inspiration
Due to the second world war, women took over many of the male’s jobs in factories and
on the land, whilst the men were at war. For this reason, it was popular for
make up to be fuss-free and ‘on the go’ compacts were popular because of this,
and the 1940s saw the first powder compacts and ‘cake mascara’ compacts. As
lipsticks were often matte, ladies often added Vaseline to their lipstick
application to achieve the lustrous shiny lips of the on-screen sirens of the
decade, such as actress Rita Hayworth
traditional lip colours
The 1940s has a look all to its own. Confident up-do hairstyles, redder than red lipsticks and
nails and prominent arched eyebrows.
Lipsticks in the 1940s were red all the way and
while there were now countless shades to choose from, the final objective of
any young lady in the 1940s was prominent red lips. Replacing the thin
understated lip contours of the 1930s was a deep luscious full mouth.
Despite war rationing, women began using makeup from the teens onwards. Just twenty years before – this would have been unthinkable. Women were encouraged to keep buying lipstick and to send letters to the front covered in ‘lipstick kisses’ to boost the moral of the soldiers.”
Declaring “makeup to be necessary and vital” to
the US war effort. So happy days for American glamour. However women were
encouraged to ‘bulk buy’ in case of shortages. Developing new makeup products
though were forbidden under the WPB limitations. Makeup was not rationed in the
UK but was extremely scarce -so women had to make do sometimes with homemade
efforts. One exception to the ‘new cosmetics ban’ was in the USA. Elizabeth Arden was asked to create
a makeup kit for the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve.
She brought out a rang of lipsticks like Victory
Red and Montezuma Red
lipsticks which matched the red shade of the scarf, arm insignia and hat cords
on their uniforms.
Rationing in the UK meant many everyday
items were hard to get. But
rather than go without, women got creative. Makeup substitutes included burnt cork for mascara, cochineal
or beetroot juice for lipstick, bi-carbonate
of soda for deodorant and gravy
browning for leg tint were just some of the ways British women kept up
appearances.
Lipstick was
seen as “good for the morale of the nation” both in Britain and the USA. Women
were applauded for the use of lipstick (seen as keeping femininity while
carrying out men’s work) and adverts encouraged women to wear lipstick. In the
United States, lipstick survived rationing after women protested the War
Production Board’s plan to ration it. The Brits were not so lucky – lipstick
was in short supply and very precious! Petroleum
jelly was used to add a sheen, as well as protect lips.
Rationing didn’t end as
soon as the war finished and, for some items, continued until 1954 in Britain.
Things slowly but surely came back into regular circulation after the war and
more makeup products started to reach the shelves, eagerly bought by women
whenever possible.
 lip shape |
| http://www.return2style.de/swingstyle/makeup/40amimup.html |
Joan Crawford’s lipstick
shape, known as “the smear” or Hunter’s
Bow, was created by Max Factor for Joan in the 1930s and was
much copied into the 1940s. Going to the pictures was a popular way to spend an
evening and the glamour of the movie stars was admired and copied by women
everywhere.
The overall makeup look of the 1940s was
natural, from pale to slightly tanned skin tones, penciled in brows, a lashing
of mascara and a rosy glow to the cheeks, topped off with a splash of red
lipstick glamour. Whatever a woman’s background or class, they always made an
effort to look groomed with what little they had. Lipsticks were also really
staining meaning a little lipstick lasted a long time – perfect for wartime
skimping. It wasn’t just the lipstick colour, but the shape of the lips that defines the 1940s. After the dinky lips of
the 1930s, the fashionable forties lip shape was the Hunter’s Bow – it was deep,
rounded and full, influenced by the stars of the screen. After the war, new lipstick colours started to come
in, including lighter colours. Lip
pencils started to make their mark in the late 1940s, simply used to
create a lip line which was then filled in with lipstick.
lip colours
Wartime meant
eye shadows were hard to come by, so homemade solutions were found. For
example, to create a soft and smoky eye
shadow, women could burn a candle under a saucer, producing a sooty
residue which could then be mixed with petroleum jelly. After the war,
more coloured eye shadows started
to be seen, especially blues and greens. Eye liner started to be worn on the upper eyelids in the late
1940s
http://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1940s-makeup/
http://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1940s-makeup/
 iconic eye makeup |
http://www.return2style.de/swingstyle/makeup/40amimup.html If I were to do a look for this for TV or film, I would make sure to focus on the eyebrows, lips and hair as I think they are the most iconic factors of this makeup look |
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