Our Tutorial for The Famous TikTok ‘60s Mod Eye Makeup Look

Grab your makeup bag – there’s a new TikTok trend and we’re already all over it. The resurgence of the 60s mod eye makeup look is proof that makeup trends always come back in vogue – even if it takes a few decades. When the trend comes back around again, we’re all wondering “why did we ever let this trend die?”. The mod eye makeup is the latest trend to come back with the bag. Like most of today’s trends, you can thank TikTok for fuelling its comeback moment. The ‘60s mod makeup is all about using pastel shades, dark creases, and over-the-top lash lines that were beloved by stars of the era, like Cher and Twiggy. If you take a scroll through TikTok, you’ll see almost every twenty-something girl rocking this eye makeup look.
There’s no hard or fast way of doing the ‘60s mod eye makeup look. Like everything, it’s open to interpretation and everyone has their preferences for how they like to do their makeup routine. We’re no exception to that rule. Trying to wrap your head around a new (or old but new!) trend can be confusing, especially one that looks distinctively different from what we consider to be everyday makeup. To help you along the way, we’re sharing our step-by-step process for how we recreate this iconic 1960s makeup look.

We’re sharing all our tips and tricks – including how to make the most of your eyelid space and the best way to keep your hands steady to perfect your eyeliner look. Within no time, you’ll have perfected the 60s mod eye makeup look. Warning: you’ll want to post your makeup all over your Instagram page, so make sure to have your ring-light at the ready.

Grab Your Tools

Before we jump into how to do this makeup look, you need to make sure you have all the tools you need to put together the look. One makeup tool you 100% need is a black pencil or gel eyeliner – whichever you find easiest to work with. You want to choose a formula that is long-lasting and won’t dry out right away, as you’ll want to play around with your eyeliner while creating the minimalistic shapes on your eyelid.
It’s best to start experimenting with black eyeliner, but once you’re more comfortable with the application method, you can change up the look and incorporate other colours. You can stay true to the aesthetic of the 1960s and add a pop of pastel to your makeup look or think outside the box with a white pencil or gel eyeliner instead.
Everyone has their own go-to eyeliner pencil or gel. If you want a more streamlined look, keep an eye out for a gel liner that gives you a very fine line, with a feather-like brush that allows you to work with tiny strokes. For beginners to the world of makeup – or those trying this trend for the first time – a pencil liner is usually the easiest one to work with as it gives you the most control with the least risk of smudging.
Along with your liner for your eyelid, you’ll need a black liquid eyeliner for your bottom lashes and to help define the base shape of your eyelid. If you’re someone who fears they might smudge their makeup, it’s usually a good idea to pick up a waterproof eyeliner to improve its longevity.
With any eye makeup look, your lashes are an essential step you can’t over look. If you want to stay true to the 1960s aesthetic, you need to create voluminous fluff lashes. Falsies are usually the easiest way of getting this look, but they’re not for everyone. If you’re using a mascara, focus on finding one that has a voluminous forward that prioritises that over length or colour.
If you do decide to go with falsie eyelashes, it’s usually a good idea to keep an eye out for fan lashes that are evenly spread out with the same density across the lash band.
As it’s your first time experimenting with this eye makeup, it’s a good idea to keep some essentials on hand. You’re more likely than not going to make at least a few mistakes – and that’s good. Practice makes perfect. Keep a bottle of micellar water and some cotton rounds near by to quickly remove your eye makeup if you make a mistake or smudge it.

First Step – Small Eyeliner Wing

A common misconception is that your first step is to go in and do the dramatic cut crease first. As this is the hardest step to do, you deliberately want to leave it to last. You can ease yourself into the look (especially as a beginner!) by doing your standard cat-eye eyeliner wig. You can use your liquid eyeliner for this step.
Not sure how to do a basic eyeliner wing? Create a thin black liner that goes from the groove of your lash line, keeping it as thin as possible by applying only the lightest of pressure to the eyeliner. Bring the line out juts a little to create a wing, while drawing it inwards before stopping at the inner corner of your eye. For this 60s looks, the tail of your eyeliner wing should be drawn down instead of its usual upward silhouette.

Take a Stencil and Figure Out Your Crease

You want to use a stencil to map out the area that is considered your crease for this look. In fact, you’ll be working just above your natural crease. Doing this step gives you the illusion of larger and wider eyes. While not everyone has to do it this way, it’s a game changer if you have hooded eyelids or a smaller eyelid surface to work with.
You can create a stencil for your makeup look by keeping your eyes fixed on a mirror. With your eyes ahead of you, take your liquid eyelid and add a dot towards the end of the crease, just above where the crease sits. You want to add another one to the centre of your eye – again, above the crease. A third one should be at the start or inner section of your crease. These three dots are your stencils and allow the person to use their gel or pencil eyeliner to connect the dots.
If you have smaller eyelids and are struggling to do this step, you can look down into a mirror, holding at chin level. This method is a must-try for beginners as it means you don’t have to worry about blinking and messing up your eyeliner look by drawing an uneven line. It also makes it easier for you to identify where your crease is, so you can draw the line above your eyelid.
For anyone with a smaller eyelid, we have another tip you can use. You can create the illusion that you have larger eyelid space than you actually do by drawing a thicker line along your crease with a darker eyeliner. A thicker crease line is more visible when you open your eyes.

Don’t Forget Your Lashes

Like any makeup look, your eyelashes will make or break how it makes you look or feel. Whatever you do, you want to avoid accidentally leaving your home without wearing any mascara or falsies. It’s a major fashion paus pax. You can apply false eyelashes for a 60s mode eye makeup look the same way you would apply them for an everyday makeup look.
Make sure to trim your falsies to the correct length for your eyes, before applying a line layer of lash adhesive to the band. You want to wait thirty seconds for the glue to become tacky before placing it along your lash line. The best application focuses on placing the lashes on top of your natural lashes – to help them blend together – without physically putting your lashes on top of each other.
If you want to make your eyes appear a little fuller, you can add a neutral-tone colour to your eyelids below the crease. Another tip is to add a nude-coloured eyeliner to the waterline of your eyes to make them appear bigger.
When you’re adding your exaggerated lashes to your lower lash line, you want to go in first with a pencil liner. For anyone struggling to make their lashes look fuller and longer, you can apply a few coats of mascara before you start with the rest of this tutorial. You can go over your lash line with a small fan brush to place down some pigments for a more even look.
Your bottom lashes are a guide to help you work out the section between each hair component. Do your line with a pencil first, before going back over it with an eyeliner. You can use a little help to make sure that the lines are as crisp as possible by following-up with a cotton bud and micellar water to clean up any mistakes or errors.
We hope this makeup tutorial has shown you all the main steps for creating a 60s mod eye look. Don’t forget to make sure you’re using the right products, and that you have some makeup remover on hand to fix any mistakes. Don’t forget – makeup is a form of artwork and it’s an expression of who you are. If you make a mistake, all you have to do is wipe it away with your makeup remove.

What do you think of the ‘60s mod eye trend? Has our tutorial helped you recreate your own look? Let us know in the comments below!

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