50s makeup: the tutorial to become a pin up!
Unlike the 20s makeup, the 50s makeup is very different, much more provocative and certainly does not go unnoticed. Both eyes and lips are at the center of attention, the first well outlined in black and the second voluminous and a beautiful bright red. Before discovering all the steps to transform yourself into a pin up, see in this video below how to put the mascara.
50s make-up: history and icons
The 1950s are defined by some as the Italian economic miracle, this is because after the great war, the economy of the country quickly recovered and became even stronger than before. Private industrial companies began to produce a whole series of goods of consumption such as: cars, scooters, household appliances, televisions, counting on the full support of the public industry.
At the end of the war period there is also a rebirth of femininity, it is no coincidence that the 50s looks show a desire to dare, have fun, emancipate oneself. The term takes hold pin up (trad. "to hang"), or posters with curvy and winking women that were used in the United States to convince men to enlist.
The 50s make-up fully reflects what has been said up to now: the pin up make-up is made to get noticed, with seductive red lips, black mascara and very long eyelashes, as well as the black eyeliner that makes me look magnetic. female icons of these years are: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren.
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50s look from hair to clothes
The designer already well known at the time, Christian Dior, invents the hourglass silhouette, with dresses tight at the waist accompanied by wide skirts. This type of dress fit perfectly also and especially for women pin up, especially shapely on the hips and breasts, but with a very narrow waist. To combine with these dresses, accessories such as gloves, scarves and hats of all shapes are inevitable. Glasses, until then considered medical devices, now become glamorous ornaments to match the dress; the frames sparkle with a thousand colors and are embellished with rhinestones and decorations. Nothing but minimalism: in the 50s every look was also embellished with an infinite quantity of jewels: necklaces, bracelets, earrings and brooches with which to play with the perfect match.
The characteristics of 50s makeup
As we said, the 50s make-up is made to attract attention: the face has a pale color tending to ivory, this is because the real protagonists are the eyes. A beautiful line of black eyeliner with a tail end was inevitable in any makeup of the time. The eye makeup was then completed with black mascara to lengthen and thicken the lashes and a light / golden eyeshadow on the mobile lid.
Lips are the second great protagonist: contoured to perfection with a dark red pencil and filled in the center with a bright and creamy red lipstick. This way of making up the lips was brought to the fore by Marilyn Monroe's make-up artist, Allan Snyder, to whom we absolutely must attribute the construction of the Monroe diva look that has led her to still today be an icon of charm and elegance.
50's make-up: the base
We have already repeated it several times, the 50s make-up is focused on eyes and lips, which is why the face becomes a blank canvas that must be the background to the look and the voluptuous mouth. The women used a foundation or rather an ivory powder to even out and illuminate the "complexion, and nothing else". The simple face base was due to the fact that the rest of the makeup was rather elaborate. A very popular habit in this period and brought to the fore by Marilyn Monroe, is the fake mole to be drawn on the side of the lips, simply using a brown eye pencil.
How to make up your eyes
The eyeliner is the great protagonist of the 50s eye make-up, so much so that to give it the right emphasis, the entire mobile eyelid is left bare. You use a light, flesh-colored, powder pink, or a light golden color and then move on to the line of eyeliner. After drawing the line of eyeliner at the lash line, we try to stretch the eye through the final tail which must point in the direction of the eyebrow. The idea is to draw the two lines of eyeliner perfectly the same, but in reality we must consider that our eyes are different from each other and moreover, Marilyn herself, never had the perfectly identical make-up between right eye and left eye. To finish , mascara is used on the lashes and 2 or 3 passes are made to make them long and volumized.
The lips of the 50s
Lips are the other centerpiece of 50s makeup. Marilyn Monroe's makeup artist had come up with a whole new way to style them and make them stand out, which literally changed the look of the lips. What did he do? In the meantime he drew the outline with a dark pencil (it is said he used a brown pencil for the eyes) then he filled the center with a pencil that was always brown but tending to brick color. Finally, it was time for the red pencil that was used on top of the two shades of brown used earlier. In this way the lips were full and defined, and any shape defects could be corrected without them being visible.
The final touch was a sort of highlighter to be applied to the center of the lips and a little balm or lip gloss for a lacquered effect.
Eyebrows and nails: details not to be underestimated
For a true 50s makeup in perfect pin up style, there are still two aspects to consider. The first concerns the eyebrows: the shape in vogue in those years is that of seagull wings which, if already present, was further marked by a pencil stroke. If you had round eyebrows and very distant from the squared shape, then the pencil was used not only to fill them, but also to draw them.
The second aspect concerns the nails: the 50s are the first years in which there is the boom for the care of nails that had to be perfectly lacquered and matched with lipstick. The favorite shape was the almond shape, able to refine even hands. not exactly tapered.
The step by step tutorial for a 50's makeup
Step 1
For every self-respecting make-up, the first step is a good cleansing. Starting with a thorough cleansing of the face greatly affects the final result. Use a mild cleanser, rinse well, pat your skin and apply your usual moisturizer.
Step 2
Start by drawing the eyebrows: in the 50s they were gull wings, so with the help of a pencil, draw the shape and then re-epilate them in the center trying to simulate the effect of the hairs. Blend well with a pipe cleaner and apply a transparent fixing gel, to keep them in style.
Step 3
Take care of the face base. Apply a foundation that is slightly lighter than your complexion and mattify the skin with an ivory powder. You can lightly contour to sculpt your face.
Step 4
Spread a light eyeshadow on the mobile eyelid and blend the contours with the help of your fingers. Proceed to apply the eyeliner. Starting from the lash line, move towards the end of the eye where you will stretch the line towards the end of the eyebrow. Apply plenty of black mascara to your lashes.
Step 5
It's time for the lips! Get a brown pencil, a brick red color and a third of a bright red shade. all the surface of the lips.To complete, use a highlighter in the center of the lips and a little gloss for a vinyl effect.
Step 6
Draw a faux mole with an eye pencil on the side of the lips. To complete the look and be vintage but trendy, wear brightly colored glasses or a hair accessory.
The right 50's makeup products
At the end of this article we want to suggest some useful products to easily recreate your 50's makeup. We have selected our favorites among mascara, eyeliner and lipstick. They are suitable for all budgets!
Mascara Vamp - Pupa on Amazon at 7.75 €
Eyeliner in pen - Maybelline on Amazon for € 6.30
Red lipstick "grand roux" - Bourjois on Amazon at 11.63 €
