A Review of Cosmetics in American History

Timeline for the evolution of American cosmetics. Website created by Cat Riddle and Zach Thompson .sfm input {background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 8px; border: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; color: #999; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 4px 8px; font-family: calibri, helvetica, arial;}

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1940-1949

The war had made a huge impact on makeup industry. As the workplace promoted women’s employment, cosmetics were not forgotten. The development of compact makeup cases made it easier for women to reapply shades after hours of hard work. War efforts also meant that getting a hold of eye shadow became bery difficult. Many women started to create their own with soot residue and petroleum jelly. The increase in home-made cosmetics lead to an increase in new cosmetic brands being sold in stores. This promoted more competition in the cosmetic industries, rising the popularity of makeup.

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Interior of a Richard Hudnut compact, c. 1940’s.

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Makeup had to be ‘on the go’ for women, many of whom found themselves working in very ‘unfeminine’ conditions in munitions and aircraft factories on both sides of the Atlantic. Compact makeup came into establishment, making it easier for women to touch-up their makeup quickly and get back to work.

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Pin-up Look

The women’s cosmetic industry expanded even further at the start of the 1940′s. New brands like Coty and Tangee were created, competing against makeup giants Max Factor and Maybelline. Not even the war could stop the movement of cosmetic productions. The look became an original all in its own. New styles in up-do hair, bright red lipsticks and nails, and even more prominent eyebrows highlighted this era’s cosmetic looks. A new technique that evolved was the application of pencil outlining the lip line to give the illusion of fuller lips. Eyebrows were kept extraordinarily well with women all over America adding their own DIY creations, promoting originality.

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Pin-up hair became the look of the decade. Displayed on the model above in the classic Veronica look, normally worn by girls with medium to long hair. Women adapted a new hairstyle involving enormous curls to express glamour and independence.

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Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter in Captain America

Here you can see that she perfectly portrays the hairstyles typically found worn by women during the 1940s. One curl, parting her hair to the side.

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"Lipstick is your exclamation point… Be sure your lipstick harmonizes with your rouge and your nail polish." From "Good Grooming for Girls," c. 1940s.

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“Lipsticks in the 1940s were red all the way and while there were now countless shades to choose from, the final objective of any young lady in the 1940s was prominent red lips. Replacing the thin understated lip contours of the 1930s was a deep luscious full mouth.” -Glamourdaze

[apushcosmetics]

1930-1939

The need for beauty enhancing products only continued to increase in popularity. The 'lipstick effect', as it is called, originated during the Great Depression where as United States industries declined, cosmetics rose. Cream eye-shadows began to appear from the big cosmetic names like Max factor who also launched the decade with his Lip Gloss and later in 1937 – Pancake water soluble makeup. Helena Rubinstein launched the first commercial water-proof mascara in 1939. The British Daily Mail” reported in 1931 that 1,500 lipsticks were being sold to women for every 1 being sold in 1921.

[apushcosmetics]

“Many different eyelid shades which stretched over blue, bright violet, green, brown and orchid were applied. Blondes preferred blue, green or bright violet eyelid shades, brunettes used brown grease paint with faint purple for a mysterious exotic flair. For  evening the brightly shimmering eyelid shadow was applied from the upper eyelid up to the eyebrow. A dark eye shadow  was used in the crease of the upper lid and smudged slightly to create a deep set effect.” -  return2style.de

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[apushcosmetics]

Makeup Analysis: Judy Garland, 1939

She is shown here with a pale base and a light pinky blush for a subtle contour. Also, they went with heavy top and bottom mascara, paired with the classic red lip popular at the time. All together, this is a very good representation of the cosmetic style in the 30's.

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Hollywood Look

The 1930s cosmetic 'look' was heavily influenced by Hollywood movie stars, making it far more refined than previous years. The appearance was entirely taken over by the California sun-kissed, tan hues on pinkish faces. Lips evolved from a quaint rouge to more extravagant shades of dark reds, maroons, and raspberry tones. Magazines everywhere portrayed the perfect pouting face, increasing lipstick sales in all shops. The eyes became the main focus of cosmetic masterpieces as average women try to achieve the Hollywood Look. One thing in common with every style was the excessive need for pencil-thin and penciled-in eyebrows. Eye shadow expanded its color palette by introducing flirtatious pinks and vibrant greens. Every women wanted to look like the stars, portraying mature features defining women-empowerment.

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[apushcosmetics]

Max Factor was the first on the scene for the Hollywood look. As a makeup guru, he was already incorporating his cosmetics into famous movie roles of Hollywood-- potentially creating the 'Hollywood look'. His new line of deep red lipstick and lip glosses sensationalized the cosmetic industries. 

[apushcosmetics]

1920-1929

The Flapper Era distinguished a time where women broke away from societal bonds of traditional women and expressed a wilder side of life. Feminist groups took this time to voice women's empowerment and female liberation. This was a time to redefine women at large.

The idea of facial contouring rapidly also gained interest in cosmetic industries of the time. This spark led to an increase in sales of beauty books which included tutorials portraying how to properly apply cosmetics. More products also came to rise such as the popular nail polish company Revlon and the new invention of the "swivel lipstick container" by James Mason Jr which revolutionized the design and ease of lipstick tubes of the future.

[apushcosmetics]

Flapper Era

The roaring 20s was mot famously known as the "Flapper Era". Named as such for the eccentric women wearing bright, frivolous makeup. The major elements of the flapper-makeup was to accentuate the roundness of the face and the shaping of the lips. The popular pale complexion and vivid, rouge cheeks was on the face of every woman. Sometimes even excessively pale! Makeup was now being seen openly displayed on dressing tables and inside handbags all over the United States. Every pharmacy department around had cosmetics lined up on counters to peruse through. Women also used this time to recover from the horrors of war and reassert themselves with a new sense of feminine power.

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Directions for using a lipstick stencil, 1920s.

From the Smithsonian Magazine Online.

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"Shaping the mouth became a major pastime for women, with metal lip tracers being sold to help achieve the perfect pout." -Glamourdaze (X)

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Carole Lombard applies makeup on the sporting track in Run Girl Run, 1928

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The movie and cosmetic industries collided when films became color-sensitive to the actors' makeup. Movies were primarily filmed in blue-sensitive orthochromatic film, meaning that the color blue would be incredibly overexposed while the color red would be nearly indistinguishable from black.

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Famous 1920’s Eye makeup Looks

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For the first time, eyebrows were plucked and made to look thin and curved. Most women would take a pencil to lengthen their eyebrows to meet at their temples or the outer corners of their eye.

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1910-1919

There was a huge impact on women from films where Max Factor's makeup art was featured. Early flappers of post war Europe began to use more eye makeup when out partying.

Homemade cosmetics became very popular as women at home attempted to created their own face powders of oatmeal powder and starches. This promoted new cosmetic industries to bloom as makeup techniques were improved, and the stigma associated with wearing it began to slowly fade. These newborn corporations included some iconic cosmetic brands that we see today: Maybelline and L'Oreal. The 1919 era was truly the birth period of cosmetic merchandising.