Yeah, the underlying message in this ad is kind of sick, but it gives a good example of the 1950's make-up basics:
1. Natural looking foundation.
2. Defined eyebrows. They went crazy with eyebrows in the 1950's. Heavy pencil, high arches. (Just remember to go with the natural arch in your eyebrows, don't create your own!)
3. Defined lashes, white eye shadow, little or no eyeliner. (If you wear a 'cat eye' eyeliner with this look, you will look like you have way too much make up on. A good tip is if you have light lipstick, you can pull off the 'cat eye' eyeliner, if you have bright lipstick, leave it out, and just opt for some white shadow.)
4. Coral or red lipstick. Try to find a lipstick that suits your face. A true red looks good on most: not too red, not too blue.
5. A very light blush on the apples of your cheeks. If you don't like blush, a simple old fashioned pinch on each cheek will do!
The most important thing is that every element is balanced and subtle. The lady in the image above is a little overboard. The line between elegant make up and clown make up is very thin sometimes!
The red lipstick is overwhelming for your delicate colours. It's washing out your skin, and your very lovely eyes. So blue! But then, that's what the lipstick is doing to your skin, too.
ReplyDeleteIf you insist on wearing red lipstick, you need a bit more blush, more mascara heavier on the outer edges (if you're not using a curler, start), and a tad more eyeliner. You will definitely need some light brown shadow above your eye, but without seeing both your eyes, it's hard to tell how to use it. Start fiddling with it; it will make your eyes open up.
You might want to consider a more concealing foundation, to smooth your skin tone, and good powder to finish it.
Finally, I'd recommend a lipstick shade a hair lighter and more orange to help you pull off the look better. Think Christina Aguilera in the Candyman video, where she wears a red with lots of orange in it, but still pulls off the retro red look. I don't think you need that much orange, but that's just to give you an idea of how you don't have to use pure red to get the look.
Or think Grace Kelly, a blonde with stronger coloring than you. I don't think I ever saw her in a bright red lipstick, but always a lighter, oranger shade. Grace knew that a darker, truer red would make her look horrible, so she didn't wear it. Here's a look at her, at the height of her popularity as an actress:
http://europanache.typepad.com/.a/6a00e55013678688330115712704e6970c-pi
Notice that she still has a bit of fifties to her look, but she's more timeless than anything.
You're quite pretty, but, like Grace and Aguilera, you need to work with what you have, rather than forcing your looks into a mold.