My Retro Makeup Look

by - August 27, 2015


I am fascinated by the world of vintage and retro. I'm in love with past decades and centuries, so obviously I love everything old even in the fashion and beauty departments. I thought I would show you my try at a retro makeup look inspired by the 40s and 50s - a little disclaimer for those who are passionate about this style, my makeup isn't strictly accurate to the time periods to which I refer, I just took inspiration from it. I'll look more into makeup techniques of that time in the future to improve my skills!
I've made a photo tutorial, along with some explanations to make sure everything is clear - I hope you'll like it! ;)

 |The Tutorial |


| Face |

Step 1 ~ Apply medium coverage foundation on the face and neck, same colour as the skin – or a bit lighter if you have fair skin and want a more 'authentic' vintage look. I apply my foundation with a beauty blender, it gives a very natural result without using too much product.
Step 2 ~ Afterwards, apply concealer on tiny spots and under the eyes to make the skin look more even. The skin has to be as flawless as possible - did you ever see Rita Hayworth with a spot somewhere? ;)
Step 3 ~ Then to finish the face, I fill in my eyebrows with a black pencil. I know in the 40s and 50s women had thinner eyebrows, but I can't push the look too far because I'd strongly regret it afterwards! :p 


| Eyes |

Step 1 ~ I start by applying a shimmery beige base with my Maybelline Colorband eye pencil. It gives more depth to the eyes and brings light to them. I use the pencil all over the lid, then blend it with my finger because the texture is rather thick.
Step 2 ~ Then, on the corners of the eyes, I use the colour 'Buck' of the Naked palette, which is a matte brown shade, to give definition to the outer corners. I apply the eyeshadow with the eyes open to see where the crease is, and blend it out. It can be really defined or quite subtle, depending on your daring you are.
Step 3 ~ Then comes the trickiest part: the eyeliner! I use a black liner by Kiko and draw a thick line with a rather long wing. The colour has to be really black and intense, so gel liner must be the best to use for that. Afterwards I apply my mascara, I used a mix of the Roller Lash by Benefit and an  Agnes B mascara (no longer sold), to give both length and volume to the lashes.   


| Finishing Touch |

Step 1 ~ For the rest of the face, I put some Stay Matte powder by Rimmel – the ultimate step that I always do when I wear makeup. Then I apply a pink blusher on the apples of my cheeks only, I don't blend it out too high on my cheekbones to keep a natural look. Of course, you can add highlighter under the eyebrows and on the cheekbones, but I decided to skip this part.   
Step 2 ~ On the lips, I went for a bright red shade with a hint of orange undertones, from Kiko. Of course, red lipstick is forever associated with vintage beauty, so I had to use this colour for this look.


For the hair, I styled it with the pin curls technique – on wet clean hair, separate the hair in several pieces and, rolling it on your finger, create curls and pin them with bobby pins directly flat on the scalp. To protect the hair during the night, using a light scarf or a t-shirt is a great idea to keep the curls in place a limit frizz. The next morning, take the pins off the hair, and start brushing the hair lightly to loosen the curls, and using hairspray or wax, style the hair just as you want it to fall – you can either keep it loose on your back, create some victory rolls, or also pin it on the sides as I did and add a flower or two (preferably big ones, but just have small ones) on one side. Add pearl earrings, and the look is complete!  
I'm also wearing a vintage dress! It was made by my mother, who used to be a seamstress. It's got a beautiful tropical print, but I still have to be brave enough to wear it in the streets!

I'd love to know if you guys liked this tutorial! Are you also a fan of vintage looks? :D
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 ♥
Inspiration photos: Grace Kelly (left) and Max Factor add, from glamourdaze.com (right)

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14 commentaires

  1. I really like your hair in this look. I'm such a fan of the Naked palette

    Emma emhasrednails

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Emma! All the Naked palettes are great, you can get so much use out of them! xx

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  2. I love your look. The eyebrows are my favorite <3

    Have a nice day! :)

    xoxo,
    SHAIRA
    www.missdream-girl.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Shaira! I'm lucky the trend is to bigger eyebrows now :P xx

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  3. I loved your makeup look! I'm really inspired by the sixties!

    http://perlasancheza.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Perla! I'll have to do a sixties makeup/hair look too one day :D xx

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  4. You look gorgeous, like you stepped out of a hollywood movie.

    Linda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking

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    Replies
    1. This might be the best compliment I've ever had! thanks so much Anne :) xx

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  5. I love how amazingly a red lip and a winged liner go together! And I really like the look in general ^^
    Have a nice day, lovely xx

    selenaponcestyle.blogspot.com.es

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a timeless combo that works on everybody! Thanks Selena :D xx

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  6. I love vintage things and I definitely like your makeup and hair! You look stunning!

    Stay fabulous x
    http://daristo-chic.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Yasmine :) vintage things are the best things! xx

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  7. You are so beautiful and the makeup is flawless! I really like it, the lip colour is beautiful and the eyeliner is so perfect! I wish I was as skilled as you at doing my makeup. Gorgeous!
    Much love,
    Mona

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Mona for reading! Honestly this makeup isn't particularly difficult - only the eyeliner can be tricky, and sometimes I fail at doing it too haha. I'm sure it'd look great on you too, with your fair complexion! ;) xx

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