When you close your eyes and think about 1960s makeup trends, you might imagine the earliest years of beehives, cut creases, and matte, porcelain-like skin. It's a look you probably recognize from musicals like Hairspray, but it's actually makeup artist Peter Lamas' least favorite style of the decade.
Lamas — the famed makeup artist who worked with Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis, and other influential women of the time — says that between 1963 and 1968 is when '60s makeup really hit a fever pitch. "It was an explosion of artistic expression and creativity," he said of the era, which was marked by young people shedding the conservativeness of the '50s and opening themselves up to political and personal self expression. "It was youth creating an individual reality that they were never able to express before the '60s. People started asking themselves, 'How loud can I be? How colorful can I be?'"