How to get the Great Gatsby Look: Makeup tips and video

Art-Deco Glam

 

The most memorable wedding I've ever been to was an art-deco themed, flapper style wedding in a little town off the sourthern coast of Spain.  The bride wore a fantastic beaded gown, the groom looked dapper and the crowd was simply magnificent.  Everyone dressed up to the tees in historically accurate hairstyles and beaded flapper dresses and the best part was- it worked! It worked without looked campy or costumey!!

I wore a black ruffled dress, a hot pink feather boa and lots of beads while el hub dressed as a gangster with a cigar dangling from his mouth...we danced all night along.

Ok, getting back to the original reason for this post..with the release of The Great Gatsby, art-deco fashion and makeup has stepped back into the limelight.  I thought it'd be fun to put together a list of makeup tips to get you looking like a glam flapper.

Hope you enjoy stepping back in time....

 

1920s' Makeup

Clara Bow, Louise Brooks and Marion Davies were the original "it" girls paving the way for the signature look of the roaring twenties- Deep cupid bow lips, dramatic eyes, thinly drawn eyebrows, blushing cheeks and alabaster skin.  Face powder was used with a passion to achieve a very matte look while eyebrows were probably plucked to oblivion.  As mascara hadn't been invented, ladies used a "spitblock" to darken their lashes.  Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like and I'm so glad we don't use it today!!!

Marion Davies

Clara Bow

Here's what you'll need to get the look:

Lips: Deep berry or burgundy lipstick (MAC Rebel or Milani Sangria would be great choices) .  I'd draw a small cupid's bow with a berry lipliner and then use a lipstick brush to apply the lipstick. 

Eyes: Dark gray eyeshadow or a deep cool brown (without any red tones).  Sweep across the lid and buff up towards crease.  Interestingly, the twenties were all for droopy eyes instead of the lift that we aspire towards today!  Apply the dark eyeshadow along the lower lashline too so that the eyes look rimmed.  You're shooting for "owlish" eyes, I kid you not..

Brows: If you have thick, hairy brows (mine are like chubby caterpillars),you can conceal them with a heavy cake concealer or wax based concealer.  Set them with powder before drawing on the eyebrows.  If you have thin brows, you could try "soaping" to get the hairs to lie flat.  Take a bar of soap, add a few drops of water to it and using a spoolie, gently apply the soapy lather to your eyebrows.  MUAs all over the world use it on runways and fashion shoots because it works! Conceal using your regular concealer and then using powder or pencil, draw thin arching eyebrows across the eyebrow, extending slightly lower at the ends to get the "droopy" look.


Face:  Cameras were ancient back in the twenties and starlets applied tons of cake makeup on their faces to highlight their features.  If you don't have a cake based foundation, thinly apply 2-3 layers of liquid foundation instead.  Use a lot of powder, preferably one or two shades lighter than your skin, to set.  Sweep a bright pink or peach blush on the apples of your cheeks- don't take them beyond the apples/sweep them along your cheekbones towards your ears.  Milani's Coralina or Dolce Pink blushes are great, inexpensive choices for this look.

 Here's a helpful tutorial I found on YouTube that nicely demonstrates the techniques used to achieve the classic 1920s' look:

Have fun with this look and let me know if you're looking forward to the movie..I know, I am...

have a beautiful week,
B