Vintage 40’s Glamour

The signature 1940s red lip and rouge

The 1940s were an austere time for the cosmopolitan woman. The world had emerged from the devastating effects of the Second World War that had seen the ushering of an age of food stamps, rationing and once profitable  industries in limbo. The late 1940s however bore the promise of a return to the halcyon days long before the war. The video below is a rare jewel,  a bona fide, no-nonsense makeup tutorial for women of the time. Foundation in the Forties was virtually unheard of; most women made do with just powder to give that pale look characteristic of the era. This was coupled with a blood-red lipstick and rouge completed a woman’s makeup kit. To today’s woman, this may have seemed extremely minimalist but I think that sometimes, less is actually more. I totally love this look! It lends such an air of ladylike fragility and femininity.