This is a 1920’s flapper girl look I did for a college
newspaper article thingyyyy. I thought it would be perfect to do a blog post on
this look with it being so close to Halloween – this makeup is so quick and
easy to do and would make a great “last minute Halloween plans” costume. Throw
on a feather headpiece and it’s the perfect Great Gatsby-esque look! Being a
history student and makeup lover, with a particular place in my heart for the
20’s, I’m hugely interested in makeup through the eras and the Jazz Age was one
of the most innovative times for makeup trends. This post is going to include a
list of the products used and a little more information on makeup at this time
if you’re interested!
The 1920’s is such an exciting period in the makeup world! A
new century had brought new inventions, (like the traditional swivel lipstick
in a tube we use nowadays!) and heightened feminist/ suffragette movements
along with female employment in typically male dominated fields made women
embrace their right to wear as much makeup as possible. The Great War had ended
and makeup was no longer seen as solely for harlots, it became commonplace for
the everyday woman. The look I’m doing is a very dramatic and stereotypical of
a flapper girl performer at this time, most women would not have worn their
makeup to this extent on a daily basis but the techniques applied for all of
those who wore cosmetics! I think it’s important to mention that this look was
really only sported in the states. I’m not sure about the UK, but I know
Ireland was extremely conservative in regards to women and their looks at this
time, so you can bet there wasn't a woman in Connemara rocking a smokey eye!
I chose not to photograph a step by step tutorial for 2
reasons; a) it is SO simple... seriously guys, the messier and more blown out
the better – no winged liner and no fuss! And b) my most recent Autumn FOTD
(linked here with step by step photos) is the exact same concept and placement.
The only difference is with a 1920’s look, keeping the eye shape circular and
rounded on the edges is key – blown out but not winged out! The desired eye
look of that time was a very heavy down-turned, almost “sad” eye. This was aided
by the very overly plucked, thin and rounded brows of the time. I chose not to
glue my brows down and redraw them because thin brows just aren't my thing. You
can of course keep yours true to their natural shape and it will still look
good, but if you want to keep it historically accurate then that’s something to
think about! Remember that you can always take different bits of this tutorial
and alter them too suit yourself and your preferences… there’s no harm in a
modern day flapper girl!
