When it comes to getting beauty inspo today, the Internet is your oyster. But back in the day, it wasn’t so easy to get inspiration. Associate Editor Karen Fong takes a walk down memory lane to try out some of our favourite looks through the decades.
When it comes to getting beauty inspo today, the Internet is your oyster. But back in the day, it wasn’t so easy to get inspiration. Associate Editor Karen Fong takes a walk down memory lane to try out some of our favourite looks through the decades.
I’ve always been fascinated by my mum’s sense of style – especially back in the ’60s and ’70s when she was trendy and fashionable. Singapore was a particularly interesting place during that era as it was celebrating its newfound independence. As Gayathiri Chandramohan from the National Heritage Board puts it, “For the first time, women were holding jobs and contributing to the economy. With their earning power, came spending power – and all in good time, given that an idea of the Singaporean lifestyle was just beginning to form then with the help of Western influence.”
The ’60s was a time when tradition and modernity intermixed, and my mum’s look – with neat hair and minimal makeup – reflected this. In the ’70s, Singapore’s leaders worried about the bad influence hippies would have, but my mum went to university in the UK and her style became more casual – less mini skirts, more hippie bell bottoms.
These Western-influenced looks are not easy to pull off. It takes loads of hairspray to get that ’60s bun, and it would have taken a whole new hair cut to pull off wavy ’70s hair à la Farrah Fawcett. In the ’80s, my mum opted for the tight perm, which seemed to work pretty well on Asian hair. By that point, pop culture had hit the mainstream and, thanks to leaps in technology, people across the globe were exposed to icons like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Debbie Harry. When the ’90s and early 2000s arrived, we turned our eyes to Asian celebrities to emulate, thanks to the rise of J-Pop and J-Dramas.
Today, we’re riding the K-Wave. How grateful am I that Korea has the looks and products that work so well for me? After trying out all the iconic looks from the different eras, my favourite is definitely the style of the moment – and my mum would probably agree.
1960s
MAKEUP: Heavy, dark eyeliner on upper eyelids.
HAIR: It was all about volume and height, though in Singapore, a bun did better than a backcomb (unless you could go to the salon every day).
1980s
MAKEUP: More is more! Eyeshadow was often worn all the way up to the brows, coupled with bright red lips.
HAIR: Tight perm and curls. Once again, volume and height were in.
1970s
MAKEUP: It was all about colours on the eyes applied in fingertip smudges, and lots of shimmer. Lips were kept to a natural touch of pink.
HAIR: Wavy, natural curls were the thing; or an angled bob that’s short at the back, and long in the front.
1990s
MAKEUP: Shimmery eyes were in again, as were skinny, defined brows.
HAIR: The punk rock buns were perfect for Singapore’s humidity.
2000s
MAKEUP: It was all about a brownish lip colour, while the hair took centrestage.
HAIR: Ironed straight for a sleek look.
Today
MAKEUP: Natural with a bit of sultry, smoky eye thrown in. Lips are kept to a demure, pink shade.
HAIR: Wavy and natural.
