The 1970s gave us some of the most iconic beauty looks that still influence makeup trends today. This decade was all about natural beauty with a twist—think sun-kissed skin, feathered brows, and that perfect glossy lip that caught the light just right. The casual makeup of the ’70s wasn’t about being perfect or polished. It was about looking like you woke up beautiful, threw on some mascara, and headed out to live your best life.
What makes ’70s casual makeup so special is its accessibility. You didn’t need a makeup artist or hours in front of the mirror. The look was fresh, youthful, and surprisingly easy to recreate. Women like Farrah Fawcett, Lauren Hutton, and Joni Mitchell showed us that makeup could be both minimal and striking at the same time. The focus was on glowing skin, soft eyes, and lips that looked naturally flushed rather than heavily painted.
Today, this aesthetic is making a major comeback. People are tired of heavy contouring and Instagram makeup. They want something real, something they can wear to brunch or a casual day out. The ’70s casual makeup look is perfect for anyone who wants to look put-together without trying too hard. Let’s break down exactly how to get this timeless look.
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The Foundation of ’70s Skin: Glowing and Bronzed
The base of any ’70s makeup look started with healthy, glowing skin. Women in the ’70s wanted to look like they’d just come back from a beach vacation, even in the middle of winter. The key was creating that sun-kissed glow without looking orange or muddy.
Start with a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturizer. The ’70s weren’t about full coverage—they were about letting your real skin show through. Look for something that evens out your skin tone but doesn’t hide your freckles or natural texture. The Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint or the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer both work beautifully for this effect.
Next comes the bronzer. This is where you really capture that ’70s warmth. Apply bronzer to the high points of your face—your forehead, cheekbones, nose, and chin. Don’t worry about sharp contour lines. Just sweep it on with a fluffy brush and blend it out until it looks natural. The Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer has been around forever for a reason, and it gives that perfect soft bronze without shimmer overload.
Finish with a cream highlighter on your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and your cupid’s bow. The goal is dewy, not glittery. The RMS Beauty Living Luminizer gives you that lit-from-within glow that defines ’70s beauty. Your skin should look like you’re slightly sweaty from dancing at Studio 54, but in the best possible way.
Brows That Mean Business: Natural and Feathered
Forget everything you know about modern brow trends. The ’70s brow was all about natural thickness and that feathered, slightly unkempt look. These weren’t Instagram brows—they were real, human eyebrows that moved when you talked.
The shape was generally straight to slightly arched, never too thin or overly sculpted. If you’ve been over-plucking, now’s the time to let them grow. Use a growth serum like the Grande Cosmetics GrandeBROW if you need help getting them back to their full glory.
To style your ’70s brows, brush them upward with a spoolie. Then use a brow pencil or powder that matches your natural hair color to fill in any sparse spots. The key is to keep things soft—no harsh lines. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz works great because you can create hair-like strokes that look natural.
Finish by brushing through a clear or tinted brow gel to set everything in place while keeping that feathered texture. The boy brow from Glossier or the Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter both work perfectly. Your brows should look full and natural, like you were born with perfect brows and never had to think about them. Even if that’s not true, that’s the illusion you’re creating.
Eyes That Shine: Soft Shadows and Lots of Mascara
The ’70s eye look was surprisingly simple for how impactful it was. The focus was on making your eyes look bigger and brighter, not creating elaborate cut creases or dramatic smoky eyes. Think earthy tones, soft application, and lashes for days.
Start with neutral eyeshadow shades. Browns, taupes, coppers, and soft golds were the go-to colors. The Urban Decay Naked2 Basics palette has all the shades you need for authentic ’70s eyes. Sweep a medium brown shade across your entire lid, then use a slightly darker shade in your crease. Blend everything out so there are no harsh lines—the ’70s were all about soft, diffused color.
Add a touch of shimmer to the center of your lid if you want some extra dimension. A champagne or bronze shade works beautifully. You can also put a tiny bit of highlight in your inner corner to make your eyes look more awake. Keep it subtle, though—no Instagram spotlight highlight here.
Now for the most important part: mascara. Women in the ’70s loved their lashes long, separated, and dramatic. Apply several coats of black mascara to your upper and lower lashes. The Maybelline Great Lash mascara in the pink and green tube is a ’70s classic that still works today. Another great option is the L’Oréal Voluminous Original mascara. The goal is long, defined lashes that flutter when you blink. If you want to take it further, you can add individual false lashes to your outer corners for extra drama.
Cheeks With a Flush: The Power of Natural Blush
Blush in the ’70s wasn’t about sculpting or contouring—it was about looking flushed and alive, like you’d just come in from the cold or finished laughing really hard. The placement and color were key to getting this right.
The most popular blush colors were peachy pinks, warm corals, and soft terracottas. These shades complemented the bronzed skin without looking too pink or too orange. The NARS Blush in Orgasm is a modern classic that captures that ’70s peachy-pink perfectly. For something more budget-friendly, the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso is stunning.
Application was different from today’s techniques, too. Instead of applying blush just to the apples of your cheeks, ’70s makeup had you sweep color from the apples back toward your temples in a slightly upward motion. This gave a more natural, flushed look rather than the circular application we see now.
Use a fluffy brush and apply with a light hand. You can always add more, but it’s harder to take away. The finish should be slightly dewy, so cream or liquid blushes work beautifully for this look. The Glossier Cloud Paint is perfect because it blends seamlessly into the skin and looks natural. Pat it on with your fingers for the most authentic finish. Your cheeks should look like you’re naturally rosy, not like you’re wearing blush.
Lips That Speak Softly: Gloss Over Everything
The ’70s casual lip was all about shine. Women weren’t wearing bold lipsticks during the day—they were wearing glosses, tinted balms, and lip products that made their lips look naturally juicy and kissable. This was one of the easiest parts of the look to recreate.
The colors were natural and nude-leaning. Think peachy nudes, soft pinks, caramels, and sometimes clear gloss over nothing at all. The goal was to enhance your natural lip color, not cover it up. Start by exfoliating your lips so they’re smooth and soft.
Apply a lip balm first to keep your lips hydrated. Then you have options. You can use a nude or peachy lipstick as a base and top it with clear gloss. Or you can skip the lipstick entirely and just wear a tinted gloss. The Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish gives you that glossy finish with a slight plumping effect that feels very ’70s. For something more natural, the Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly comes in beautiful sheer shades.
Don’t forget about lip liner if you want to define your lips a bit. But keep it natural—line your lips with a shade that matches them, not something dark and obvious. The goal is to look like your lips are naturally that shape and color. Your lips should look soft, slightly shiny, and completely kissable. This is the kind of lip that looks good in any lighting and doesn’t require constant touch-ups.
Hair and Makeup: Creating the Complete Look
While this article focuses on makeup, you can’t talk about ’70s casual beauty without mentioning how hair and makeup worked together. The makeup looked best with loose, natural hair—think soft waves, curtain bangs, or long straight hair with lots of movement.
If you’re going for the full ’70s vibe, consider how you style your hair. The feathered look was huge, where hair was blown away from the face in soft layers. Even if you don’t want to commit to a ’70s haircut, you can style your current hair in a way that complements the makeup.
Use a volumizing mousse and blow-dry your hair with a round brush, pulling it away from your face. The T3 Micro or Dyson blow dryers make this easier, but any blow dryer works with the right technique. Add some loose waves with a curling iron or wand if your hair is straight. The key is volume at the crown and movement throughout.
Finish with a light hairspray that doesn’t make your hair stiff or crunchy. The Oribe Superfine Hair Spray or even the classic Elnett by L’Oréal work perfectly. Your hair should move when you move, not stay frozen in place. The combination of glowing skin, soft eye makeup, and natural hair creates that effortless ’70s aesthetic that people still find so appealing today.
Products to Stock Your ’70s Makeup Bag
Building a ’70s-inspired makeup collection doesn’t mean you need to buy vintage products or spend a fortune. Many modern products capture the same vibe while using better formulas and ingredients. Here’s what you should consider having in your makeup bag.
For base products, you want that tinted moisturizer or light foundation, a cream or powder bronzer, and a highlighter with a natural finish. The Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter can work as both a highlighter and a foundation mixer to get that glow. Add a peachy-pink blush, either powder or cream, depending on your preference.
Eye products should include a neutral eyeshadow palette with browns and golds, black mascara (maybe even two tubes so you can double up), and a brow product that keeps things natural. The Benefit Gimme Brow is fantastic for adding volume without looking drawn-on. Consider adding some individual false lashes for special occasions.
For lips, collect a few nude and peachy shades in both lipstick and gloss formulas. The Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow is a modern take on ’70s gloss that works on everyone. The NYX Butter Gloss collection offers affordable options in multiple shades that capture that ’70s vibe perfectly.
Don’t forget tools. You’ll need a fluffy powder brush for bronzer, a smaller brush for blush, eyeshadow brushes, a spoolie for brows, and maybe a beauty sponge for blending your base. The Real Techniques brush sets offer everything you need at reasonable prices. A good lash curler also helps create those dramatic ’70s lashes.
Wearing ’70s Makeup in Modern Times
The beauty of ’70s casual makeup is how wearable it is today. You’re not going to look like you’re wearing a costume or trying too hard to be retro. This style of makeup actually fits perfectly with current trends toward natural beauty and skin-first makeup.
You can wear this look to work, brunch, running errands, or casual hangouts. It’s polished enough to look like you made an effort, but natural enough that people might think you just look that good without trying. The key is adapting it to your personal style and coloring.
If you have deeper skin tones, adjust the product shades to work with your complexion. Rich terracotta blushes, deeper bronze tones, and berry-tinted glosses can give you that same ’70s vibe. The Black Opal True Color Illuminating Powder is perfect for adding that glow to darker skin tones.
For special occasions, you can amp up the drama while keeping the ’70s aesthetic. Add more shimmer to your eyes, go heavier on the bronzer, or add false lashes. You can also pair this makeup with more dressed-up clothing to create an interesting contrast between casual beauty and formal fashion.
The most important thing is to make it your own. The ’70s were about individuality and personal style, not following strict beauty rules. Take the elements that work for you and adapt them to your life. Maybe you love the glowy skin and glossy lips but prefer a more defined brow. That’s completely fine. The spirit of ’70s beauty is about looking like yourself, just elevated.
Conclusion: Bringing the ’70s Into Your Routine
The casual makeup looks of the 1970s have staying power for good reason. They’re based on enhancing natural beauty rather than covering it up or transforming it into something unrecognizable. In an era when we’re all dealing with Zoom fatigue and filter exhaustion, the authenticity of ’70s beauty feels refreshing.
You don’t need expensive products or professional skills to recreate these looks. With some practice and the right approach, anyone can master the glowing skin, soft eyes, and glossy lips that defined the decade. Start with one element—perhaps just the glossy lip or bronzed skin—and build from there as you become more comfortable.
The best part about ’70s casual makeup is how good it makes you feel. Something is empowering about a beauty routine that doesn’t require perfection. You can do this makeup in ten minutes before running out the door, and you’ll still look pulled together and pretty. It’s makeup that works with your life, not against it.
So grab your bronzer and mascara, and give yourself that ’70s glow. Whether you lived through the decade or love the aesthetic, this timeless approach to beauty will serve you well. The ’70s taught us that sometimes less really is more, and that confidence and natural beauty never go out of style.
