Beauty through the Ages: The 1940s-1960s

Recently I decided to research into different beauty trends throughout the years. I decided to break it up into decades and write a short summary of each, this post is part II. See part I here. I thought it would be fun to share. I owe a lot of the information I uncovered from various Youtube tutorials, Wikipedia, Glamourdaze and The Vintage Makeup Guide. I'm hoping to put together a series soon- but until then, here's all the great information I discovered!

The 1940s: The 1940s was the start of Vintage and Pinup girls beauty trends that have re-emerged in the past few years. In the 40s a new rule was to "match your nails to your lipstick" and a common color for this was red. The lips were starting to be more defined with highlighting and contouring, and cheeks were rosy pinks. Foundation was typically a shade darker, and layered with a light powder (which finally became available compact style.) Lashes were made long and full with lots of mascara. Eyebrows became a little thicker and pointer towards the forehead in a pin-up style. Eye makeup returned to lighter looks and shades, especially with the war because supplies were short and woman were working in untypical conditions.  

The 1950s: The 1950s are known as one of the most classic times for beauty- with timeless woman such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Pastel colors were very popular such as greens, blues and yellows as well as peach and pink blushes too. Big lips were very popular, usually in bright pinks or red shades. Eyeliner started to take more of a role as woman began to wear liner on their upper lid and add a small wing to the end- the beginning of the long loved "Cat-eye." Full and long lashes were the rage and some woman (like Marilyn) used falsies. Marilyn was known for her blonde hair, long lashes, beauty mark (which was fake) and red lips. Marilyn's mouth was over-drawn and she sometimes used up to 5 different shades of pinks, oranges and reds to achieve her voluptuous lips. She also used Vaseline as a lip-gloss and highlight for certain areas of her face. Audrey Hepburn was known for her naturally thick brows and "baby doll" face. She also wore fancy eye liner, lots of mascara and pink and red lipsticks. Grace Kelly was known for her natural beauty as well, especially her facial structure and cheek bones which she contoured using two different variations of blush- a lighter shade on her cheekbone and a darker one beneath. The woman during this time and trends they set are still looked up to/used today. 

The 1960s: The 1960s was the "Mod" and "Hippie" time period. This decade was all about the eyes, not the lips. This time period consisted of some more well known beauty icons like Elizabeth Taylor and Twiggy. Elizabeth Taylor is well known in this time for her 1963 film Cleopatra. Her makeup in this movie went right along with the style of that period. Blue, gray and white eye shadows were popular- especially paired together. Bold, crazy, graphic liners were also worn- in black and white (a Twiggy classic) and upper and lower lashes were long and full and usually fake. Twiggy painted her lower lashes on with a thin brush and black liner. Both woman wore white eyeliner on their waterline, and Twiggy sometimes doubled her black and white liner in a crazy cat eye. Taylor was well known for her thick and dark brows. Foundation and blush were kept light and natural along with the lips. Pale pinks lips were a popular style because they were now "second place to the eyes." 


Thanks for the visit! Enjoy your day! xoxo -Reg