retro make-up tips and tricks

makeupmaven · Nov 19, 2004

Hello,

I am a make-up artist and love to do 40s and 50s looks. If anyone
needs any tips or has any for me I would love to hear about them.
I also develop products and can help with formulas if you need more info on ingredients.

ITG · Nov 20, 2004

What tips do you have to make a gal's makeup look distinctly 1940s or even 1930s?

makeupmaven · Nov 20, 2004

make-up tips

The 30s looks were concemtrated on the eyebrows, which were plucked very thin and curved toward the temple. The lips were overdrawn on the top making the bow of the lips longer to meet the sides. This was called the rosebud mouth. The colors were rosie rouge,pink or red lips and long curled eyelashes.

The 40s have more natural eyebrows, although still manicured and arched. The shadows used were neutrals, and some jewel tones like dark blue or green for evening,
Eyelashes are curled and darkened with black mascara.
The top lip is still slightly overdrawn, but not as much as in the 30s.

Colors in the 40s are true reds, bright orange reds, dark crimson red or cherry.

Both of these looks start off with a light foundation, they liked rose or pink undertones back then, a little ghostly today, and face powder to set.

Hope this helps

Andykev · Nov 20, 2004

I am impressed with you!

Is that you in the B& W photo? WOW. You have captured the true period look.

Tell more, please, of yourself. You are quite attractive. And knowlegable of the art!

ITG · Nov 20, 2004

How about blush colors?

My grandmother used to (in the late 70s/early 80s) apply her blush with her lipstick (dot-dot-dot-smear together using her fingers) to create her blush. Did the ladies do that back in the 30s and 40s, or was that just some odd thing my grandmother did?

MK · Nov 20, 2004

Let's not forget the invention of pancake make-up in the forties which gave a more matte look compared to the oily make-up of the 30's.

makeupmaven · Nov 21, 2004

They did use blush, which was called rouge, in reds with pink undertones, fuchsia and bright rose colors. The rouge came in a very small compact the size of a half dollar coin with a tiny applicator round made of silk and cotton. The rouge was applied before the powder and then subdued with the white of the finishing powder. The rouges were very saturated strong colors, so they used a tiny amount on the cheeks and in the 40s blended toward the temples.

The brands around were Don Juan, Harriet Hubbard, and Coty.

I have a small collection of vintage make-up and admire the workmanship and time they put into every product.
In the 30s and 40s they did not have injection molding down to make intricate compacts and other cosmetic containers, so they used the celluloid, which was used to make records, to make lids for the small rouges and the body of the container was made from cardbord treated with wax.

Most other containers were metal or glass.

As for your grandmother, I think that was a time saving technique.
The idea of double function cosmetics did not come into play until later. Powders were very popular as a way to give you nicer skin, so they would not have blended well with the oil based lipsticks of the time.

Bobbi B. · Nov 21, 2004

ITG, in the '80s, I was using lipstick for blush, too. But I blame small purses and weird nightclub lighting!

An odd bit of vintage grooming, maybe just here in the Midwest, was that it was supposed to be bad for one's nails to use nail enamel over the moons at the base. You'd have to very carefully avoid that; girls who didn't were thought to be, well, you know. (I have never seen this manicure on any motion-picture actress of the time, another reason to suspect a regional quirk).

Getting proper vintage lipstick colors is difficult. I end up blending inexpensive Revlon shades. (Lancome used to have a couple that were close but they keep changing!) What would you suggest, Maven?

(By the way, that is some photo! You've really captured the look and the portrait style).

The Bingstress · Nov 21, 2004

Besame Cosmetics has just added a new section to their Website called "Vintage Looks," which offers tips and tricks on how to get that distinctive and glamorous 1940s style. Here's the link:

http://www.besamecosmetics.com/English/VintageLooks/VL_main.html

And here's one of the photos:

The company just came out with a truly stunning line of '40s inspired palettes--they even have those little half-dollar size compacts of rouge--and it's the only company I've seen besides Chanel that makes a proper "retro red" lipstick. We're awaiting a shipment of their products for our retail store, and I can hardly wait to go hog wild with the testers!

Hugs & blessings,
The Bingstress

Bobbi B. · Nov 23, 2004

Besame's got a wow of a website, and the products look marvelous! I may have to splurge on a new lipstick for Christmas parties.

I'd been wondering if anyone here had tried their products. Ahh, "research!"

The Bingstress · Nov 23, 2004

Since I run a retail store and retro website...if I buy a whole cache of "vintage-inspired" lipsticks, can I write it off as a business expense?

~giggle

-The Bingstress

Bobbi B. · Nov 23, 2004

Oh, dear. Mother said I should have taken that bookkeeping class, but did I listen? Nooooo. Now I can't even figure out how to keep two sets of books!

It really is research for you, business, after all. Will the IRS understand? Would anyone in Vegas cover that bet? With (my goodness, in how many different, vintage-y shades?) all those lipsticks, proper rouges, et cetera and all ever-so right in packaging, will you even mind if the green-eyeshades guy nixes it as a deduction?

...I'm picturing the time we gave hubby's youngest niece her very first Barbie. It was less than zero unwrapping time once she realized what it was, smiling all the while. That's you with the Besame display. Some girls have all the luck!

Remember, the very best saleswomen are the ones who believe in and use the product.

makeupmaven · Nov 24, 2004

Finding the right colors is difficult. I was told that MAC had a good red called Frankly Scarlet, but I can't find that shade. It might be discontinued. As far as Revlon, they don't make a formula that has enough pigment or is matte enough to look period.

You can try blotting the color on the lips to see if it takes enough of the shine away.

I like Besame Red and Cherry Red form Besame cosmetics.
They are matte enough without drying the lips. They come in a tiny case, about 55mm tall, so you get about 3/4 the amount of product than a full size lipstick. It is worth it if you have a small purse and want to take it on the road.

Lola cosmetics has some good reds, but her formula is just too moist for my taste.

Anna Sui has good reds, you can find them at some Sephora stores. I don't think they are very matte, but the colors are good.

Price wise they are from 18 to 20 dollars each.

Bobbi B. · Nov 24, 2004

The Revlons are shiny, but blotting helps, as does a very light dusting of powder -- I usually blot excessively anyway; the way my days run, I just try to get a good, lasting stain instead of a movie-actress coat of lipcolor! I don't have a lot of chances to freshen up.

"Revlon Red," while it's too pinkish-red by itself, does a nice job of pushing their more "natural" colors in a vintage direction (lately "Deep Nude" and "Fleshtone" -- who's the sun-worshipper that names these, anyway?) It's a dimestore approach to the right look.

Really good lipsticks have always been priced at the "think twice" level, but they're worth it. When I was happier with Lancome's palette, I would try to purchase powder during their "free gift" promotions, which usually include lip color.

Holidays call for something nicer than five and dime or freebies. Besame it will be for Christmas parties!

MAC gets very positive buzz among the anchorwomen at work. My nearest department store hasn't got a MAC counter, drat! I've used Lancome pressed powder for years (one of their shades is a close match to my difficult German/Cherokee complexion) but it would be fun to experiment.

makeupmaven · Nov 25, 2004

I like Lancome powders, but the smell of the lipstick bothers me.
The scent they use is a bit flowery for me.

Do you have a favorite red color? maybe a color that has been discontinued?

LaMedicine · Nov 26, 2004

A technique with lipstick that I remember my mother and aunts using sometime in the 50s.
After applying lipstick, they'd dust it lightly with face powder and then blot.
I think the idea was, the lipstick kept longer that way.

makeupmaven · Nov 26, 2004

Yes, that helps a lot. It also makes the lipstick more matte, since it soaks up the oils.

You can also try a little foundation on the lips and then the lipstick. It makes the color truer to what it looks like in the tube.

BombshellBeauty · Dec 11, 2004

Makeupmaven:

Hi there! I was wondering if you do make-up for weddings? I'm getting married in May '05, and was hoping to find someone familiar with the 40's-50's look to do my make-up, possibly my bridesmaids as well. I'm also in the LA area.
Let me know!

You can email me at Bombshellbride@hotmail.com if you like.

LadyPowers · Jan 4, 2005

Polished Nail

Bobbi B. said:
"An odd bit of vintage grooming, maybe just here in the Midwest, was that it was supposed to be bad for one's nails to use nail enamel over the moons at the base."

Bobbi B.,

1940s Polished Nail: Basic look was a polished nail with a lefted out white half-moon and a white sliver at tip. This was trendy at the time. Those who didn't polish their nails that way did not keep up with current styles of the time. See attached picture.

It was popular to wear nail polish according to clothes and accessories. Therefore a lot of colors were used. Especially blue-reds, brown-reds, bright reds, green, mustard yellow, black, navy blue, plum, and mauve were popular.

Regards,
Lady Powers

babylonmall · Jan 4, 2005

Just wanted to say I'm new here, and found this thread really interesting and informative! Great pictures.

Deb

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