Dramatic 1960s hair and make-up is back – just ask Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Blackpink’s Jisoo

After years of slick buns, glazed skin and “maybe she’s born with it” minimalism, beauty has rediscovered its appetite for a little drama – the big lash, peach blush, glossy lip kind. Suddenly, winged liner is back in everyone’s make-up bag, blowouts have volume again, and blush is visible on purpose. Sabrina Carpenter has become the poster girl for it: all fluffy bangs, soft waves and bombshell energy that nods to Brigitte Bardot but never crosses into full costume. It’s feminine, it’s cheeky and it’s proof that after years of paring back, we’ve remembered that a little play never hurt anyone.

Carpenter set the tone at the 2025 Grammys in May, arriving in a custom baby-blue JW Anderson gown with glowing skin, flushed cheeks, pouty lips and that unmistakable Bardot-style blowout with bouncy blonde bangs. By midsummer, the mood had fully caught on. When The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered in July, Lux Pascal turned up with a soft, side-swept blowout and winged liner straight out of a 60s daydream, while Xochitl Gomez went full Bardot with a sculpted bouffant do, peachy tones and lashes made for fluttering. And at the 2025 Golden Globes, the red carpet turned into a love letter to Old Hollywood with Zendaya’s glossy waves, Selena Gomez’s softly teased curls and Nicole Kidman’s sleek half-up bouffant, all carrying that same cinematic softness.