Pin-Up Girl Make Up

We recently did the hair and make up for a client who was heading out to be the star model for a Pin-Up style photoshoot. This inspired me to write a HOW TO for you to recreate the look yourself, so read on to find out the key attributes of Pin-Up Girl Make Up…

Here is a photograph of our lovely client Rebecca Watson from her recent Pin-Up Style Shoot

1950’s Pin Up Make Up Never Out of Style

This makeup was most popular in the 1950’s. Think of the style icons of the era such as Bettie Page, Veronica Lake, Marylin Munroe, Jayne Mansfield, Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth, to name but a few! Today the women most renowned for continuing to make this classic look appealing and glamorous are Dita Von Tesse, Gwen Stephani, and Katy Perry. Celebrities aside, the style is frequently reinvented for runway and editorial and has its heart within the ever-growing Burlesque/Pin-Up sub-cultures.

What You Will Need to Create the Look

Bettie Page

1. your choice of foundation
2. nude eyeshadow
3. one contour eye shadow (optional) in either peach, taupe or charcoal
4. black eyeliner
5. eyelash curler
6. black mascara
7. false eyelashes
8. bronzer and/or peach or rose blush
9. red lipliner
10. red lipstick
11. a selection of make up brushes – not sure about which you will need? Have a look at our Top 5 Make Up Brushes.

Step by Step Application, with a few handy tricks

1. Beginning with freshly prepped and primed skin, apply your foundation and concealer.
2. Dust on a loose translucent powder with a powder brush to set foundation/concealer.
3. Apply nude eye shadow over entire eyelid.
4. With a circular contour brush, apply your contour eye shadow colour to the crease of your eye, creating a light shadow effect.
   

   1950’s Inspired Runway Make Up

5. Apply black liquid or gel eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush. The trick with the flick/wing at the outside corner of the eye is to rise from the lashline about 3mm before its end so that the wing does not travel in a downward direction too much before extending out.
6. Apply a thin line of shadow to the lower lashline with the contour eyeshadow colour, or alternatively create the line with a pencil of your choice that is a similar shade to the contour colour. The secret is not to make the lower lashline too heavy as the look needs to stay fresh with the focus on the upper lashline and red lips.
7. Curl lashes with a curling wand and follow with 2 coats of black mascara, ensuring to coat the lashes from roots to tips.
8. Apply falselashes to add drama to your eyes and enhance the overall make up. Have a look at our blog post on WASP eyelashes for some lash-spiration!
9. Define eyebrows with either browdust or pencil, whichever you prefer. Ensure that the eyebrows are even and there aren’t any stray hairs distorting their shape.
10. Now it is time to add a sweet hue to your cheeks, focusing the brush on the peeks of your cheekbones and blending out along the top of your cheekbones.
11. To create the perfect 1950’s red pout start with a ruby red lip liner. The best way to apply lip liner is to start in the centre of your top lip and create the shape of the cupid’s bow, from this point jump down to the middle of the bottom lip and create the line for the bottom of the lip. I usually then jump back to the top lip and line the sides of the lip starting from the inside corners and joining with the first lines made on the top lip. Jump back to the bottom lip and repeat this until you have lined the lips completely.
12. 

    Precision in Application for 1950’s Glamour

    The next step is to fill in the lips with the matching lipstick colour, do this ensuring that you blend in the lip liner.  It is a good idea to add only a tiny amount of lipstick to your brush at first, this will allow the brush to glide over the lips and assist with blending in the lipliner. After that step is complete, add more colour to your brush and apply a full coat of the lipstick. The lips within this look appear matte, so you can blot the colour with a tissue and reapply the lipstick to ensure great coverage, staying power, and then re-blot to eliminate any unwanted sheen.

13. Wah-La! Gorgeous feminine 1950’s make up is yours! Now all you need to do is make sure your hairstyle is authentic too!

Rebecca Watson vamping it up 50’s Pin-Up Style!

This look is all about precise application, so pay attention to the details and with a great application, you will look as glamorous as the pioneers of this classic make up look!