Simple, Natural 1930s Makeup Guide

Glamorous eyes for day or night

Today we have a special guest post by vintage makeup expert Gabriela Hernandez, Founder of Besame Cosmetics. I asked her to give us a simple guide to creating 1930s makeup for both day and evening looks. This is not a sponsored article, although I may receive a small commission if you purchase Besame makeup through any of the following links. Thank you for your support. 

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When we watch classic movies from the 1930s and 1940s, we can’t help but feel that life was more glamorous then.  I’m quite sure that real life for ordinary people like you and me was actually far from glamorous – we lead much more comfortable, convenient lives today. But the difference is that in the 1930s and 1940s, fantasy ruled. Led by the motion picture industry, the optimistic illusion was sustained that life was indeed glamorous, in spite of the extreme hardships of The Great Depression, the Dustbowl, and World War II.

Natalie Wood

Back then, movie stars always looked like movie stars. When they weren’t on camera, they were photographed playing tennis in pristine, perfectly fitted tennis whites, or in fabulous nightspots, wearing equally fabulous evening clothes, furs and diamonds, and sipping martinis. Today’s era of the rich, famous and unkempt, hanging out in Starbucks in their saggy sweat-pants, is a very different world indeed.

1936 red lipstick

When we offer classes in 1930s and 1940s makeup at our Besame boutique in Burbank, it’s always with this bit of caution: the look of those eras is quite artificial compared with our own. This degree of artifice is what makes the retro images so glamorous. We recommend that you think carefully about doing anything to your appearance that can’t be easily undone with a washcloth. Specifically, for instance, eyebrow tweezing. Don’t overdo it, because a natural brow may be hard to grow back.

We’ve created a range of versatile cosmetics that are excellent to achieve these looks—and I’m including tips on how to integrate some of the techniques of the 1930s and 1940s into a wearable look that you can enjoy every day.

1930s Makeup: Powders

1930s pale skin and red lips define 1930s beauty

Foundation: A very light complexion with a delicate pink undertone is considered the ideal.  Although Coco Chanel had made the Riviera suntan a status symbol in the 1920s, the goddesses of film kept their skin super-pale. To achieve it, white or ivory-tinted powder, or rice powder, was applied on top of classic “vanishing cream.”

Jean Harlow

For deep skin tones the selection of beauty products was limited but quickly growing. Brands such as  The Overton-Hygienic Co. made the high-brown line of face powders.  Valmor Health Products Company started made the Sweet Georgia Brown line and Madam Jones line of makeup and beauty product. The Lucky Heart Company also made face powders and hair products in the late 1930s. La Jac by Keystone was yet another new brand.

1930s Rouge

Blush: Rouge was used sparingly, if at all. The desired effect in the 1930s was not rugged, wholesome or outdoorsy, so bright pink cheeks were not in vogue. A light application of cream rouge (apricot for day, raspberry or rose for a slightly more flushed look) can approximate this studied effect using today’s products.

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1932 makeup with light rouge on the cheeks

For an authentic 1930s look, use just a bit of cream rouge high on the cheekbone, and finish with a pat of translucent powder.

1935 dry rouge powder by Savage

1930s Makeup: Eyebrows

1936, Helen Wood shapes her eyebrows with an eyebrow brush

The brow of the 1930s is extreme—super-skinny. As was true in the 1920s, the brow is plucked into a single, thin line. In some cases, the brow is shaved off entirely, then drawn in with a pencil. The difference: in the 1920s, the brow was penciled in lower on the temple, and the line was often straight across. In the 1930s, the arch was made much higher, forming a lofty half-moon shape, and the outer edges winged out (Jean Harlow is a very glamorous example of how this brow was worn).

A reality check: This is a very artificial effect, like Harlow’s monochromatic platinum-blonde hair, which required weekly dye-retouches. We don’t recommend that you literally replicate this aspect of the look, though it is an important aspect of the period history.

1935: American actress and singer Ethel Waters

1930s Makeup: Eyes

In the 1930s, women used olive oil or a dab of petroleum jelly on their eyelids for a bit of shine. For more daring effects, especially at night, deep blue, green, and purple, sometimes with flecks of mica or other metallics, were worn around the eyes— check out Liza Minnelli in “Cabaret” for a more recent, but very well-informed interpretation of 1930s hard-edged nightclub glamour.

1930s daytime colors for every hair color

Eyeliner pencil was a standard beauty must-have in the 1930s. Often, the entire upper and lower lid were lined in brown grease-pencil.

Heavy evening eyeshadow

1930s Nina Mae McKinney heavy eyeshadow

1930s Makeup: Eyelashes

Dark lashes were desired, and henna was often used to create a long-lasting stain. Sleek and slim lines were preferred, and thick lashes were not the desired look. The look of the era was a defined, separated lash that could be sharp or curled, with an emphasis on the individual lashes standing clearly in a stark row.

1934 Maybelline eye liner and mascara

You can create this effect today with cake mascara or cream mascara, in black or brown.

June Lang applying mascara

1930s Makeup: Lips

Unlike the flapper’s round “bee-stung” pout of the 1920s, the lip-line of the 1930s was longer and sleeker. Often, the upper lip was exaggerated into a sharp “bow”— Joan Crawford, in particular, became known for her “overlip,” where the vermillion (or naturally pigmented part of the upper lip) was enlarged with opaque lip color.

1930s bee stung lips

Early film was not especially sensitive, so sometimes actresses wore black lipstick in front of the camera to create contrast. The lipstick worn by women in real life was almost always red and needed to be applied with a lip brush, then blotted because the formula was heavy.

Full, pouty lips for the 30s. Overdrawn with a lip brush.

Applying lipstick, blotting, then reapplying is still the best way to achieve a lasting red lip. A brush isn’t needed if the lipstick has a chiseled shape. Use the thin edge to outline, and the wider, flat surface to fill.

1930 Noir Red Lipstick – A deep plum red, good for dramatic nightlife.

1931 Carmine Lipstick – Orange-red for gold or olive skin. A summer, daytime color with shine.

1935 Cherry Red Lipstick – Rich cherry red. A classic 30s-40s shade.

1937 Fairest Red – A rose red inspired by Snow White

1936 full red lips

1930s Makeup Guide

Use this handy guide to create an easy 1930s makeup look.

1930s Makeup Guide

Move on to 1940s makeup guide or back to the 1920s guide.

More 1930s Makeup and Beauty Products

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by Gabriela Hernandez, Founder of Besame Cosmetics

Author of “Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup” (Schiffer Publishing)

Gabriela Hernandez is an artist, beauty historian, and the founder of Besame Cosmetics.  Gabriela started the Besame brand in Los Angeles in 2004, where the cosmetics are manufactured. She frequently consults with the television and film industries regarding how to create authentic period effects on-camera. As a beauty brand, Besame translates classic looks into wearable makeup for today’s woman. Gabriela also designs all of Besame’s classic packaging and offers how-to’s in historic makeup techniques at the Besame boutique located in Burbank, CA. www.besamecosmetics.com