How to recreate TikTok’s Sixties-inspired beauty looks, according to make-up artists

For many in lockdown across the world, TikTok has become an outlet for comedic relief and inspiration for fashion, make-up and interiors.

Beauty has particularly boomed with tutorials, slick makeovers using budget brands and even dermatologists sharing tips on everything from dark circles to rosacea.

One of the most recent trends that caught our eye is the proliferation of Sixties glamour looks, in part spurred by TikTok star Addison Rae’s recent cover shoot for Glamour.

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The hashtag #60sglamour has since racked up more than 42.7 million views as users recreate well-recognised make-up looks from the decade, with Twiggy-esque lashes, white eyeliner, pale eyeshadow and beehive hair.

It's a mood-boosting dose of fun and colour that transcends language, culture and continents, keeping the boredom of lockdown at bay while we’re all stuck indoors amid a pandemic.

To help you attempt your own take on the era’s looks, we’ve consulted leading make-up artists and curated a guide to the products you need, including top tips and techniques to follow.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

How to create big, bold lids and lashes

The defining feature of 1960’s make-up was statement eyes, using huge false lashes, white eyeliner on the waterline and pastel eyeshadow shades in mint and baby blue.

According to make-up artist Scarlett Burton, when recreating a look that was popular decades ago, the key is balancing it with a modern approach to avoid it looking like fancy dress.

“I would focus on one feature of the traditional Sixties make-up – it’s all about the eyes for me – and then play with more modern texture and colours for the rest of the face,” she told The Independent.

One of the most recognisable products that screams “Sixties” is white kohl liner, explains Burton.

“Used on the waterline, it creates a wide-eyed effect; bring it up to date by using a softer cream colour,” Burton advises. Charlotte Tilbury’s rock n kohl in eye cheat (£19, Cultbeauty.co.uk) could be the perfect shade.

Eyeliner drawn into the socket was also popular during the decade, and this technique gives the illusion of a bigger eyelid – it’s a similar effect to that of the cut-crease style which became popular in the early 2010s.

We love how TikTok artist @mettenarrative uses a bright blue liquid liner to draw a singular line above her eyelid and short, thick strokes on her lower lash line, creating a colourful but minimal style that’s perfect if you’re not keen on packing powder onto your eyelids.

Burton advises: “Take an eyeliner pencil, look straight into the mirror and draw a line just above the crease in the top eyelid.” If it’s not perfect don’t worry, as the make-up artist recommends using cotton buds to neatly shape it.

To replicate @mettenarrative’s look, try Barry M Cosmetics hi vis liquid eyeliner (£4.99, Lookfantastic.com) in the “amp up” shade – it promises rich pigment and long-lasting wear with a tapered brush to allow you to draw a precise line.

Baby blue and mint shades were some of the most commonly seen colours on lids during the Sixties – and on TikTok in recent weeks.

We love the e.l.f. mint melt bite-size eyeshadows mint to be palette (£4, Superdug.com) for those gravitating towards pastel green. Vibrant but not neon, the mix of shimmer and matte shades means you can commit to a solid block of colour or give your eyelids a modern refresh by adding shimmer in the inner corner or under the brow bone.

TikTok user @chhimmigurung used the Made By Mitchell feet on the ground palette (£45, Madebymitchell.co.uk), covering her eyelids in shade “bittersweet”, a neon pale green, paired with a thick floating line above her eyelids using black liquid eyeliner. She also used it on her lash line to give the effect of ultra-thick, Twiggy-style lashes.

One of our favourite eyeliners is the By Joy Adenuga 2-in-1 eyeliner/lash glue (£12.99, Byjoyadenuga.com) – a velvet-clad, fine nib-pen eyeliner that’s perfect for drawing on a sharp flick or floating liner. It’s dual-purpose too, doubling up as a tacky lash adherent to keep strip lashes secure. Simply draw on your liner and apply false lashes where desired, without the need for messy lash glue.

If you prefer to use mascara, make sure you go to town, applying lots of it on both your top and bottom lashes, as it’s one of the most recognisable aspects of Sixties make-up.

Make-up artist Mira Parmar recommends the new Benefit they're real! magnet extreme lengthening mascara (£24.50, Boots.com) for oodles of length and volume. It also impressed us here at IndyBest. “We love long, fluttering lashes, as we’ve yet to master the skill of applying false strip or individual lashes, and this is the perfect product to achieve that within seconds,” said our reviewer.

If you’re keen to put your mascara and eyeliner to use on your lower lash line, Chanel make-up artist Zoe Taylor told us exactly how to achieve that wide-eyed look.

“Try to slightly stick the lashes together on the bottom, as this will help to give you space to add in the Twiggy-style lashes next,” she told The Independent. She recommends using a gel liner, such as calligraphie de Chanel (£23, Chanel.com), with a fine brush to draw in the bottom lashes.

“They can be as long and spidery as you like – try to angle them slightly outwards rather than straight down, to give the ultimate ‘dolly’ eyes,” she adds.

How to wear the rest of your make-up

Complimenting statement eyes is the hard part, as you don’t want to detract attention from your intricate handiwork, nor overdo it with the rest of your make-up.

“Leave out the powders and heavy foundation and opt for a dewy base to complement and contrast the bold Sixties make-up,” says Burton, who suggests using futuredew by Glossier (£23, Glossier.com) on its own with a little concealer.

The make-up artist is also a fan of It Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ cream original SPF 50+ (£32, Spacenk.com), which scored a spot in our guide to the best lightweight foundations.

“It conceals redness, hyperpigmentation and dark circles to leave skin looking flawless. A little goes a long way – one pump is enough for a full face – and it blurs imperfections while reducing the look of pores too,” said our reviewer.

For a radiant base, TikTik user @jackie.wyers created her take on the Sixties look by priming her skin with Benefit’s porefessional pearl radiance face primer (£29.50, Lookfantastic.com), an oil-free balm that has a matte finish and so will suit oilier skin types trying to keep a shiny T-zone at bay.

Parmar recommends keeping your blush light with something like Glossier cloud paint (£15, Glossier.com) a cream product that topped our guide to the best cream blushes.

“It is so effortless to blend, we found that it was easy to apply on top of base products without disturbing any creams or powders underneath,” said our reviewer, whose favourite shade was “haze”. They added, “despite its lightweight consistency, the product has good colour pay-off which still looked fresh at the end of the day”.

When it comes to picking lipstick, opt for paler, nude shades that add a sheer wash of colour without being too bold.

“Pale nude lipsticks were all the rage in the Sixties,” says Parmar, whose favourite shade is Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G in “nude kate” (£25, Feelunique.com).

Or keep things ultra fuss-free, as Taylor recommends: “Ditch the lipstick, and just opt for a clear balm.” We love the Fenty Beauty pro kiss’r luscious lip balm (£15, Boots.com) which comes highly rated from our guide to the best lip balms.

“You can’t find an ingredient combination much more soothing than shea or mango butter – they sink into your lips to moisturise from within, while also leaving a glossy glow,” said our tester.

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