Certain beauty icons such as Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, and Aubrey Hepburn just to name a few, are some of my favorite inspirations to learn the best vintage beauty tricks from. These women had an appeal to them that many women today don’t have; a certain kind of beauty that’s rare, unique and to each her own. If you’re looking to achieve a classic and vintage look in your beauty routine, try some of these simple vintage beauty tricks that come from the best. After all, these women weren’t idolized for just anything. Their looks are what set them apart and they didn’t try to conform to one certain look, but instead wore their best features in a beautiful way.
Snapshot Survey
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:
1. The Perfect Pout
Past beauty icons all used one of my favorite vintage beauty tricks of all. Developing the perfect pout on your lips is key to achieving a face that gets noticed. Whether you apply a bold or neutral color, be sure to select both lipcolor and gloss. Lipliner is a little outdated, unless it’s neutral and blends in with your lip shade. Spread lipcolor all over your entire lip and place a plumping lip gloss over it. No more heading out the door with clear gloss or Chapstick girls! If you’re going to the gym it’s one thing, but if you’re going somewhere special, try perfecting your pout with this simple trick.
***
Vintage beauty tricks have been used for centuries to enhance beauty and make women look their best. One of the most iconic and timeless tricks is the perfect pout. This trick involves using both lip color and gloss to achieve a full, luscious lip. A bold lip color is recommended, but if that’s too daring for your taste, a neutral color can be used. Lipliner is also an option, but it should be used sparingly and only if it blends in with the lip color.
Once you’ve selected the perfect lip color and gloss, apply the lip color all over your lips and then top it off with the gloss. This will help to plump up your lips and make them look fuller and more kissable.
The perfect pout is a great way to make a statement and draw attention to your face. Whether you’re going to a special event or just to the gym, this vintage beauty trick is a great way to make sure you look your best.
2. Bedroom Eyes
Every man out there seems to like this look, but it’s also one of my favorite looks for myself! Bedroom eyes are nothing more than sultry eyes. This is easily achieved with a lighter color eyeshadow base and a darker color in the crease, along with dark eyeliner and mascara. It gives your eyes depth and dimension that you won’t get from anything else. Also be sure you select a volumizing mascara for more dramatic effects. I like Loreal Voluminous and Hard Candy Ginormous, which make your eyes look larger, your lashes look longer, and they don’t flake off.
***
Bedroom eyes have been a popular look since the 1950s. This sultry look is achieved by using a light eyeshadow base with a darker color in the crease to give your eyes depth and dimension. Add dark eyeliner and mascara to complete the look. For more dramatic effects, use a volumizing mascara such as Loreal Voluminous or Hard Candy Ginormous. These mascaras make your eyes look larger, your lashes look longer, and they don’t flake off.
In the 1950s, women would often curl their eyelashes with a heated eyelash curler to give them a more dramatic look. They would also use a cotton swab to apply a light shade of eyeshadow to the inner corner of the eyes and a darker shade to the outer corner. This was followed by applying black eyeliner and mascara to the top and bottom lashes.
In the 1960s, women would often use false eyelashes to give their eyes a more dramatic look. They would also use a light shade of eyeshadow to the inner corner of the eyes and a darker shade to the outer corner. This was followed by applying black eyeliner and mascara to the top and bottom lashes.
Frequently asked questions
3. Curves
This vintage beauty trick might not have anything to do with your face, but it’s one to pay attention to girls! Curves are pretty on a woman. Repeat that! Curves are pretty on a woman! If you already have them, great! If not, just add some calories to your diet and start doing squats and lunges. In no time, you’ll have shapely hips and a great looking bottom, the natural way. No diets, no calorie counting! Curves are found on all beauty icons, and are one of the qualities that made them so desirable. It was actually said that Marilyn Monroe ate certain fats each day just to maintain her curves. That’s right girls, she ate fat on purpose!
4. Curly Locks
Do you ever notice that vintage beauty icons had curly hair? It could have been loose or tighter curls, but either way, they knew curled hair was a sign of beauty and force. It showed elegance, collectivity, and beauty in a way that straight hair never could. All you need to achieve that look are some hot rollers, which give you a more elegant look than a curling iron does, plus all you do is put your hair up, do your makeup and take down your rollers. Finger brush your hair, and you’re done. No more burning your hair with a curling iron or a straightening iron anymore!
***
The allure of vintage curls harks back to the era of silver-screen sirens, their hairstyles a cascade of glamour. Marcel waves were also prevalent, an early 20th-century trend that added sophistication to any look. These curls weren't just about fashion; they were a statement of femininity and poise. The process was simple yet impactful—set the scene with a charming headscarf while your curls form, ensuring each lock finds its shape. This timeless technique infuses classic charm into modern styles, a nod to the tradition of effortless grace.
5. No Tan
One thing I adore about vintage beauty icons is they had perfectly clear, and almost porcelain skin, like Snow White. Their pale color isn’t found in most women today, but that clear, porcelain skin isn’t too hard to achieve. Eat healthy, unprocessed foods, avoid greasy foods, stay out of the sun and drink plenty of water-rich beverages. Your skin will clear up in no time. If you can, add fish, almonds and roobios tea to your diet. Each of these have different anti-wrinkle, and anti-acne effects to your skin that you’ll notice just in one week. Stay away from sugar, the sun, alcohol and processed foods. Your skin will look great and you’ll probably feel a lot better too!
***
One of the most iconic beauty looks of the past was the porcelain complexion of Snow White. To achieve this look today, it is important to watch what you eat. Eating a healthy, unprocessed diet is key for clear skin. Avoiding greasy foods, limiting sugar and processed foods, and drinking plenty of water-rich beverages can help you achieve that perfect porcelain complexion. Adding fish, almonds, and roobios tea to your diet can also have anti-wrinkle and anti-acne effects. It is also important to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays, so make sure to wear sunscreen.
Aside from diet, there are also a few other tricks that were used by vintage beauty icons. For example, many of them used cold cream to help remove makeup and cleanse their skin. Cold cream is gentle and can be used on all skin types, so it is a great choice for a cleanser. Additionally, vintage beauty icons used to use a mixture of honey and oatmeal as a face mask. This combination is great for soothing and calming skin.
6. Glowing Skin
Another vintage beauty trick to achieve beautiful skin is to achieve that glowing look and not from a suntan. Dry skin isn’t appealing, but is very easy to fix. All you need is a good moisturizer, illuminating cream and be sure to use a body oil, or a lotion with light reflective emollients. I like coconut oil for my body oil and light reflective face creams such as L’Occitane products, Oil of Olay and Garnier which all make great skin care items.
7. Big Hair
Another favorite vintage beauty trick that’s still popular today is big hair. Women embraced their big hair back in the day, and this look has a certain amount of glamour to it that straight stick hair never will. Big hair is bold, it’s feminine and it makes a statement.
8. Black Eyeliner
As I mentioned, bedroom eyes are best achieved with black eyeliner, but even as a stand alone trick, black eyeliner is one to replicate for a truly vintage look. Most beauty icons embraced eyeliner with full force, and usually in black. Even if applied lightly, black eyeliner makes a gorgeous beauty statement that draws attention to the eyes and adds depth.
9. Contouring
Chiseled cheekbones don’t come naturally to everyone, and that’s okay! You can easily achieve that contoured look just through your makeup. By using contour creams and powders, you can easily achieve a chiseled cheekbone that most beauty icons embraced and adorned. This adds definition to your face and adds dramatic appeal.
With a few vintage beauty tricks like these, any of us can be ready for a night out in just a few minutes! Do you have a favorite vintage beauty icon?
Comments
Monica: Clearly Monie is not African American (or she would not call herself colored!!!) I am a full blooded African American woman and I agree with Neecey Beresford. Race is only brought in to a situation like this by racists!!!! I am African American and we celebrate our color. The second best selling “Black” magazine is called “Ebony”, the 5th is “Jet,” and seventh is called “Today’s Black woman.” We celebrate our skin color. I wish this article was about Caucasian in racial terms. Caucasian women should celebrate their color like we celebrate ours. I have never seen a magazine called “Porcelain” or “Pale face”
Monie: I was in love with this app until this article. The author totally disregarded all African-American readers, and everyone else who can't ever achieve "snow white skin". If I'd written this article, I would've kept the snow white portion but right after it, I would've put in some tips for people with earthy pigments. This has disgusted me, there are way more ppl of color in the world than white (be it mexican, black, indian, etc.) this author made it seem like whites are the only ones that exist. Unfuckingbelievable.
sleagle: Regarding the lipstick I meant which lip color brand/shade name is the model wearing in the glowing skin picture?
Kelci: I don't think the author made a mistake by saying Snow White skin, as opposed to just clear, unblemished skin. She said what she meant, just as she said add calories and do squats to gain curves. Although, both opinions come off as silly and naive, I doubt she was trying to be offensive. Live and learn!
Janae: Snow White skin? Yeah, that's something that needed to stay vintage..beautiful clear, BROWN skin should be on there too. Paler is not better..
sleagle: Add comment
Morningglory: To the women complaining about pale skin being mentioned in the article, pale girls get mocked in a way it isn't okay to denigrate dark skin tones. We are expected to tan, or use self-tanners (even though neither is really healthy) otherwise even main stream media articles find it okay to mock celebrities for being "pasty" or "pale." Sometimes pale girls need a little affirmation that it's okay to be the color we were born instead of altering ourselves. Pale girls get really negative comments sometimes about skin tone and when you're so light your veins show unlike everyone else in the world it can cause lots of self-consciousness. This article wasn't meant to be racist. The instruction for "Snow White" complexion was to eat and drink right and to stay out of excess sun. That's reasonable advice for anybody.
:
Feedback Junction
Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge