It’s easy to do your own makeover, using these 14 beauty techniques.
But before you start, study your face to determine which features to enhance, which to de-emphasize. Should you be playing up your cheekbones or lips; reshaping a round face, a square jaw? Here’s how.
MORE: How to use makeup crayons to get a vintage ’70s look (1974)
’70s makeover steps 1-6
1. Shape brows, tweezing from underside only. Don’t over-tweeze — the current look is full.
2. Brush brows into upward line, especially at inner corners, an easy way to “open” eyes, “lift” face.
3. Moisturize before you apply makeup, to protect your skin, help makeup smooth on.
4. Cover under-eye circles and shadows with cover stick, or light powder applied with brush.
5. Camouflage expression lines from nose to mouth with pencil: blend on lightly.
6. Contour before, not after, applying foundation. Here, nose is “thinned” with darker shadow.
7: Accent cheekbones, slim jawline with contouring powder: blend to avoid demarcation line.
8. Dot on foundation at chin, forehead, cheeks, then lightly blend in upward-outward strokes.
9. Color lids: lighter shade on inside corners, darker in outer corners, for new rounded look.
10. Pencil on color at lower lid, from outer corner to halfway across lid; smudge for soft effect.
11. Brush on mascara precisely, coloring each lash individually. Don’t forget lower lashes, corners.
12. Outline lips with pencil to define their shape, correct any unevenness, make lips look full.
13. Color in lips, bringing out their fullness — an important makeup-fashion point this season.
14. Gloss lips, over lipstick as shown or alone. with clear or color gloss, for luscious gleam.
1970s makeover: Fine, flyaway hair (1978)
Tame it with the right cut and perm
Bridget Demski was wearing her fine hair in a long, limp style that exaggerated the length of her face, the width of her cheeks. But she was afraid that, cut shorter, it would be unmanageable, and require constant care.
We showed her how having it trimmed with a layer cut, permed for body plus wave — the answer for any woman with hair like Bridget’s — would let her wear the shorter, more flattering style shown here. An assistant in Good Housekeeping’s Fashion Department, Bridget is now able to manage her hair in just minutes, loves the easy new style. The rest of her makeover? Mostly a change in eye makeup.
70s makeover #12: Making the most of your eyes (1978)
Path Thomee, secretary to Good Housekeeping‘s Editor-in-Chief, applies makeup more expertly than many women, and yet our Beauty Clinic noticed that she wasn’t using it to make the most of her best feature — her lively brown eyes.
Pat’s high cheekbones and full cheeks tended to draw attention away from her eyes, actually made them look smaller, and her all-one-color eye makeup was compounding the problem by de-emphasizing rather than dramatizing her eyes.
A topknot hairstyle, trim and comfortable for the office, was a problem, too. As you can see here, what she needed was a softer style to frame her face, add eye-level interest.
