Yesterday I received
Retro Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look
in the mail, and sat down right then and there and read through it. I'm fascinated by hair and makeup of the past, and I highly recommend both of Lauren Rennell's book (
Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step-by-Step Techniques
as well).
What I have been most curious about was how to get that big '40s/'50s lip. Don't kid yourself - it's *not* a real, natural lip shape, but how do you achieve it without looking like a clown?
Don't know what I'm talking about? Observe...
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| Marilyn |
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| Joan |
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| Lucy |
These are not natural lip shapes. You can see it quite clearly in the picture of Lucy - she's quite exaggerated in her lips, especially when you compare the photo above to this photo from much earlier in her career:
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| Yup, that's Lucy... |
So...how to do this style of lip? It starts with foundation...
Start by applying a nice, heavy coat of foundation on your lips. You may wish to use concealer around the lip line (I should have), to mask the natural lip line.
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| Here are my natural, normal lips. |
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| Applying foundation |
Next, with a lip liner, draw the shape of the lips, over-drawing *outside* the natural lip line on the top lip. The goal is to make the top lip appear the same size as the bottom lip.
Retro Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look calls this shape the "hunter's bow" (as opposed to a cupid's bow)
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| Drawing the shape with the lip liner. |
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| Here is the difference - on the left is the over-drawn lip shape; on the right is my natural lip line. |
Now fill in the entire lip with the lip liner, followed by a coat of lipstick. I don't have a lip brush, so I used the lipstick in the regular tube, although you have to be a little more precise.
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| Filling in with lip liner - this will help the color stay on if, say, you eat or drink anything |
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| The lips filled in - you can see my natural lip line, which mean I need more foundation to obscure it. |
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| Filling in with lipstick |
That's it, really. If you need to clean up the edges, do so with your lip liner pencil, or a little concealer on a brush. It takes practice to figure out how much foundation to use at the beginning (I clearly needed more), and what shape will work best for you. Here is the finished lip:
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| Quite a lot different from my normal lips... |
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| It definitely takes some getting used to, but it's one step closer to getting that authentic 1940s or 50s look... |
With some doe-eyes and a killer coif, you'll be ready to go!
