1960s Dolly Eye Makeup Tutorial
Something that always seems to spark the most attention is my mod style eye makeup, and it's something I'm frequently questioned about. With the right tools, it's really a very simple style to achieve and doesn't take me very long at all - I probably spend a total of 5 minutes on my eye makeup so it's completely achievable for everyday wear. And I do wear this eye makeup for everyday, whether I'm going somewhere special or just to Aldi, and it perplexes me why people find this unusual. Why not have fun everyday?
I thought I'd show you step by step just how easy it is to achieve this style!
You will need:
✿ A black eye shadow (or brown if you're not feeling as bold)
✿ A white eye shadow
✿ An eye shadow a few shades lighter than your skin tone
✿ Black eyeliner
✿ Eyeliner brushes, as pictured below. Mine are by Barry M and Real Techniques (the slanted Barry M one is my favourite). The brushes really are the key to achieving this look, people often use brushes that are far too thick and wonder why it isn't working! I once read that girls of the day would use fine artists paintbrushes to achieve the right look, which goes to show just how important it is.
First, apply the eye shadow that's a few shades lighter than your skin tone to brighten your eyelids and set any primer if you've used one. Apply the white eye shadow on top of this. This will give a brightened look to your eyelids without it being stark white. You could also use blue à la Twiggy, or green was also popular.
Next use your preferred eyeliner to simply line your eyes. Don't exaggerate the cat eye as it's not the focus, just extend your natural lash line.
At this point using a fine liner brush, I like to map out my cut crease with a brown eye shadow. This way if you mess up, brown is much easier to remove than if you went straight in with the black. Follow the shape of your eyeliner above your natural crease, making sure they don't meet at the outer corner. You want to be able to see the line when your eyes are open as the point of the look is to create the illusion of large dolly eyes.
Go over the brown with the black (or if you prefer to use brown, just smarten it up) using the slanted brush. Next, smudge the line upwards to blend it, ensuring you keep the underside of the line crisp. I'll often go over this a few times, smudging upwards then going back over the line to strengthen it. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfectly smudged out just yet, mine often looks a mess at this stage!
Taking a fluffy brush, go back into the eye shadow a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone and blend out the smudged upper line.
Next apply kohl on to your lower lash line - not the waterline as this will shrink your eyes. If you want something on your waterline, use a white or nude pencil. If you want a true Twiggy look, draw lower eyelashes on instead. I prefer to just line my eyes and use plenty of mascara as my eyes water so much it only lasts about 20 minutes!
If you wanted to use false eyelashes they're perfectly period accurate - Twiggy is said to have worn three at a time so go nuts! I personally dislike them so I prefer to just use copious amounts of a lengthening mascara.
The focus should be your eyes, so keep the rest of your makeup neutral (including eyebrows, they should look natural not the focus of your face like current trend). For lipstick, a '60s dollybird would wear a pinky toned nude - I like L'Oreal 235 which is what I'm wearing in these photos.
After that, you're done! That wasn't too hard, was it? I also filmed a get ready with me you can see below putting it all on in case that helps a little better. Like with everything, it just takes practice. It can pay to take some time to yourself when you don't have to go anywhere and just play with your make up, trying to create looks for yourself. That's how I learn best. Remember makeup is about self expression and creativity, there's no such thing as right and wrong so don't be afraid of it!
I thought I'd show you step by step just how easy it is to achieve this style!
You will need:
✿ A black eye shadow (or brown if you're not feeling as bold)
✿ A white eye shadow
✿ An eye shadow a few shades lighter than your skin tone
✿ Black eyeliner
✿ Eyeliner brushes, as pictured below. Mine are by Barry M and Real Techniques (the slanted Barry M one is my favourite). The brushes really are the key to achieving this look, people often use brushes that are far too thick and wonder why it isn't working! I once read that girls of the day would use fine artists paintbrushes to achieve the right look, which goes to show just how important it is.
First, apply the eye shadow that's a few shades lighter than your skin tone to brighten your eyelids and set any primer if you've used one. Apply the white eye shadow on top of this. This will give a brightened look to your eyelids without it being stark white. You could also use blue à la Twiggy, or green was also popular.
Next use your preferred eyeliner to simply line your eyes. Don't exaggerate the cat eye as it's not the focus, just extend your natural lash line.
At this point using a fine liner brush, I like to map out my cut crease with a brown eye shadow. This way if you mess up, brown is much easier to remove than if you went straight in with the black. Follow the shape of your eyeliner above your natural crease, making sure they don't meet at the outer corner. You want to be able to see the line when your eyes are open as the point of the look is to create the illusion of large dolly eyes.
Go over the brown with the black (or if you prefer to use brown, just smarten it up) using the slanted brush. Next, smudge the line upwards to blend it, ensuring you keep the underside of the line crisp. I'll often go over this a few times, smudging upwards then going back over the line to strengthen it. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfectly smudged out just yet, mine often looks a mess at this stage!
Taking a fluffy brush, go back into the eye shadow a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone and blend out the smudged upper line.
Next apply kohl on to your lower lash line - not the waterline as this will shrink your eyes. If you want something on your waterline, use a white or nude pencil. If you want a true Twiggy look, draw lower eyelashes on instead. I prefer to just line my eyes and use plenty of mascara as my eyes water so much it only lasts about 20 minutes!
If you wanted to use false eyelashes they're perfectly period accurate - Twiggy is said to have worn three at a time so go nuts! I personally dislike them so I prefer to just use copious amounts of a lengthening mascara.
The focus should be your eyes, so keep the rest of your makeup neutral (including eyebrows, they should look natural not the focus of your face like current trend). For lipstick, a '60s dollybird would wear a pinky toned nude - I like L'Oreal 235 which is what I'm wearing in these photos.
After that, you're done! That wasn't too hard, was it? I also filmed a get ready with me you can see below putting it all on in case that helps a little better. Like with everything, it just takes practice. It can pay to take some time to yourself when you don't have to go anywhere and just play with your make up, trying to create looks for yourself. That's how I learn best. Remember makeup is about self expression and creativity, there's no such thing as right and wrong so don't be afraid of it!
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