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Hello again, my lovely followers—I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! After a short vacation, I am back with the first in a new series of vintage face how-tos. Each beauty breakdown will focus on a different starlet with suggestions for modern day products to get that vintage look. This week, we’ll take a look at one of my favorite stars, Rita Hayworth. With her cascading red locks and captivating screen presence, it is no wonder that she continues to be adored!

This photo of Rita in costume for The Loves of Carmen shows her in full Technicolor glory. To recreate this look, create a smooth canvas using the foundation and powder of your choice. Then, dust a warm coral or crimson shade of rouge on the apples of your cheeks—Ben Nye Red Hot, La Femme Peach Sparkle, . Nars Cactus Flower, Ben Nye Red and Coral, and NYX Red Cheek lovely cream rouges also worth checking out. You may also choose to contour your cheekbones slightly to bring them out to their full advantage; a slightly too dark shade of foundation or pressed powder will work well.

Now, onto the eyes; Rita’s are made up with warm, bronzy colors that echo the rest of her makeup. Eye shadow possibilities include Ben Nye Terra Cotta, MAC Haux, Woodwinked, or Coppering in the crease, with a matte beige shade, such as Ben Nye Shell, applied to the brow bone. Warm gray liner is softy applied to the upper lids (try Ben Nye’s cake liner in Charcoal), with white liner on the lower waterline to highlight (both Rimmel and NYX offer inexpensive white pencil liners). Her brows are neatly defined with a deep brownish-auburn shade—try Maybelline Expert Eyes in Medium Brown or Ben Nye’s brow pencil in Dark Brown (Shu Uemura Hard Pencil in Seal Brown is a fantastic option if you prefer to use a more neutral, taupey-brown shade on your brows.) Finish with two coats of black mascara and if you desire, false lashes.

Rita’s mouth has been carefully lined and filled in with a creamy, warm red shade; Revlon Fire and Ice, Julie Jewett Belle Noir, or MAC Lady Danger are good choices, and can be paired with Rimmel Red Dynamite or Julie Hewett Belle Noir lip liner.

So there you have—a breakdown of suggested products for recreating this classic look. I’d love to hear from any of you who try it out—please let me know what you think!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Over the past few weeks I’ve discussed methods of applying period makeup, as well as some of my favorite brands.  This week, I’d like to talk about an easy way to beautify our makeup bag, if you will—vintage compacts.

The  elegant compacts of yesteryear are still readily available today, and are a wonderful way to add extra glamour to your day.  When it comes time for a powder touch-up, nothing makes you feel more like a movie star then taking out a filigreed, enameled, or rhinestone-encrusted compact! 

Vintage compacts are generally designed for the loose powders of the day, and can often be found with a mesh screen or metal door that contains the powder and keeps it separate from your powder puff.  The simplest way of using an antique compact is to fill it with a loose powder of your choosing, and, if the mesh screen is missing (or there is no “door”), use a tissue or cut a piece of mesh to fit.  If you don’t use loose powder or would prefer to carry pressed powder for touch ups), you have a couple of options; the first is to custom blend a pressed powder, and the second is to find a pressed pan that will fit into your vintage compact.  As old compacts can often be quite tiny, you may find the former to be the easier option.

The process of making your own pressed powder is quite simple actually, and you can easily press any loose powder of your choosing.  You can also create your very own custom shade (and ladies of all skin colors can relate to how difficult finding a perfect match can be) by blending two of more shades together.  You can even use regular baby powder, adding a tinted powder like Ben Nye’s Pretty Pink to create a soft white shade. 

To begin, mix your loose powder with alcohol in a small dish,  and form a soft paste.  Then, press this paste into the bottom of your compact, taking care to fill the pan as evenly as possible.  You can use a textured paper or mesh to press a design into the top, if you so desire.  Allow the powder to dry thoroughly, and that’s it—you have created your own pressed powder!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Greetings once again, my faithful Makeup Mondays readers!

Last week I talked about one of my favorite retro-inspired brands, and this week I’d like to talk about another of my favorites, Joe Blasco.  This particular brand is known as a “pro” brand, meaning that it is frequently used in the film and photography industries.  Although pro products don’t come in glamorous packages, they tend to be top quality products that deliver superior colors and finishes—these should not be overlooked!  You’ll find that the higher pigment-to-filler ratio will allow you to apply a thin layer of color that looks and wears superior.

Joe Blasco is a professional makeup artist who started in the makeup business in 1964.  After graduating cosmetology school he went to work for the Max Factor Cosmetics Company as a travelling salesman.  As we know, Max Factor was the artist who refined the cosmetics manufacturing process for film, and his products were the first to be adapted for “home use” ( when the movie stars he worked with began taking his cosmetics home, he realized there was  an untapped market.)  Mr. Blasco  soon left that job, and with $50 in pocket, travelled to Hollywood to work as a makeup artist.  In 1967 he took a job as an instructor at a small makeup school in Westwood, and at that time realized there was a need for a course that taught motion picture and television makeup artistry.  During this same time, Mr. Blasco also apprenticed with major professional cosmetics manufacturing firms as a cosmetics chemist and compounder; he eventually introduced his own line of cosmetics in the 1980s.  As I was researching this artist, I found it interesting to note that he does not claim to use only his line of makeup though—you have to respect him for pointing out that artists always use a variety of products to suit their, and their clients’, needs!

The Joe Blasco line is filled with a number of wonderful products well-suited for period makeup use.  A personal favorite of mine are the Ultamattes; these dry creams are wonderful for shading and lining the eyes, and can be used on the brows as well.  The color Eddie Leonard, named after a Max Factor Pan-Cake  shade popular in the 1960s, is a warm, rich chocolate brown tone perfect for pale blondes and redheads who have trouble finding the right shade of eyeliner (this is a staple in my kit and I use it nearly every day.)  Both Grey Violet and Dark Grey make excellent shadow choices, and Taupe and Medium Grey Brown (this name is a bit of a misnomer, as there isn’t a hint of gray in it) are wonderful as well.  If you are interested in exploring this product, be sure to read my earlier articles that cover application.

Another favorite product of mine is the Dry Blush; these are smooth, wonderfully-pigmented shades that blend like a dream.  Many of the shades offered are fantastic choices for vintage looks; be sure to check out Flamingo, Orchid, Puff, and Dust.   

Joe Blasco also makes a high quality cream foundation called Ultrabase,  and although the very fair sadly won’t find a color match here, this product is still worth looking into.  Pro cream foundations are to be applied in very thin layers, and can look amazingly natural while providing full coverage.  And don’t forget the colorless loose or pressed powder; this is a must in any makeup bag as it will set your makeup without altering the colors (translucent powders do have enough of a tint and can change the color of your blush and shadows slightly.)

Check out the Joe Blasco line at www.joeblasco.com and www.megamakeupstore.com.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee