Inside a glass conference room at Hearst Tower in late April, eight Harper’s Bazaar editors were locked in a heated debate about the most iconic beauty looks ever. The air was thick with tension as we came closer to narrowing down the list. Voices were raised. Manicured hands were slamming the tabletop. Could we really cut Edie Sedgwick’s ’60s eye makeup? Milla Jovovich’s orange hair in The Fifth Element? We lamented our rule of including only postwar moments, as that eliminated Josephine Baker and dozens of Old Hollywood icons. One more count of the Google Doc found that we had made it to our goal of 50 without hurling lipstick bullets at one another’s heads.

To determine the beauty moments that deserved a spot on this list, we didn’t just consult our own memories—we assembled a brain trust of industry titans including legendary makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath; celebrity and editorial hairstylists Jawara Wauchope, Lacy Redway, Neal Farinah, and Jimmy Paul; makeup artist and TikTok beauty historian Erin Parsons; Emmy-award-winning makeup artist and brand founder Donni Davy; makeup artist Pati Dubroff; beauty content creator and model Meredith Duxbury; and drag superstar Trixie Mattel. Bazaar’s beauty team and editors then passionately analyzed the merits of hundreds of looks, including our experts’ submissions.

For each makeup or hair moment, we asked: Did it transform our idea or understanding of beauty? Is it a recognizable look out of context? (If you wore it as a Halloween costume, would people recognize you?) Did it influence the beauty economy? Did it have women running to their local salons? Is it derivative, and if so, who was the first to do it?

There are likely hundreds of how-could-you-forget moments missing from this roundup, though that’s the beauty of a subjective expert panel. Still, we’re confident that this list is truly iconic. Here are our picks, in no particular order.

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