Picture borrowed from the lovely Miss Matilda I’ve been a makeup junkie for as long as I can remember. I think my slight obsession with cosmetics is due in part to the fact that I was not allowed to wear much makeup as a young teen—and when you are a pale blonde, makeup is a bit of must to prevent one from disappearing into the woodwork! Neither my mother nor my sisters ever wore much makeup either, so I am glad I discovered the wonders of brow pencil and mascara through trial and error, tee hee.
Over the years I have refined my tastes, and as I delved farther into the vintage lifestyle, I worked very hard at perfecting the styles of the 1940s-50s. There is something so elegant about perfectly sculpted brows and shockingly red lips, and the nuances to be found in the different looks are quite fun to explore.
The first red lipstick I bought was Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow, a color released in the 1950s and still available today. I was 19 and had recently discovered Marilyn Monroe when I came across a book of photos in a used bookstore. I thought she was so pretty, and something about her curled hair and innocent wide eyes sparked a new interest in style in me (I was not a fashion plate by any means as a teen, being more obsessed with horses and not in the least a follower of the crowd.) Since that fateful purchase, I have bought many a tube of red lipstick, and amassed a large collection of other products as well!
Anyway, I’ve rambled on a bit, so let me give you a list of my top ten makeup favorites :-)
1. Lip Ink in RedNot a traditional lippie, this liquid lipstick is more of stain that lasts for ages without smearing, pulling a disappearing act, or transferring to your glass or beau! The Red shade is like MAC’s Ruby Woo (my favorite traditional lipstick.)
2. Maybelline Expert Eyes Brow Pencil in BlondeI have used this brow pencil for many years—it’s an excellent product that has stood the test of time!
3. La Femme Blush-on Rouge in Pink VelvetLa Femme is a pro brand that is highly pigmented, and comes in a wide range of colors, many of them perfect for vintage looks. The best part is—it’ll only set you back about $3!
4. Joe Blasco Ultamatte Liner in Eddie Leonard A fantastic cream cake liner that is nearly budge-proof. Eddie Leonard is a warm dark brown shade named after a shade of Max Factor Pan-cake used in the 1960s as eye shadow. An excellent color for fair blondes and redheads.
5. Cinema Secrets Kolinsky Brush in #2 Filbert The perfect brush to apply liner, especially the Ultamattes. Allows you to apply the line as thin or thick as you like, with perfect definition. Can be used to smudge the line, too.
6. Shu Uemura Eye Shadow in M Beige 820 The perfect pale, neutral beige brow shade for platinum blonde. Makes a great contouring shade for the ultra pale too!
7. Clinique Champagne, Lucky Penny, and Rum Spice Shadows I reach for these on a regular basis, and use them often in photo shoots.
8. Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Dark ChocolateI have very sensitive eyes, and many mascaras make them water terribly. Lash Power is one of the few that doesn’t bother them, and because it is a tubing mascara, it doesn’t smudge or flake either. And, it comes in a great dark brown shade!
9. Graftobian High-Def Cream FoundationAnother pro product that comes in a huge range of shades at a very inexpensive price ($11 for a full-sized pot.) provides excellent coverage (can be built up or sheered out to your liking) and it photographs well too.
10. MAC Eye Shadow I like MAC’s shadows a great deal as well—some of my favorite shades are Vapour, Malt, Naked Lunch, Haux, and Woodwinked. They have a great recycling program too—return six empty cases and receive a free lippie (or shadow or gloss at freestanding stores) of your choice!
Well, that’s all for now; I do hope you enjoy this entry and I welcome your comments and questions!
