Tuesday, March 15, 2011

THE RELOVT OF THE GIBSON GIRL: 5 Steps to Recreating 1920's Glamour

The ROARING TWENTIES: The Revolt of The Gibson Girl 
And how to get this look in 5 Steps


Cosmetics and makeup looks in the 1920's are iconic by their use to create specific looks such as painting lips the shape of Cupid's Bow, Rimming the eyes with Knol Liners and using Bright red blushes on the cheeks. 

That heavy made up look of the 1920's was a retort from the demure, feminine Gibson Girl look of the pre-war period. in The 1920's an international beauty culture was established and society progressively focused on novelty and change. The Fashions of the times influenced films, theater , are and even Literature.

And it seems that women found a new need to wear more makeup as  the postwar sex ratio created a new significance on sexual beauty. and as women began to enter the professional world, publications that catered to beauty and fashion  encouraged women to wear makeup in the desire to look your best while competing with men for jobs.

The use of lipstick became widely in demand when Marurice Levy in 1915 invented the metal lipstick
container (tube). It was also available  in salve, liquid and stick forms as well as long lasting enduring stains that were quiet popular. At this time the more NATURAL lip gloss was also invented, which used bromo acid to create the red effect as it reacted with the wearer's lips. And did you know that flavoured lipstick was also all the rage with Cherry being the variety most used.

The 1920's also set in motion the development  of many other products that showcased that decades trend with shaping the mouth. get this they made Metal Lip Tracers (we would say stencils?) that came in various sizes to please the wishes of who ever used it.  Created all in the name of perfection and flawless lipstick application.


The "CUPID'S BOW,' created by Helena Rubinstein that was marketed as the "self- shaping lipstick, that when applied formed a perfect Cupid's bow. And the birth of the mirrored lipstick container was also brought  to the army of women who all  strive for the perfect lips. Prior to the 1920's cheek color was that of the messy elixirs blushes that where set aside for the creams, powders and liquids and rouge papers that became all the fashion, as with the invention of the spill proof containers and the compact powder blush was here to stay. To day we are seeing a move back to tint, cream and liquid stains for cheek color. I love it.




Here's A How to in 5 steps to create that 1920's look that's inside you. Have fun with it.
Step 1
Find and apply a foundation in your skin tone that will give your complexion a creamy, perfect look. You may have to use an older variety, such as pancake, or a cream meant more for theater than for everyday use. To allow your skin to breathe, thin down cream foundation by moistening your sponge before dipping in the base. If your skin is naturally porcelain or alabaster-toned, play it up.





Step 2
Darken and turn your eyebrows slightly downwards with an eyebrow pencil or even eyeliner that is darker than your actual brow color. Thin eyebrows were fashionable in the 20s, so this step works most accurately if your brows are already on the thin side. If not, you don't have to start tweezing away--you can cover your brows with a 1920s-style hat or with bangs chopped straight across as part of a bob cut. or you can use a glue stick or wax that's made for pressing and laying down your brows then cover with foundation , powder to set and draw them in.

Step 3
Smooth on your usual eye makeup primer before applying a dark eyeshadow from lash line to crease. Pick a gray-based shadow to keep your eyes on the sooty side, which is what you're aiming for. Use a black kohl eyeliner on both top and bottom lash lines. Don't scrimp, you want all the dark tones to meld together. Color top and bottom lashes with blackest black mascara. You want them dark so as to appear like you used paint to blacken them. You may want to use a waterproof formulation for all of your eye makeup to avoid unwanted smudging as much as possible.



Step 4
Find a cheek stain or cream blush with touches of red in it. You are going for a rouged look; if red is too strong for your coloring, raspberry or rose are alternatives. Rub blush into apples of cheeks. Blend away hard edges, but make sure the color is still evident, as though you just walked in from the cold.

Step 5


Apply pale pancake foundation over clean and exfoliated lips. With a waxy dark red lip liner, create a 1920s mouth by exaggerating the Cupid's bow on your top lip. Draw your lower lip as slightly plumper than it really is by extending slightly on the bottom. Draw both upper and bottom lips as shorter on the sides. Fill new lip shape in with pencil before layering matching lipstick over it.









CHECK this out! Benefit Cosmetics makes a new lip pencil to help you create the perfect CUPID'S BOW. I have used this and it works amazing to help you creat a realistic 1920's lip or to jazz it up and make it your own.

So try it, you know you want to, bring out your inner Clara Bow!
mykie xoxo

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