The 1940s face

Out of all the vintage beauty looks, the 1940s face still remains my favorite. Makeup looks in the 40s were glamorous but still natural, with cosmetics used to softly define the face and highlight the features. I think it's a more subtle, yet still distinctively vintage, look compared to many other eras that can still easily be worn in modern day.

Some of the hallmarks of 1940s makeup are:

Photo credit: Glamour Daze

The base: Women generally applied pancake makeup, either from a compact or a foundation stick, spread evenly up to the hairline. Base products left a matte finish on the skin. Powder was patted all over the face lightly, but thoroughly, with a puff in a shade that matched the complexion exactly. Excess powder was tissued off to avoid a "floury" look to the skin.

The cheeks: Rouge was applied sparingly. If one desired a flushed look, pot rouges were applied to the skin using a "tri-dot" system and blended upwards towards the cheekbone until completely diffused. "Nothing dates you as much as too much rouge," they believed.

Max Factor's guide to applying eye makeup (1940).

The eyes: Makeup was meant to enhance the eye and make it appear sultry and alluring. Single eyeshadows were matte and applied in a soft wash over the lid and slightly up onto the brow bone, depending on the eye shape. Some of my favorite eyeshadows are the Clair Obscur shadows by Chanel. They are lovely, matte "non-color" colors that don't look too bold but add a light dimension to the eyes. In the evening, shadows in muted shades of grey and violet were used, sometimes with a hint of shimmer.

Eyeliner was very natural, applied just to the lash line to emphasize the lashes, if used at all. For a 1940s look I prefer a pencil or gel eyeliner, which creates a softer look than a liquid pen and can be blended out easily. Mascaras, either in black or brown, were applied with a brush - Besame Cosmetics produce beautiful mascaras in both cake and cream formulas that are still available today.

There was a focus on "lifting" the eyes and the face, therefore, products such as eyeliner and mascara were applied to the top lids and upper lashes only.  

The brows: Eyebrows were natural in appearance and lightly shaped to flatter the face. Most commonly, the eyebrow was tweezed into a well defined, slightly rounded arch that gave a very feminine look to the eye. The eyebrow shape was balanced, with sparse areas of brow were filled in with a pencil and then softened with a brow brush, working the product into the hairs. Vaseline was used to condition and set the brows in place.

Vintage Face: Period Looks from the 20s, 30s, 40s, & 50s.

The lips: Of course, red was in fashion. The 1940s even birthed its own shade known as Victory Red, worn by many women in support of the troops during WW2. Victory Red is still produced today by Besame Cosmetics and is one of my personal favorites to wear. It's a perfectly cool-toned red that downplays my rosacea but also doesn't wash my fair skin out of all its color. The most important thing is to find a shade of red that works well with your own coloring.   

The lip shape was full and emphasized, with a coordinating lip liner used for slightly overdrawing the cupid's bow into a voluptuous rounded shape, known as a hunter's bow. If your lips are even, you may apply straight from the bullet; if not, using a lip brush can help you achieve precise application. Start from the center of the lips and work outwards, making sure not to leave any visible areas of lip exposed near the corners of the mouth.

Traditional lipsticks had a lovely satin finish and could be blotted to create a more matte, long-wearing stain on the lips. On occasion, a light layer of vaseline was applied over top to give the lips a subtle sheen. Lipsticks that harmonized with your rouge and nail color created the illusion of being well-groomed and put together.

— TYG