In this grim time, the world of movies came to aid people and help forget their troubles. Five cent movies allowed nearly anyone to spend the day at the cinema. These movies were glamorous entertainment designed to uplift the spirits of the public to much happier places, even if it was for only one or two hours. These movie heros and starlets were never poor or hungry; they danced, drank expensive champagne, and wore only the absolute best costumes of gowns and furs. The 1930's buried the once deadly vamp look and gave birth to a softer more appealing style.
Complexions were still pale but had a faint kiss of pink or peach made it's way to the starlets cheeks. Dark colors were replaced with pink blush, rose or rasberry lips. Eyebrows were still high and long but smoothed and shiny with petroluem jelly.
There were two looks in the 30's- the elegant lady or the fresh faced girl next door. Women's makeup and hairstyles reflected both of the possiblities. It helped women who wanted to switch roles for the evening or even a new lifestyle. Max Factor was the man behind the makeup. His salon on Hollywood Boulevard brought in clients like Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Marlene Dietrich, and Claudette Colbert. With being credited to inventing cosmetic necessities like pancake powder and mascara, it is said Max Factor also coined the term "Makeup."
In 1935 Max Factor and his son created his famous, breakthrough foundation 'Pan-Cake". This product was widely advertised by the glamourous film star Lana Turner, promising "it does everything you have always wanted a makeup to do." Factor also came out with two gimmick in the 30's, the 'Beauty Calibrator' was a torturous looking instrument which was used to measure beauty to an precise degree, and the 'Kissing Machine' that measured the pressure of lips leaving an imprint of the shape of one's mouth. Revlon was created in the 30's and was the first to commericalize nail enamel. Original nail polishes just slid off the nails, until Revlon developed nail polish with the help of a chemist. The company produced seasonal fashinable colors and by the end of the 20's they sold matching lipsticks to each colors. Germaine Monteil introduced makeup and skin care products in 1935 targeting middle-class American women. Monteil taught "Beauty is not a gift, it is a habit." She introduced many women to a more modern beauty regime with her "Preview, Combination, Set" collection that included a day facial cream, a night facial cream, powder puffs and a gentle cleansing cream. Hundreds of new products were being launched in all different price ranges in the 30's, leaving most all cosmetics available and affordable to most women. There was great competition between brands
With movie stars made up unashamed, the cosmetic concept moved into mainstream society. Ordinary women were no longer afraid of using powder, lipstick, macara or blush. Makeup had another bonus for women during the Depression. The price of a tube of lipstick was fairly cheap so a woman could treat herself with something that would boost her confidence as well as improve her appearance. A woman's goal then was to marry or attempt the workforce. Women believed they needed every advantadge when it came to looking just as glamorous as those on the silver screen. With the easily accessible movie cinemas, people were influenced by the fads and fashions of Hollywood. This resulted in the sky rocketing of makeup cosmetics being widely used and spread all throughout the country.
For my neutral look I decided to go with the fresh-faced girl next door look. I did a very neutral lid. During the 30's eye shadows were being advertised based on the color of your hair. They said blondes would prefer blue tones, brunettes preferred violet/purples hues, and redheads used more greens. Well I am a brunette so i used a eye shadow very close to my skin color on my lid and brow area and I mixed a light lavender shadow with very little bright bold purple color to create a dim, light purple which worked out wonderfully. Here's my look.
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