Twiggy's Makeup Evolution, In Photos

Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Hornby, is a legendary model and actor who is best known for being the face of the 1960s Mod era — a subculture characterized by an obsession with fashion, short haircuts, bold colors, and music. She skyrocketed to fame and was even nicknamed "The Face of '66" after a fashion editor discovered a photo of her posing with her signature short haircut (per WWD).

Throughout her modeling career, Twiggy appeared on the cover of major magazines, including Vogue and Seventeen. She was particularly favored for her androgynous appearance and iconic eye makeup, which featured bold eyelashes and eyeliner. While her distinctive makeup look propelled her to fame in the '60s, as she found her footing in the modeling world, Twiggy's makeup look evolved and she adapted her appearance to reflect the aesthetics of different decades.

The model's career may have started out with fun makeup looks curated from heavy eyeliner and blue eyeshadow, but Twiggy soon shifted attention from her signature eyelash look to other facial features that she began highlighting instead. As she matured, the model showcased her natural beauty by opting for "less is more" makeup looks. However, she eventually returned to her roots, and it wasn't long before she was playing around with metallic eyeshadow again. Ultimately, Twiggy's makeup journey has been a fearless exploration of her creativity, and she's proven she can pull off any look.

In an interview with Vogue, Twiggy revealed what inspired her signature eye makeup look. "I got the idea from a ragdoll that I had in my bedroom," she said. To complete the unique look, she layered three pairs of false eyelashes on the top and drew a row on the bottom in dark eyeliner. Twiggy's unmatched appearance and androgynous aesthetic, perfectly depicted in this 1967 portrait, ultimately thrust her into the spotlight. As a teenager, Twiggy often experimented with her makeup by adding eyeliner to the top of her eyelid to create an arched effect.

During the peak of her career in the late 1960s, Twiggy's makeup had already evolved to reflect a different aesthetic. While she drew attention to her eyes with yet another bold eye look, the model started to incorporate color into her appearance. In 1967, Twiggy posed for Vogue wearing vibrant glittery eyeshadow. The model contrasted her bright eyes by keeping the rest of her face natural. She slightly filled in her eyebrows, added a touch of blush, and finished her look with a neutral lip gloss — a perfect pairing with blue eyeshadow.

Twiggy's appearance had changed significantly by the '80s. In 1980, the model was snapped without her signature boy cut, and she occasionally stepped out wearing red lipstick. One of the biggest changes she made to her look was her ultra-thin eyebrows. Her over-plucked arches proved the model was still unafraid of making bold changes to her appearance. Not only had she ditched her staple eyelashes, but she swapped her vibrant eye look for a smokier one instead. 

Twiggy is not only among the celebrities who look nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair, but natural makeup also completely transforms her appearance. As she matured, the model toned down her bold eye makeup and statement features. In a 1997 photoshoot, Twiggy proved she was still a natural beauty despite having her big break three decades earlier. While the model couldn't quite give up the eyeliner, she wore a natural-looking mascara on her top lashes and added subtle blue eyeliner on her waterline. Twiggy finished her look with a glossy pink lip.

In the early aughts, Twiggy's aesthetic had evolved yet again. While she had maintained her more natural approach to her appearance, the model was captured in 2007 rocking a heavier eyeliner. As she approached her 60s, Twiggy once again drew attention to her blue eyes by decorating them with thick dark liner. The change nodded to her younger years and cemented her lasting passion for experimenting with makeup. Her look was finished with a hint of blush, natural lipstick, and untouched eyebrows.

At the Dinard British & Irish Film Festival in 2025, Twiggy stepped out wearing metallic eyeshadow. While the model had dropped her dark eyeliner look, she made up for it with glitter. To curate her shining makeup look, Twiggy merged bronze eyeshadow with a metallic blue eyeliner on her waterline — one of the eyeliner colors that best flatter women in their 40s and beyond. Her mascara was almost invisible beneath the dramatic color combo.