Beauty Icons: Retro Star Trek

Where no man has gone before...
Every week from 1967 to 1969, Star Trek: The Original Series had a carousel of actresses modeling the newest, most dazzlingly futuristic looks of 1960s sci-fi dreams. The frosty lipsticks, ornate hair styles, and geometric eyeshadow underscored the daring costumes, rendered in eye catching fabrics with strategically placed cutouts (showing belly button was still forbidden).

The space age clothing and beauty trend, ushered in by fashion icon Pierre Cardin and the Space Race, combined with advances in makeup and wardrobe to create never-before-seen, hyper-pigmented beauty products as well as vinyl and metallic fabrics. All the while, Star Trek was at the forefront of the trends with it’s frosty-lipped, metallic-clad glam icons. Here are some of my favorite beauty looks on Star Trek: TOS, and tips on how to get their trademark looks. Scotty, beam... *ahem* us up! (I'm sorry, I had to...)

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Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura
Radiant skin, perfectly glossed lips, and razor sharp eyeliner that starts in the inner corner and extends into a feline flick, was the beauty uniform for Communications Officer Uhura. Uhura is my personal favorite Star Trek character, and the importance of Nicols being casted as a series regular cannot be overstated. Nichols broke records being one of the first Black women featured in a major television series, and former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison referenced her as an inspiration.

Get Her Look:
Fenty Eyeliner
Glossier Cloud Paint in Dawn
Colourpop Princess Cut Lipgloss

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Barbara Bouchet as Kelinda in By Any Other Name
Barbara Bouchet looks like she could be a model today - many on Twitter noting her resemblance to Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner. Barbara’s look is fairly simple, but incredibly striking, with diffused contouring blush, grey and taupe winged out shadow, soft lips and eye-catching, strong brows that extend up and out.

Get Her Look:
Colourpop Going Coconuts Shadow
Colourpop Blush in Frisky Business
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
MAC Patent Paint Lip Lacquer in Patent Pleasure

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Yvonne Craig as Marta in Whom Gods Destroy
Former ballerina and future Batgirl Yvonne Craig became one of the most iconic guest starring roles as Marta in the episode Whom Gods Destroy. The look was impossible to ignore: green face and body paint, metallic tangerine lipstick, and intricate eye makeup in sky blue shadow paired with a metallic gold in geometric shapes that extended up past her natural brow line. Combined with black eyeliner flicks and graphic lines above her crease, false lower lashes, and black brows that extended up and out. Sadly, the experience for Craig ended up being a bit of a nightmare.

She’s quoted as saying "Makeup was a new experiment each and every day, they were trying to get something that would stick, not rub off on the other actors and that stayed within the color range they had started with - combination colored pancake makeup, with an oil base - I would shower at the studio, so I could get into clothes to get home and then take one sometimes two baths at home to soak it off each day."

She continued, "It took a long time to put it on, even longer to take it off, and until the next to last day of filming we never figured out a way to make it stay. Probably to this very day, if my cuticle[s] were seen under a microscope small particles of green paint would still be visible!"

Get Her Look:
Valfre Electric Garden Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Lipstick in First Sin

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Barbara Luna as Lt. Marlena Moreau in Mirror, Mirror
Barbara Luna's hair in Mirror, Mirror is a 60s dream come true: alternating between the quintessential 60s bouffant and the meticulously constructed beehive complete with braiding. As Lt. Marlena Moreau, Luna sports beautifully manicured nails - which are showcased during a glorious close-up on her finger as she hovers over an execution button! Soft contouring, peachy gloss, and feathery false lashes completed the look. "When I want a good giggle I always look at Lt. Moreau when she comes in at the end with her hair piled up to the ceiling. Those hairdos, they were so funny," Luna says of her now iconic look in the show.

Get Her Look:
MAC False Eyelashes
Milani Blush in Luminoso
Sally Hansen Nail Treatment
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
Revlon Melting Glass Lipstick in Dewy Peach

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Diana Ewing as Droxine in The Cloud Minders
Another example of the geometric eyeshadow looks that ended up being a staple on Star Trek comes from The Cloud Minders. Diana Ewing sports a graphic, winged out look in shades of Barbie pink, navy, and sky blue. Honeyed blonde up-dos, pearlescent pink lips, a metallic turquoise cape, and chandelier earring complete the memorable look.

Get Her Look:
Claropsyche Psyche's Box
Revlon Softsilver Rose Lipstick

Leslie Parrish as Lt. Carolyn Palamas in Who Mourns for Adonais?
One extra! I love Leslie Parrish playing a scientist in Who Mourns for Adonais? When Apollo confesses his love for her, she responds: "Love you? Be logical. Why, I could no more love you than I could love a new species of bacteria." Her soft purple eyeshadow, matching pink blush and lip complimented her Greek-inspired pink, backless gown perfectly. The dress would go on to become so iconic, it sold for over $9,000 in an auction! I also love how they tied up her hair in rope that matches the Grecian dress.

Would you try any of these looks? And which is your favorite? And, if I did a part two, who should I include for next time?

A huge thank you to TrekCore for providing such an amazing image gallery and letting me use their HD screencaps for this post!