The recent discussion of cultural perceptions on beauty that we had has really got me thinking about beauty and how it relates both to women and history. I’ve been paging through my own small collection of vintage magazines, looking at beauty ads and contemplating how much (and little) things have changed over the generations. Realizing too that this push towards perfecting one’s “flaws” is something that, while not new (women have been in search of things to make them “beautiful” since ancient times), has been capitalized on by manufacturers and the mass media in more recent history. Certainly the spread of media has made this more easy to market to women, which is probably why the beauty business has in part become what it is today.
While I do own quite a few beauty products of my own and enjoy my “primping” time to play with makeup, it’s an interesting to observe how things have changed and yet not. Essentially women of the 21st century are the same as their great grandmothers in the 20s; we all want to look beautiful and are willing to hand over cash in order to become beautiful thanks to the latest miracle product. Which is why I think the visual and ephemera history of women’s beauty is so fascinating: it reveals deeper layers of cultural perceptions of women, both from a societal standpoint and of the women themselves. Over the weekend I ran across two videos that I found utterly fascinating. In them is an interview with a historian who has an amazing (dare I say I’m envious?!) collection of women’s beauty ephemera dating from the 19th century forward. She makes the excellent point about the correlation between body image and women’s history when discussing these beauty products. Definitely worth a viewing if you have the time (and now I’m somewhat eager to read her book!).
I also thought I’d add a few images from my own collection to the mix as well. Isn’t it interesting how in some ways things have become a bit more subtle in the modern age? Yet they still broadcast the same message, maybe just in more “sophisticated” (by 21st century standards) ways…
Thank you all for your sweet requests for a hairstyle tutorial on yesterday’s post! I’m happy to say that you don’t have to wait for me to post one… Because this style was actually a mashup between a video I watched on YouTube and my 60s chignon tutorial. I loosely followed this tutorial for the front section from LetsMakeitUp, though I didn’t bother to curl my hair beforehand. I first sectioned the front sections off according to the tutorial, arranged the back section like I detail in my tutorial for the “bun”, and then twisted and arranged the side sections as the LetsMakeitUp video suggests. Quick and easy!
Speaking of hair, did you spot Elise’s maiden braid tutorial? Inspired by that style, I did my hair up in a similar manner yesterday, though added a side braid with the back section. The end product amusingly reminds me a bit of Princess Leia… hehe! But also a bit of the gorgeous hairstyles that were popular in the mid 19th century (first image dates to the mid to late 1860s and the second to the very late 1860s/early 1870s. From my personal collection.).
[ photo of makeup-less me (didn't feel like bothering for a couple photos) by my talented Sailor Husband. ]
I was really delighted by the overwhelming requests for a hair tutorial after I did my outfit post last week. It’s so, so easy–you’re seriously going to laugh at how easy it is! But it’s become my go-to style for most days lately, and the braiding makes it look loads more time-consuming and complicated than it is. This is a great tutorial for those of you who have longer hair too, and I think would even look really pretty on super-curly hair with little wisps coming out of the braid. Enjoy!
Any hairstyles you’re admiring lately? For me it’s all about what I can do with my long hair at the moment. I’m going back and forth between getting a few inches chopped off or just trimmed, as I’m quite in love with the length (mid back!) right now. It’s like the “perfect” length: long so I can braid it easily, but still short enough to curl and do 40s styles with. Now I just need to decide and make an appointment with the gal who cuts my hair!
I have been getting a lot of questions on my YouTube channel, here and via email about my brows recently–so I decided to make a video! This is actually part one of a two-part series; the second video on eye liner will be coming out next week (hopefully).
In the video I talk a little about how I shape my brows and the particular look I go for (a 40s “natural” brow). But I also wanted to share some other inspiration with you from various decades. The correct shape brow, if you’re going for a vintage look on a regular basis, is one of those elements that helps your look read “retro” even on days when you’re not really made up in head-to-toe vintage. I would highly suggest that if you’re still looking for the perfect brow to compliment your face shape, to focus on movie starlets and models from your favored decade that have similar face structure/eye shape to yours. Usually within whatever decade you most favor, you can find someone with a similar facial shape to yours and go from there! If you find a shape that compliments both your personal style and face shape, it is an ultimately flattering frame for your eyes–and people will notice! I personally tend most towards a brow that is similar to the ones in the 1940s collage below that are sported by Gene Tierney and Lauren Bacall.
1930s brows are generally long, thin and highly curved. Some are all one width (Jean Harlow, bottom right), others have a slightly wider inner edge and taper to a thin line towards the outer point (Olivia deHavilland, center right).
The 1940s brow tended towards a medium width and length, and varied from highly groomed (Diana Barrymore, top center) to somewhat more natural (Ingrid Bergman, bottom left).
The 1950s were the decade of the highly arched and thick brow (Audrey Hepburn, center left). Some brows were a bit more softly arched (Grace Kelly, top center), but almost all were well groomed and started out very thick at the inner corner and tapered to a medium width point at the outer edge.
If you have any questions or ideas/comments to add to this, please chime in! I am by no means an expert in this area, and everything I share is tips and tricks that I’ve discovered via trial and error…
I finally got my video successfully transferred to my computer (without having to re-record–yay!), edited and uploaded. I’m so happy I finally did this too–it’s been a long time since I’ve done a tutorial for my YouTube channel; and now that I got things figured out with my camera, it hopefully will not be the last. I have gotten a lot of comments and emails over the past month on how I did the above hairstyle. It’s an early 60s-inspired style that I came up with one weekend, and it’s become a go-to updo ever since. I promise it’s super easy–perfect for a variety of occasions and hair types! (Though it will work best with medium to long hair lengths.) I hope you enjoy this little video tutorial–do let me know if you have any questions!
