Roaring 20’s Makeup
Jorrie Muniz - Creative
Writer
1920’s—a decade incased between the end of
World War I and the Great Depression. It was a time of growth for
the film industry and the birth of the “Star and Starlet.” Top
box-office stars in the 1920s included: Gloria Swanson, Rudolph
Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Norma Shearer, John Barrymore,
Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, and "Little Mary" Pickford.
Star status brought extreme glamour that launched careers and carved into stone the essences of glamour. The make-up was exotic. Nothing like today’s clean, natural look; the 20’s were seeped in heavy, ivory, cake make-up and powders accented with lots of black, dark eyes and red bow lips—remember Hollywood had minimal skin diversity at that time!
EYES: Dark gray shadows, heavy black mascara and the eyebrows were key to the 20’s look. They used a method called “soaping” –brushing soap into the eye brows to flatten them and enable the drawing on of “stylish” thin, black, downward slopping eyebrows. There were available product but soap worked and it was cheap. To finish “the look” the whole eye was edged with black eyeliner and smudged. Lashes, painted black by using a spit block”—a black cake with a brush you spit on to apply. Lovely! Large drooping eyes were stylish—opposite of the youthful lift we aim for today.
CHEEKS: circles of rose, raspberry, or orange.
LIPS: Deep red, brownish reds, plum and orange. Later, rose, raspberry and medium red were hot. Lipstick was applied as a "Cupid's-Bow" to the upper lip. And the lower lip was exaggerated with the width of the lips de-emphasized. Lips appeared puckered!
NAILS: Painted only in the nail center. The half-moon and tip were left bare and white.
No matter how we make-up our faces, it’s our hearts that show through. Beautiful people with ugly hearts can never wear enough make-up. And, people with beautiful hearts need little if any enhancement!
See Related Features
1920’s—a decade incased between the end of
World War I and the Great Depression. It was a time of growth for
the film industry and the birth of the “Star and Starlet.” Top
box-office stars in the 1920s included: Gloria Swanson, Rudolph
Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Norma Shearer, John Barrymore,
Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, and "Little Mary" Pickford.Star status brought extreme glamour that launched careers and carved into stone the essences of glamour. The make-up was exotic. Nothing like today’s clean, natural look; the 20’s were seeped in heavy, ivory, cake make-up and powders accented with lots of black, dark eyes and red bow lips—remember Hollywood had minimal skin diversity at that time!
EYES: Dark gray shadows, heavy black mascara and the eyebrows were key to the 20’s look. They used a method called “soaping” –brushing soap into the eye brows to flatten them and enable the drawing on of “stylish” thin, black, downward slopping eyebrows. There were available product but soap worked and it was cheap. To finish “the look” the whole eye was edged with black eyeliner and smudged. Lashes, painted black by using a spit block”—a black cake with a brush you spit on to apply. Lovely! Large drooping eyes were stylish—opposite of the youthful lift we aim for today.
CHEEKS: circles of rose, raspberry, or orange.
LIPS: Deep red, brownish reds, plum and orange. Later, rose, raspberry and medium red were hot. Lipstick was applied as a "Cupid's-Bow" to the upper lip. And the lower lip was exaggerated with the width of the lips de-emphasized. Lips appeared puckered!
NAILS: Painted only in the nail center. The half-moon and tip were left bare and white.
No matter how we make-up our faces, it’s our hearts that show through. Beautiful people with ugly hearts can never wear enough make-up. And, people with beautiful hearts need little if any enhancement!
See Related Features
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