Disco Styles and the 1970s
The social movements of the 60's gave way to the flower children and hippies of the early 1970s. There was a new respect for the environment and being all natural. Beauty followed suit and left the pale vamp look for something more sun-kissed and healthy. The surfers of Venice beach embodied the look that people wanted. Women everywhere spent all morning trying to attain that no fuss, fresh, all natural look. By the end of the decade the Disco inferno was burning, and "natural" hair took hours to style.
1970 disco hair styles
Hair was long, smooth and very straight. Another popular ‘do was made famous by Farrah Fawcett. There was a center part with "wings" of layered hair flicks on the sides of the head. This new natural look often took hours to achieve with the curling iron, hairspray, mouse and the avoidance of anything athletic, outdoorsy or in nature, lest the hair got damaged. Other styles included Afro perms, which only required washing and forking with a special lifting and separating comb.
1970s makeup
Soft, fresh and natural look were fashionable. Women used fake tans and bronzers to pose as sun worshippers. Eye makeup lightened up and mascara almost completely disappeared. White or pale blue eyeliner became popular, as did pearlescent colors for eye shadow, nail polish and lipstick. Foundation was rarely used, and when it was, it wasn't matted down with powder but left alone to shine a little.
Makeup Tips for the 1970 disco look
A key tip for disco era makeup is to skip the foundation. People were natural back then. Start by lining your eyes with black liner on the top and bottom lids, extending the line a little passed the outer edge. Then apply a deep royal purple eyeshadow to the entire lid. Accentuate the browbone with a shimmery white eyeshadow. Next, paint on several coats of mascara to your lashes until you get that spidery look. Now, line your lips with a nude lip liner and fill in with lip gloss. Finish with a bronzer blush powder.
How to do Disco Hair
To create a 70s disco hair style, it helps to already have long-layered hair. Start by applying mousse to wet hair, covering it from root to end. Flip upside down and blow dry. Use a flat iron and clamp it onto your hair, close to the roots. Pull the iron downwards towards the ends till about four inches from the end. Then, turn the flat iron upward, creating a bend in the hair. Continue until you have a lot of flicks around your face. Finish with a light flexible hair spray.
1970s Style Icons
These women weren't only famous for defining the 70s but also went on to influence women of future decades.
- Farrah Fawcett - known for her feathered, flicked hair
- Cher - immortalized the long, super straight hair that everyone wore
- Jane Fonda - who could forget her in Barbarella