Nostalgic Festival Makeup Looks

The 1960s and 70s were all about freedom; people started to let go, and music festivals provided the perfect platform for this. At the end of the 1960s, over four hundred thousand people attended the most famous music festival in the world – Woodstock. And all those in attendance were there to connect with nature, the music, the atmosphere, and with each other. It was not so much about what they looked like, but their creative looks are still memorable to this day! They painted their faces and bodies with bright colours and symbols, and they braided real flowers through their long flowing hair. Little did they know their free-spirited approach to beauty would play a massive role in festival beauty trends over 50 years later! 

When the 80s came around, most of the free-spirited festivalgoers of the previous decades had been replaced by angsty partyers with a ‘you can’t tell us what to do’ attitude! Free-loving bohemian beauty was put on pause and replaced with bold and fierce creations to go hand in hand with the time’s soft rock and punk music. Think black charcoal eyeliner, smokey eyes, and fuchsia lips. However, the decade was not without its pop of colour as glam rock exploded on the scene with an array of wild and vivid colours, including neon eyes and bubble gum pink lips. 

While the grungy influences of soft rock were still knocking around in the ’90s, a newer form of music was emerging on both sides of the globe in the form of house music. And with the emergence of this genre came the rise of raves! While initially much smaller than your usual music event or festival, raves still provided a place for positive, free-loving people to come together and enjoy the music that they loved. The party atmosphere adopted its own beauty aesthetic, with bright, neon and psychedelic makeup becoming a standard. 

If you look at the festival beauty trends being worn over the last few years, you’ll see that the bohemian look of the 60s and 70s has stood the test of time. However, now we have a seamlessly unlimited beauty product resource, each year, makeup looks to become more elaborate and creative. We still see flower crowns, jewelled details on the face and hair braids, but, with the rise of social media (and doing it for the ‘gram, obvs), these looks are more intricate than ever. And why not? Today’s festival space means you can be your very best authentic self, and we predict festival beauty is only going to get bigger and bolder in the years to come!