Vintage Makeup Favorites

[Angelicious]

Well... Having poked around my books a bit...

Sophia Loren (a little outside the era) used pale green eyeshadow to good effect, and soft brick-red lipsticks as jitterbugdoll mentioned. Not sure if you should try the 60s baby-pink lipstick though.

Natalie Wood (again late, but I'm trying to find colour pics) looked good in a slightly dark cherry red lipstick.

The only earlier colours I have are hand-tinted, and so not very reliable. I'll post more if I find them.

 

[MissQueenie]

Thanks, Angel! Isn't it the weirdest thing the way genetics work? It is SO good to know I'm not the only person who has mysterious tube-to-lip color voodoo going on...I seriously was beginning to worry that it was just me.

I think I might poke around at Sephora next weekend; I tend to avoid playing with cosmetics, but the result has just been ignorance on my part. I'll give some of the brand lines suggested in this thread a whirl and see if any of the colors will work. I might also try perscriptives -- one of my girlfriends swears by their foundation, as it is custom mixed to match your skin. Ooh! I just saw this month's "Besame Girl" -- and she's gorgeous. She's also wearing plum eyeshadow (good one, Jitterbugdoll!).

I'd love to see photos of everyone's best vintage face, maybe with a description of products used?

 

[LaMedicine]

I love the vintage face, but am despairing ever being able to pull it off with my coloring. I know it's a shot in the dark, but do you girls have any suggestions? Makeup counters are universally unhelpful, they either try to use something too pale or too dark, usually too pale. Maybe some images of some not-so-porcelain stars would provide inspiration?

OK, this is not "vintage" suggestion, but there is something you might try to find the best colors for you. There's a system of color analysis consultation that divides people into four general groups. The particular one I had done, was called "Color Me Beautiful." Admittedly, consultation by a specialist is expensive. However, there are some points that you could try yourself, and if you do some search, you may be able to find a DIY book or two.

The system I use divides people into the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Now, mind you, there are some people who fall in-between, or are a mix of two different types, but here are some general guidelines that I was taught.

Spring and Fall are the yellow-based groups, Summer and Winter, blue based groups. This is whether your skin tone has a yellow tinge (ivory to ocre) or blue tinge (pale to dark pinkish) to it. Check 1 here. Do you look better (your complexion is enhanced, not look sallow) in a camel sweater, or a gray one? If it's camel, you're in the spring-fall group, if gray, in the summer-winter group. Check 2: which cheek rouge makes your complexion lighten up, not make it sallow--coral or pink? Coral=Spring/Fall, pink=Summer/Winter.
Use/wear colors that complement your undertone e.g. if you are in the Spring/Fall group, go with colors that have yellow undertones such as gold, pearl, ivory, various shades of yellow, orange, brown, jade, teal, coral, salmon, rust, brick, mahogany, apricot, pewter, periwinkle, purple, eggplant, bronze, yellow/bright/forest/olive/moss green, turquoise and so on.
For Summer/Winter, colors with blue undertones such as pure to bluish white, various shades of blue/navy, greens that have a bluer hue than yellow such as emerald green, various shades of pink and bluish red, shades of gray, etc etc.

The differences between Spring/Fall and Summer/Winter is whether you look better with lighter or deeper tones in each of the groups. It depends on mostly on your hair/eye/lip colors.

Some examples for makeup
Foudation and powder: Spring/Fall, choose shades with yellow (ivory to ocre) undertones; Summer/Winter, pink (without yellow) tones.

Lipstick: same as above, plus,
Spring: lighter shades such as coral and bright orange.
Fall: brownish or goldish orange and red/brick
for both of above, stay away from pink and red with blue undertones, they only spell disaster!
Summer: light pink to not-too-deep mauve
Winter: deep pink, rose, true(blue undertone) red, to purplish red.
stay away from coral, orange and brownish/gold red/brick

Cheek: Spring:light coral to light orange
Fall: brownish pink to dark orange
Summer: light pink to rose
Winter: rose

Eyeshadows: Spring: light green, brown, some shades of violet, light olive (in general, lighter and brighter colors with yellow undertones--blue is OK if it has a yellowish tinge to it. but if not, stay away)
Fall: olive, bronze, brown, some shades of purple, (in general, darker and richer colors with yellow undertones)
Spring; light gray, silver, light blue, bluish violet(lighter/brighter colors with blue undertones)
Winter: silver, gray, blue, purple(darker/richer colors with blue undertones)

For the vintage look, choose colors from your group that existed during the era you aim for.

Also, with foundations, you may be able to have a better color match when you use control colors as bases -- green, pink or yellow depending on the hue you want, but one thing to be careful with foundations is to make sure that the color of your face does not come out much lighter than your neck. When trying out foundations, one trick is to try it out on the triangle of your jaw right below your ear, and see if it blends and enhances your skin color, and also blends in with your neck.

Incidentally, I belong in the Fall group, but the funny thing is, my two daughters both belong in the Winter group, so, just because people in your family look great in certain colors, it necessarily won't mean that you'll do well with the same. Lucky for me, I can have my clothes/makeup stuff all to myself, and not have my girls pawing through them in a crisis

 

[MK]

.

I guess that makes me a mid-summer's night dream....


....or is it nightmare?

 

[LaMedicine]

I guess that makes me a mid-summer's night dream....


....or is it nightmare?

Ahhh, you being the pro, you'd know better than I.
Smokey color man, are you?

 

[LaMedicine]

MissQueenie

A couple more things to add.

Which becomes you better, gold or silver jewelry?
If gold becomes you, and silver seems too cold against your skin, then you're likely to be Spring/Fall. If silver becomes you and gold seems too gawdy, then you're likely to be Summer/Winter.

If you can't find foundations that are the right shades, you could try mixing to get the right hue. Cake foundations would be difficult to deal with, but cream and liquid ones are easy to do so.

BTW, from what you've written, and from the looks of your avatar, it seems to me that you fall in the Spring/Fall (no pun intended) category.

Here's a link to a Color Me Beautiful book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_1/002-3668874-5094401?v=glance&s=books&st=*

I hope you'll find something useful to you.

 

[MK]

.

Ahhh, you being the pro, you'd know better than I.
Smokey color man, are you?

You have no idea how right you are.

 

[LaMedicine]

You have no idea how right you are.

Oh. Wow. Maybe I can go into business, then.

 

[MissQueenie]

LaMedicine: you are an absolute peach. Just a peach.

I'm going to experiment a little this week and see what works and what doesn't. I think you're right about the Spring/Fall thing -- it narrows everything down considerably! Thank you again and again for the info and the advice.

Peachy, peachy you.

~ Queenie

 

[LaMedicine]

MissQueenie,

You're quite welcome, glad to be of help.
Happy Hunting!!

 

[Dahlia]

Thank you for all of the information, ladies! I usually go very natural with my makeup, mostly because I don't have much practice with applying makeup and I am afraid of looking too "done up." I also have very pale skin and so the possibility of accidently applying too much makeup for my skin tone has also scared me.

I noticed some good and some bad comments regarding Benefit. I have only tried their eyeshadows and have found I like them fairly well. I've wanted to try their Dandelion powder and was wondering, is it worth the $26?

In any case, I think I need some serious makeup consultation. I was going to look at the books by Kevyn Aucoin that MissTayva recommended, but I was hoping you gals could provide some insight. As I said, I have very fair skin. I also have hazel eyes and light brown/blonde hair; however, my eyebrows are a very dark brown. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Vanessa]

Now we need pictures of everyone to see the different brands & styles on.

 

[Angelicious]

This month's B?ɬ©same Girl appears to have that darker colouring we were discussing. (So do June & July).

http://www.besamecosmetics.com/english/vintageLooks/besameGirls/madlen.php

You may need to sign up for their mailing list to view it...

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I wanted to ad this link for the makeup in The Aviator, which was very well done. I purchased the MAC eye shadow 'Club', which was used to create the look for Jean Harlow, and I absolutely adore the color. It works very well for a 1930s eye, and looks great with my green peepers!

http://www.makeup411.com/beauty_breakdown/movies/TheAviator.htm

You can find makeup breakdowns from several other period movies on this website, but not all (like Pearl Harbor) are terribly accurate!

Also, I noticed that someone asked about shimmery eye shadows--these were available in the 1940s. I have an interesting article from a 1940 McCall's magazine that mentions the latest colors--and the word 'shimmer' was used in a couple of the shade descriptions.
However, the more ?¢‚ǨÀúexotic?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ shades were reserved for nighttime wear. It was not common for women to wear shadow at all during the day in the 1930s (they would gloss their lids with petroleum jelly instead), and in the 1940s, the preferred shadow colors were muted grays and browns.

 

[MissTayva]

Thank you for all of the information, ladies! I usually go very natural with my makeup, mostly because I don't have much practice with applying makeup and I am afraid of looking too "done up." I also have very pale skin and so the possibility of accidently applying too much makeup for my skin tone has also scared me.

I noticed some good and some bad comments regarding Benefit. I have only tried their eyeshadows and have found I like them fairly well. I've wanted to try their Dandelion powder and was wondering, is it worth the $26?

In any case, I think I need some serious makeup consultation. I was going to look at the books by Kevyn Aucoin that MissTayva recommended, but I was hoping you gals could provide some insight. As I said, I have very fair skin. I also have hazel eyes and light brown/blonde hair; however, my eyebrows are a very dark brown. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I use Dandelion. It is supposed to be used as "pick me up"... to make one look refreshed and perky... but if you are pale enough, I think it makes a great rouge. It is one of the few products I really do like.
One thing, though... I use it in the Dandelion palette. It is a tad darker than if you purchase it individually. Plus I like the eyeshadow colors that come with it (a deep shimmery plum and a light pink... another perk me up color).

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Dahlia~

I just swapped for a light pink/peach blush from MAC, called Pinch O'Peach (again, a shade used in the Aviator.) I should receive it tomorrow, and I will let you know how it looks on this ultra pale gal!

From experience though, I can actually get away with a deep rosy pink blush without looking garish. My current favorite is MAC Dame, and so long as I apply it lightly and blend well, it perks up my skin without leaving the dreaded circles of rouge Also, for years I avoided blush like the plague as my skin is naturally quite pink; however, when I discovered the wonders of foundation (gone is the ruddiness), I realized that I needed blush to avoid a ghostly pallor. Just apply a light wash of color on the apples of your cheeks for a fresh ?¢‚ǨÀúpinup?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ glow.

Because you have dark eyebrows, you can probably get away with black/brown mascara (I suggest avoiding pure black, as it looks very harsh on blondes and redheads for the most part.) However, I prefer to use a dark brown mascara from L'Oreal--it's called Double Extend and gives a 'false lash' effect, without looking silly.

For a safe bet, pick up a nice champagne shadow--a bit of shimmer is fine. For basic daily wear, I usually apply a vanilla shade to the lid/brow bone, and the deeper champagne/mink brown color to the crease (sweep the brush back and forth along the crease). This looks 'polished', but not overdone!

My one other tip is to choose a fairly rich lipstick shade; you don't have to go with bright red, but I think a contrasting color looks great against fair skin. If you do choose red (I am addicted to red lipsticks), make sure you use a liner to outline your mouth, as red lipsticks are notorious for feathering/bleeding.

To be honest, I much prefer the way I look with makeup (always a vintage look, of course ), as without it my light features seem to disappear. I was once told that those of us with monochromatic coloring (for example, light skin and light hair) should use makeup to provide definition to their features. Those with dark hair and light skin, however, should use makeup to provide warmth to their features. For the most part, I have found this to be true!

Hope this helps!

 

[ITG]

I've looked through here but couldn't find this one mentioned. Tonight I was at the naval base and picked up Clinique's Vintage Red lipstick. Gals, I love this color!!!! I'm not so sure this link below does the color accurate justice. And it just feels so silky smooth on.

It's in their Color Surge line. Just click here to see it.

 

[Dahlia]

MissTayva- Thank you for your response! I really love the scent and the look of Dandelion, but I may still shop around for now... While flipping through the September issue of Lucky magazine I found a picture of Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in "Flamingo." The blurb on the blush reads, "This pink-and-peachy powder makes you look like you caught up on days and days of sleep," which sounds a bit like the description of Dandelion. It's $8 at Target; if I try it out I will definitely give my review!

jitterbugdoll- Thank you for all of the advice! I really am excited to get out there and start trying out some new (well, new to me) looks. I think once I start to get the hang of things in the makeup department I'll be ready to take it to the next level and experiment with *gasp* hairstyles!

For everyone- I picked up the September issue of Lucky (after MissQueenie gave the heads up on their 40's looking shoes) and aside from the shoes, there is also a blurb about the Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash Bar at the Neiman Marcus in Newport Beach, CA. Apparently they have their different eyelashes suspended in cubes of lucite so that you can hold them up to your eye and see what they would look like. They also help you to put on the lashes (I assume you could opt out of this if you didn't want to wear them right then), and the magazine says the lashes run between $12 and $20 and the adhesive is $5. This sounds like it might be particularly good for someone such as myself, who has no experience with fake lashes.

Also, OPI has an ad in the magazine to their new "Chicago" line. Here's a link to the collection online: http://www.opi.com/Chicago.asp .

 

[MissTayva]

I was in Sephora over the weekend, and saw a cream blush by Nars called Cactus Flower. I didn't buy it only because I had a heaping basket full of stuff I really wanted already, but I am anxious to try it out. It's a rather bright color, but is a vintage looking coral. Plus I know with a cream I can adjust its intensity. I'll report back when I get some

 

[Kay O'Hara]

I was in Sephora over the weekend, and saw a cream blush by Nars called Cactus Flower. I didn't buy it only because I had a heaping basket full of stuff I really wanted already, but I am anxious to try it out. It's a rather bright color, but is a vintage looking coral. Plus I know with a cream I can adjust its intensity. I'll report back when I get some

Tayva, your feedback is always so fabulous!.....

So great to see you here dear!!

Kay oxxo