How Much Was Makeup In The 40s

Rounded red lips, more than any other aspect, seem to ascertain the archetype 1940s makeup look. In that location is, of course, more to the vintage look than red lipstick. So here's a look at women's 1940s makeup, including how the war affected product availability. Canny women invented and "fabricated do" to go along upwardly appearances – a state of war was not going to stop them from having a little glamour!

Influences on Women'south 1940s Makeup

Wartime Rationing

The decade started with much of Europe at war, with other nations worldwide presently joining the battle. Information technology had an affect on women'south 1940s makeup due to restrictions and rationing.

Wartime restrictions impacted everyday life – and cosmetics were no exception. Shortages of booze meant less cologne. Fats and oils meant even soap was rationed. A fundamental ingredient in munitions was glycerine, taking it away from cosmetic production.

"Such strange things disappeared. No pilus clips, curlers, no condom pins."^[i]

Packaging was also affected every bit metal and plastic were needed for the state of war endeavor and non readily available for the cosmetic needs of a nation. Some cosmetic companies even made items for the war effort. For example, Revlon factories made showtime-help kits and dye markers for the U.s.a. Navy.

Rationing in the UK meant many everyday items were hard to get. Just rather than go without, women got artistic and used substitutes.

Makeup substitutes included burnt cork for mascara and cochineal or beetroot juice for lipstick. Similarly, British women kept up appearances by using bicarbonate of soda as a deodorant and gravy browning for tinting legs.

"The stockings did nothing for morale, they were quite dreadful thick cotton wool 'plated' with rayon. We preferred to tint our legs with dilute gravy browning and draw a 'seam' upward the back with eyebrow pencil." ^[2]

When cosmetic supplies did reach the shops, the word would soon get out – and women would queue for hours. Old theatrical makeup found in 2nd-hand shops was even better than zippo.

Rationing didn't finish as soon as the war finished. For example, it connected until 1954 in Britain for some items. Even so, things did slowly but surely come up back into regular apportionment. More makeup products started to reach the shelves, eagerly bought by women whenever possible.

"We had no real cosmetics so nosotros dyed our legs to expect like stockings and wore beetroot juice for lipstick…." ^[3]

Patriotism

Lipstick was seen as good for the morale of the nation, both in Uk and the USA. Women using lipstick were applauded, seen as keeping their femininity while carrying out men'due south work.

"There wasn't much in the style of make upwardly, merely a bit of Pond'due south cream and a dab of lipstick."^[4]

Makeup brands embraced selling patriotism – and red was, of course, the well-nigh patriotic of the colours. For instance, Elizabeth Arden produced a series of products in near 1941 called Victory Ruby . The tag line was, "Victory Red… a cute new red to brighten today and challenge tomorrow."

In the United States, lipstick survived rationing later women protested the State of war Production Board'due south plan to ration it. The Brits were non and then lucky – lipstick was in short supply and very precious.

Film Stars

Going to the pictures was a popular way to spend an evening. The glamour of the film stars was admired and copied past women everywhere. Additionally, movies were now in colour – assuasive women to see the shades worn by their favourite moving picture stars.

The popular lipstick application shape of the era is the Hunter'southward Bow . Information technology was also known as the "smear" and was created in the 1930s by Max Factor for extra Joan Crawford .

Film & Women's Magazines

Motion-picture show magazines such as Photoplay and Modern Screen showed the lives and mode of Hollywood stars. They as well wrote most the latest beauty and fashion trends.

Ladies magazines had beauty manufactures and manner pages. They also showed everyday women at work in their work attire but notwithstanding managing to wait glamorous and feminine.

Film stars oft featured in adverts for hair and beauty products, as the brands had long realised that famous faces sell products.

Classic Women'due south 1940s Makeup Look

The overall 1940s makeup look was reasonably natural, topped off with a splash of red lipstick glamour. Foundation was natural or leaned towards a gentle sun-kissed tone, with a very subtle, natural rosy glow to cheeks.

Shaped eyebrows were of medium thickness, brushed and gently coloured in. Eyeshadow was subtle, finished with a bear on of mascara on the lashes.

Color harmony between products was pop. Primarily, information technology was pilus colour that would dictate which colour range to opt for, although heart colour and costume shade were likewise important. Beauty guides also advised to color-match one's lips, cheeks and nails to 1 coordinated shade, rather than beingness unlike.

Any a woman'south groundwork or grade, they ever made an endeavour to look groomed with what little they had.

1940s Makeup Elements

Foundation

1940s foundation colours were either natural or designed to add a healthy glow. A natural dominicus-kissed or slightly tanned wait was popular. Block products came with a matte end, but some were advertised as "having a sheen".

Ultimately, Max Factor's Pan-Cake was the 1940s foundation winner. Initially developed for the moving picture industry, once actresses saw the results on screen, they wanted to use Pan-Block off-screen. Seeing an opportunity, Max Factor launched Pan-Cake to the public in the late 1930s – it was a huge success.

In 1948, Max Factor followed Pan-Cake'south success with the public launch of Pan-Stik – a foam foundation in a tube that was like shooting fish in a barrel to employ. It was another product first developed for filming before beingness released to the public shortly afterwards.

Powder

Loose and pressed powders were available to gear up the foundation and eliminate unwanted shine. A pressed powder in a compact would be used to top-up while out and about. Inspired by seeing flick stars doing it in their films, ladies would happily pulverisation in public.

Eyebrows

The eyebrows were groomed, shaped and defined with a brow pencil.They could exist arched or rounded in shape.

1940s brows had much more to them than the thin, over-plucked brows of the preceding decade. However, they were not left overgrown, too wide or total.

Forehead pencils came in blackness and chocolate-brown, and information technology was OK to extend the outer curve of the brow line a piddling if wanted. Eyebrow pomades were available to continue unruly brows in cheque, although Vaseline could too be used.

Eyeshadow

Wartime meant eyeshadows were difficult to come by, so women used bootleg solutions. For example, to create a soft grey eyeshadow, they could burn down a candle under a saucer, producing a sooty residue to mix in with petroleum jelly.

Colours during the war tended to exist limited and on the more muted side, similar grey and brown. Some greens, violets and blues were available.After the war , more colour options started to exist seen, specially in the evergreen shades of chocolate-brown, blue, violet, and dark-green. In that location were also more fancy colours, such every bit gold, that would be suitable for evening habiliment.

The application was simple. For a commencement, one eyeshadow colour would exist selected and applied to the eyelid with a finger. It was then blended out and towards the eyebrow.

However, it was not winged out dramatically and would only be taken always then slightly across the outer corner of the eye. Likewise, there was no shadow in the crease or highlight under the brow – women wore one colour only.

Eyeliner

During the war, whatsoever eyeliner created was subtle and mainly used to emphasise the lash line a little. Initially, a brow pencil was used equally an eyeliner, and colour choices were limited to blacks and browns.

Towards the terminate of the decade, eyeliner started to be worn more obviously on the upper eyelids. A more than definite line backside the lashes was the trend. Additionally, extending it outwards to create an almond shape was gaining popularity.

This look continued into the1950s and was known every bit the "doe-eyed look". Equally this trend took off, more than eyeliner products and colours came onto the market. Eyeliner pencils were now bachelor in diverse shades, including dejection, browns and greens.

Mascara

Eyelash products came in blacks, browns and dejection. Block cake mascaras were still very common and cream mascara came in a tube to be practical with a trivial castor. It was mainly practical to the upper lashes but could be used on the lower lashes too.

Lipstick

Red, crimson, red! Information technology was the colour of the 1940s. In that location was variation in the reds seen over the decade, including those with undertones of blue, brown, orangish, and pink.

The darker reds and brick reds were very popular throughout the decade.After the war, new lipstick colours started to come in, including lighter shades and more than pinky-reds. Women yearned for brighter colours later on the drudgery of state of war. Lip pencils also started to make their mark in the late 1940s, used to create definition and shape rather than an obvious line.

The lipsticks were matte. If a smooth was required, a woman could apply a dab of petroleum jelly over the top. At that place were also products bachelor such equally Lip Pomade by Max Factor.

The shape of the lips as well defines women'due south 1940s makeup. After the dinky lips of the 1930s, the fashionable forties lip shape was deep and rounded – known every bit the Hunter'due south Bow.

Joan Crawford and other motion-picture show stars wore this look and information technology was fashionable throughout the decade. Lips would be overdrawn to create the shape, especially if a adult female had thinner lips. There were alsolipstick applicators to help a woman create the perfect bow shape.

Rouge

Rouge came in cream and dry formulations. Pressed powders came in little paper-thin pots or as part of a compact. Popular colours were the groovy, coral and pinkish tones.

Colour would be applied lightly on the apples of the cheeks and composite out. Information technology gave cheeks a soft and natural-looking glow. Heavy and obvious rouge was not the thing during the 1940s. Rouge was also applied effectually the confront to create a softened contour.

As rouge was non always bachelor during the state of war, women would utilise lipstick to add a hint of colour to their cheeks. It would last quite well as lipstick could be staining.

Nail Polish

Nail polish colours were mainly available in shades of ruby-red, including darker reds, pink-based reds and corals.Other colours were available, such every bit gold and dark green, but the reds were the pop colours. A colourless polish was the topcoat.

Generally, painted nails matched lips and cheeks. Beauty booklets and magazines advised women to harmonise to be color right. Additionally, the dazzler brands produced collections of products in their latest colour, so it was easy to match nails, lips and cheeks.

Legs & Stockings

Nylon stockings were in short supply in wartime as the war try needed the nylon. Never to exist browbeaten, women created the illusion of stockings with leg makeup and a pencil line drawn up the back of the legs for the seam.

It was fiddly, so not all girls used a line – fifty-fifty only colouring their legs was ameliorate than nothing. After the war, stockings came dorsum with a vengeance.

"Similar the other young women, I drew black lines downwards the back of our legs to pretend we were wearing stockings. These were imposable [sic] to get until the Americans Forces arrived."[5]

Originally, leg makeup was made to create a tanned expect. It then became liquid-stockings makeup due to the lack of real stockings.

For those without proper leg makeup, legs could be stained with household products – for instance, tea, gravy browning and watered down Camp Coffee (made from chicory). Women could also apply cake makeup to the trunk. No doubt women made it look fabulous – until caught in the rain!

Find Out More

Women's 1940s Hairstyles: An Overview.
Photographs of British Women in the 1940s.
Hair & Beauty Adverts from the 1940s – adverts show us the classic vintage 1940s hairstyles and makeup looks.
Read more about the 1940s on Wikipedia.

Sources:

[i] [2] © Constance Thousand Galilee [3] ©Florence Fryer-Kelsey [iv] © Marian Whatton [five] © Irene Currington. WW2 People's War – an online annal of wartime memories contributed past members of the public and gathered past the BBC. The archive can be constitute at bbc.co.britain/ww2peopleswar.

Corson, R. (2004).Fashions in Makeup: From Ancient to Modernistic Times.Peter Owen.

Peiss, K. (2011).Hope In A Jar: The Making of America'south Dazzler Civilisation.Kickoff University of Pennsylvania.

Sherrow Five. (2001). For Appearances' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty and Preparation. Greenwood.

Source: https://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1940s-makeup/

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