Retro '40s-Inspired Make-Up
A Guide To Creating A Classic, Glamourous Vintage Inspired Look
Jul 5, 2009
Garbo, Gardner, Hayworth and Bergman; all classic beauties that radiated glamour and oozed sensuality. It is no wonder that the vintage make-up and fashion of yesteryear is once again all over the red carpet and high-fashion magazines.
The '40s look is not the easiest to recreate as it requires a perfectly polished and flawless quality to look truly authentic, but this guide shows how to achieve that with some top make-up artist tricks and secrets that will have any girl smouldering like Sheridan in no time.
Equipment Required
- A quality foundation that offers good coverage
- Translucent face powder
- A light reflecting concealer
- Concealer or cover-up
- A dusky rose or coffee-tinged blush
- Red lipstick
- Red lip liner
- False lashes
- Mascara
- Black liquid eyeliner
- A brow pencil the same shade as your brows
- A selection of brushes
Instructions for Applying '40s Style Make-Up
- Firstly create the foundations for a flawless base by blending the light-reflecting concealer in to darker areas of the face such as under the eyes and around the nostrils; then concealing any spots or blemishes with a concealer or cover-up.
- Now the face is ready for the foundation. For this look a liquid base is best; applied with a good quality foundation brush for an airbrushed effect. Work the foundation down the neck and onto the chest to keep the porcelain glow even throughout.
- Seal the foundation with a light dusting of translucent powder to give a smooth finish.
- With an angled blusher brush, gently sweep a hint of blush along the cheekbones, avoiding the fleshy "apple" of the cheeks. As the focus is going to be on the lips and to a lesser extent the eyes it is important that cheeks aren't over-done. Suck in the cheeks so to view the cheekbones more easily.
- Rest an elbow on a table or flat surface in front of a mirror to ensure steady application of liquid eyeliner. Sweep the eyeliner from the inner corner of the top lid towards the outer corner with one swift fluid motion to avoid wobbly lines. It may help to make dots along the top lid near the lash line and join them up- this can be easier than doing it freehand. Flick the eyeliner up at the very corner to create a Cleopatra-style cat's eye look. Practise makes perfect!
- Apply the false lashes as close to the natural lash line as possible. Corner lashes are available from most chemists, which are a shorter strip to be glue to the outer corners rather than the whole strips. These are easier to apply, more comfortable and more natural looking, as they aren't as noticeable. Individual lashes are also an option but they can be fiddly and time-consuming.
- Apply a coat of mascara to blend natural lashes with the false ones.
- Line the lips along your natural lip line with the lip liner to prevent the lipstick bleeding into the skin.
- Apply one coat of lipstick and then blot. Repeat this twice to build up layers- this will make the lipstick last longer, meaning fewer touch-ups and reapplications.
- With short, light strokes, go over natural brows with the brow pencil, filling in any gaps. Strong brows are an important part of the '40s look, as brows weren't as heavily plucked. They were used to frame the face and balance out strong lips.
And so concludes the step-by-step guide to transforming in to a Hollywood screen siren. Be sure to spritz with something sultry like Chanel No5 and wear hair clean, shiny, wavy and neatly set. Nails should be well manicured, in either a neutral or red shade.
The most important tip for recreating the look is the confidence to carry it off, something all the Golden Age of glamour actresses had in common; that and a good pair of heels.
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