The 1920s popularised the mascaras, lipsticks and blushes that had been created by brands such as Max Factor, in the 1910s. Makeup became commonplace on the dressers of women all across England.
Women enjoyed dolling themselves up with the latest popular hues of lipstick and blusher; adding to the glamorous look of the ‘flapper girl’ that was popular during this time, thanks to the burgeoning success of Hollywood, which really transformed popular culture during the decade. This period after WWI was a time when women celebrated their freedoms and indulged in their lust for life, part of this was embracing the glamour and luxury of dressing up and beautifying.
The 1920’s beauty look
The 1920’s beauty look was hyper feminine; women emphasised their eyes with kohl liner, lengthened their lashes with cake mascara, rouged their cheeks with red and pink blushes, layered their skin with pale powder and highlighted their cupid’s bow with special lip pencils and lipsticks. Glamour Daze sums up the beauty look popular at the time:
“Hollywood stars like Clara Bow made the cupid’s bow lip – a self shaping lipstick developed by Helena Rubinstein – popular and the image of the 1920s woman with her bow lips and dark eyes peering out from under her cloche hat has defined the look to this day. Shaping the mouth became a major pastime for women, with metal lip tracers being sold to help achieve the perfect pout. The defining look was a youthful glow to contrast the ivory pale skin, with creams, rouge papers and various liquids being sold.”
Style like an Egyptian
In addition, one of the most prominent beauty looks of their period was the kohl-lined eyes.
In the early 1920’s, King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered by Lord Carnarvon, which sparked a frenzied interest in Egyptian fashion and beauty styles, the main way in which this was emulated was through the smokey, kohl-lined eyes of Cleopatra. Dark kohl liner became one of the most popular beauty buys on the market, and women lined the upper and lower rims of the eye and smudged it out in order to achieve a seductive, high-impact look.
The 1920’s hair style
Women wore their hair in stylish crops and this period in time was all about well-styled waves; the Marcel wave, as seen on popular actresses Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, was the key beauty look of the time. Women achieved their waves by styling their hair with a comb when wet, or by curling their hair with the newly invented curling iron.
Women styled their hair with a variety of hair accessories: feathers, jewelled hair clips and sparkling head bands were all fashionable. These can be lovely accessories to bring into your own wedding day look for some real style and glamour.
Get 1920’s beauty for your wedding
When incorporating the beauty look of the 1920’s into your own wedding day style, opt for an accentuated cupid’s bow, vampy lipstick and stylised waves, in order to perfectly capture the style and charm of the flapper girl.
