There is one beauty trend that will always be in style: vintage glam. It’s classic and simple, but beautiful and glamorous at the same time – and you definitely could say that it has withstood the test of time. The leading ladies of old Hollywood films are a perfect example of how great vintage glam looks. For me, there are four actresses from old Hollywood that take glamour to the next level, (and no, Marilyn is not on this list).Veronica Lake, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, and Greta Garbo. Not only do they star in some of the greatest movies of our time, but their style still influences us today. Let’s take a break from what’s considered high fashion (which I personally find odd and unwearable for the average person) and use these Hollywood greats as our style inspiration for a change!
Two of Hollywood’s greatest Film Noir actresses: Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake
Aside from their natural beauty, these leading ladies became known for their allure and mysteriousness in the film noir genre which they became known for- that and their gorgeous hair and ruby red lips!
For Veronica Lake’s Waves:
- Start off with straight, dry hair. If your hair is a bit frizzy, work in a little bit of leave in conditioner with some anti-frizz. You want smooth, sleek hair that says, yeah I do curls but I’ve got it under control got it? A product that works well and does not break the bank is Garnier’s line of frizz control serums/conditioners. The sleek and shine conditioner works wonders and does exactly what it’s supposed to do!
o Remember to create a deep part before you start straightening!
- To curl your hair, I suggest using a 1-1.5 inch curling wand. You can still use a regular curler, but I find the wand’s easier to use and more effective for my own hair. Start curling your hair in 1inch sections, making sure there are no tangles or fly away’s.
o Start from the bottom of your hair (the back of your neck) and work your way up to the top of your head.
o First, spray some hairspray on the section of hair and wrap it around the barrel. Once you feel the section of hair is hot on the outside, remove it from the barrel.
o Make sure you’ve got some clips handy so you can keep the rest of your hair out of the way while you curl. When you’re done, you should look like this:
- You might feel liked a poodle, but I promise it won’t last for long! Take a brush and start brushing out your curls softly, starting from the bottom layers to the top. Your end result should be something like this:
- To get Veronica Lake’s look, take a bobby pin and secure a piece of hair, on the smaller side of the part, behind your ear. Bring the hair on the other side of your head closer to your face and voila! Waves for days!
For Lauren Bacall’s Lips:
- Start off by concealing your lips just a tad. By doing this, the color of your lipstick will appear brighter and more saturated. You can also use a primer. I really like Sephora’s brand of lip primer, color for days!
- Line your lips with the same color as your lipstick. Take your time when doing this, you want a clean and defined line. As far as lip liners go, I pretty much swear by Mac’s Long Wear Lip Pencil.
o For Lauren Bacall’s look, I suggest the reddest red you can find!
- Once your lips are lined, start filling in your lips.
- Use an angled brush and a little bit of concealer to clean up any fuzzy lines and you’ll be good to go!
o Here’s a tip: If you want to make your pout appear a little fuller, add a bit of lip gloss to the center of your lips.
o Here’s a step by step pictorial:
Next are two incredible women, who became known for their beautiful and expressive eyes: Elizabeth Taylor and Greta Garbo. Elizabeth Taylor actually had a rare condition which gave her with two sets of eyelashes- even though we can’t all be that lucky I will definitely help you get as close as possible!
For Elizabeth Taylor’s and Greta Garbo’s Eyelashes:
- Start off by curling your lashes, pretty much any eyelash curler will do so I just use the Quo brand that you can find at Shoppers.
- After that, take some black mascara and coat your lashes, and when I mean coat, I mean pile on the mascara (but make sure they don’t look clumpy). The best mascara you will ever find is Benefit’s They’re Real mascara, it will change your life! Don’t forget to coat your bottom lashes too!
- Time for the falsies! After the mascara has dried, put on your fake lashes. It might take a little bit of time but it is worth it. Here’s a mini tutorial:
o Make sure you cut the lashes before you put them on so they fit the length of your eye
o Next, put some eyelash glue on the lashes with a toothpick, and don’t put too much!
o Grab the lashes with tweezers and line the lashes up with your lash line.
o Once they’re lined up, press the lashes gently onto your lash line and use the tweezers to push parts of the falsies onto your lashes. Be gentle! (You can also use your fingers: gently hold the lashes on the outer and inner part and press them against your own lash line)
o Wait a couple of minutes to make sure they’re dry.
- After the falsies have been secured, all you need is a little more mascara and your lashes will be legendary!
For Elizabeth Taylor’s brows:
- I absolutely adore Liz’s brows! They’re full and natural and still hold a beautiful arched shape.
- Make sure you start off with a groomed, natural brow.
- Take a spoolie and brush your brow hairs up and a little diagonally. If they are a little long (if they come out of your natural brow shape) just take some facial scissors and trim them a bit)
- Take some clear brow gel (I use Marc Jacob’s clear brow gel) and brush your brows with a little bit of product to set the hairs in place.
- After the gel has dried, take whatever brow product you choose (I prefer Anastasia’s Dipbrow or Stila’s Brow Pen) and start to fill them in. Make sure you follow the natural arch of your brow. I like using an angled brush to fill in my brows, it gives me more control over the amount of product I put on. You want to keep the beginning of your brows light, and gradually apply more product towards the middle and the ends of your brows.
o Here’s another pictorial:
- Once your girls are filled in, take a little bit of concealer and use a small brush to clean up the bottom line of your brows, just to define the line, and your brows will be bangin’!
For Greta Garbo’s Eyeliner
- As far as eye liner goes, I really like Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, it really does last all day and is super easy to apply. For this look, I recommend using a liquid liner or gel, an eye pencil won’t look as smooth, clean, or as well defined.
- You want to start with a thin line in the corner of your eyes. As you move toward your outer eye, the line should get thicker.
- At the outer corner of your eye, make a small wing and fill it in. Your liner should look like this:
Now that you’re all glammed up, you’ve got to find somewhere to go! You can keep it classy and enjoy some red wine while listening to the smooth sax at a jazz club, or enjoy a night out with your friends (or special someone) clubbing the night away. Either way, wherever you go all eyes will be on you. Coco Chanel once said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Ladies, you’ll be both!
Stay classy ladies,
Vanessa
Photo Sources:
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair-articles/veronica-lake-waves-iconic-hair-styles#slide-2
http://www.listal.com/viewimage/2954770h
http://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20star%20pages/Bacall,%20Lauren-Annex.htm
http://vintagehandbook.wordpress.com/beauty/1940s-makeup/
http://www.goldenhollywoodera.com/gretagarbo.php
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22155693@N04/8235416587/
http://gemesis.com/blog/liz-taylor-knew-her-diamonds/
http://www.clubfashionista.com/2013/03/elisabeth-taylor-eyes.html#