While the 1920s was all about dolled-up, flapper girl glamour, with perfectly waved curls, heavily kohl-lined eyes and lips accentuated with dark, vampy lipstick and liner that perfectly arched cupid’s bow. In contrast, the beauty style of the 1930s became less dramatic and took on a glamour that was more refined, thanks to the rise of popular Hollywood starlets.
A new era of beauty
The 1930’s style of beauty still retained the glamour and femininity showcased by the flapper girls of the 1920s, however the 1930’s beauty ideal took on a softer, less made up look, as women ditched their kohl-lined eyes and dark hued lipstick for a fresher, slightly more natural look, which focused more on long, fluttering lashes, a pinch of pink blush and a slick of red lipstick.
The 1930’s beauty trends were influenced by the power of Hollywood, as film became a popular dictator of fashion and beauty trends. Greta Garbo, Mae West, Jean Harlow, and Carole Lombard were some of the most popular glamour girls of the time. Women sought to recreate their chic Hollywood styles, especially their made-up faces and Hollywood curls.
The eyes and the lips
As kohl-lined eyes were the most definitive eye make-up look of the 1920’s, the 1930’s made the sparse brow as their own. Women would over pluck their brows, leaving the brow super thin and rounded. This opened up the eye area, giving women a softer, more feminine appeal.
Fashion Gone Rogue also highlights the trend towards more neutral shades of eyeshadow:
“While the 1920s was about creating thick kohl-lined eyes, the 1930s were channelled neutral shades like grey or brown eyeshadow. Eyelashes were thick and full thanks to mascara (or mascoro as it was called at the time) products which were becoming more popular than ever. Eyebrows remained thin and plucked into a thin line. It was believed that thin eyebrows conveyed emotion better on the screen.”
Lipstick was still popular during this period, with red lipstick beginning to take on its iconic status as the must-have beauty accessory. Berries and mauves were also popular shades and the underlined lip and weighted cupid’s bow of the 1920s was replaced with a full lip styled in a colourful shade.
In addition, the face was powdered with pale powder, extending the fashions for pale, powdered skin that was popular during the 1920’s Jazz Era. A matte powdered face was finished with pink or red powdered blush that was applied to the apples of the cheeks; the blush was applied in a more natural way than in the previous era, when women applied layers and layers of brightly coloured blusher to the cheeks.
Recreate the look
If you’re looking to bring in the allure of the 1930’s Hollywood sirens into your own wedding day look, we suggest going for a thinner, rounder brow and lashings of mascara. Keep your lipstick and blush in healthy shades of red and pink and dust your skin with a translucent powder for a matte finish.
