Maybe She's Born With It? Seriously???

It's about time I paid tribute to 80s makeup - that bold, brash, bright stuff that we gals (and some boys) spackled to our faces during that decade. The 1980s were all about BIG (and not just the Tom Hanks movie and Peter Gabriel song by the same name, although they were certainly appropriate for the time): big hair, big shoulders, and big makeup. I recently watched 1988's Working Girl for perhaps the 5th time, and not only is it a classic movie, but it's now a wonderful period film due to the outrageous hair and makeup, especially on Joan Cusack, above, who looks like a cast member from Cats.

Women's faces were canvases - literally - during the 80s and this stuff was painted on. There really was no such thing as too much - blush was applied in dark strips and eyeshadow in multiple, gaudy colors that would make Mimi from The Drew Carey Show envious. Makeup styles from this time were certainly inspired in part by pop stars Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, and hair boy bands. Neon clothing influenced the trend as well, I'm sure - after all, if you're going to be wearing loud clothes, your face needed to match, too. And if you remember a lipstick shade that was called Cherries in the Snow, frosted eyeshadow, or green mascara, then you wore makeup during the 80s. So come with me, if you dare, through a little visual tribute to 80s makeup....just collecting these make me want to reach for a jar of Noxema!