Retro Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look

About the Author

Hair and makeup artist Lauren Rennells works in the photography and film industry. She freelances providing unique designs for advertisements, films, television and private clients. Her passion for beauty of the past led her to write Retro Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look and Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step-by-Step Techniques.

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Peter Gowland, one of the most incredible pinup and innovative photographers of the old days and of our days, has passed away. He was 93.

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Alice and Peter Gowland, at which time they invited me to their home in Santa Monica and talked to me about photography. Peter’s life in the photography and hollywood business started many years ago back in 1936, doing small parts, usually uncredited, but made his main living doing photography of stars, and pinup models, at his home or on set or on location.

Peter was the first person to photograph Jane Mansfield in a bikini, and has photoed many stars and celebrities through out his career. He is the son of Movie star Gibson Gowland and Sylvia Andrew, and has his own IMDB page Here.  Peter didn’t act much, he took more to photography and made a life of it. He told me he never worked a day in his life, as he enjoyed what he did.

I had the fortunate experience of spending the afternoon with the Gowland’s 2-3 years ago, when I had gone to The Queen Mary in Long Beach. There was an exhibit of George Hurrell Photo on exhibit and I was not going to miss this. At the same time I asked Alice and Peter if I could come by and buy a couple of their books and talk for a few minutes. They told me they liked to sleep in the afternoon(Nap) and that I could only stay a few minutes. Well that few minutes turned into a couple of hours and some hearty discussion about Peter’s career and innovations to cameras and the industry.

I have several old magazines that Peter is published in, talking about how to shoot pinup and the article includes photos. I had started collecting magazines with pictures and articles of my favorite photographers, one of which is a 1951 US Camera magazine, with the article about pinups in it.

I had emailed Alice and Peter a week and a half ago, I wanted to buy some more photographs from Peter and start a bigger collection of his work, and that is when I found out Peter had broken his hip and was in the hospital. Peter was almost 94! He passed the operation to repair his hip with flying colors, but a few days later Peter passed away, on St. Patrick’s Day.

I found this out Peter had passed when I emailed Alice to find out and make sure Peter made it home from the hospital OK, when I received her response back, telling me of his passing, and how devastated she was. She said being in the hospital was too much for Peter. I can’t imagine being married to someone as long as they were married, and then losing my partner. My heart goes out to you Alice.

Rest in Peace Peter Gowland, Thanks for the memories and letting me meet you, one of the hugest legends in photography.

To see all of Peters great photography and achievements please see his website:
http://www.petergowland.com

Peter Gowland

The Gowlands and Larry Darkman Clark

Jane Mansfield Gallery by Peter Gowland

 

Various Stars and celebrities by Peter Gowland
including Rock Hudson, Tina Louise, Hugh Hefner and a wall of some of peters magazine covers, part of over 1000 covers.

 

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Makeup Artist at work, Wedding Day

Why You Should Use a Makeup Artist.

Many times new photographers ask the question of “Why should you use a makeup artist before a shoot?”. I will tell you some of the reasons why I use a makeup artist with my photo shoots, and why I always recommend to client and new photographer to use a makeup artist before any shoot.

Make Your Best Impression.

When you show up to a job interview, you want to look your best and put your best foot forward. You want to make a good impression on the person interviewing you, right? The same is true when you are going to be taking photographs. With the exception that a photograph lasts virtually forever. It will definitely leave an impression on everyone who’s seen that picture, whether it’s a good impression or not is up to you.

4 Reasons why you should always have your makeup done professionally:

1. You don’t know how to do makeup very well and want to look your best.
2. It’s Your wedding day and you want to look your best.
3. It’s a photo shoot and you want to look your best.
4. It’s a modeling gig that pays and you want to look your best.

The common denominator here folks is “You want to look Your Best”.

I always suggest to my clientele to have their makeup professionally done before doing a shoot with me, you just never know when you might get something really good or you might not have a second chance to make something good. So you just don’t want your “One in a Million” chance to be a “Could’ve been a Good Shot” if you can help it.

What Makeup Can or Can’t Do for a Shoot.

I have setup shoots with models in the past who said they could do their own makeup, and when they showed up with their makeup already done by themselves I was very disappointed. I wouldn’t be able to work with these people with the way their makeup was, so that day was a scrap.

From then on I had learned if I need a model to do a shoot for something in my portfolio, I will either pay for her makeup to be done, or I will do a trade with a makeup artist for prints for their portfolio in exchange for their services. I will give you two examples of makeup that really helped with a shoot.

Example one, is a model I worked with in the past. Great model, pretty girl, but has some blemishes that needed to “Disappear” in front of the camera, so that’s what we did. We made them disappear. Minimal Photo shop in these pictures folks. I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Model: Platinum Kitten - A fetish model, MUA - Marissa Freeman, Photo: Darkman

Pretty Amazing huh? I thought so. It was a team effort here and everyone made the shoot, but what the makeup artist did was use a “Reflective” type of foundation on the model made by MAC. It had zinc oxide in the formula and when it was struck by the light of the strobe, it reflected back to the camera and virtually smoothed the models skin out. A good makeup artist will know things like this.

Example number two is a young lady who had no experience whatsoever about modeling. I liked her look for several reasons, she has a natural beauty that didn’t need much help but a little enhancement can go along way as you can see in the photo. The model also had a slightly off center nose which was corrected by the makeup artist, by using highlighting and shadowing techniques, in the photo her nose looks fine.

Model: Erin, MUA: Marissa Freeman, Photo: Darkman

The young lady in the second example as I said has a great look and with a little enhancement is a “Bombshell”. The makeup artist used shadowing techniques with her eyes as well to bring her big bright eyes down to a sultry, sexy, smokey look. Again not much Photo shop in this example either.

Getting your makeup done professionally.

When you are going to have a photo shoot there are several ways you can go about getting your makeup professionally done. If you don’t know a professional makeup artist personally, you can ask the photographer if he has any suggestions or contacts. Chances are they will and will be more than happy to refer you to a good makeup artist. If they don’t know of someone you can always look one up either online at Model Mayhem, Google Search for a local Makeup Artist, or go to your local mall. One other way of finding a makeup artist is ask your friends who just got married, or a wedding boutique. Chances are your friend may have had her makeup done on her special day, or the boutique will probably know of a few makeup artists.

When looking for a makeup artist, look at their portfolio first, ask questions, and ask how much they charge. Prices will vary according to what you need, their experience, and believe it or not, their Ego. One “Look” from a makeup artist can be anywhere from $60-$150+, and if you want more, it will be more money.

When going to your local mall or makeup counter, I highly suggest that you be honest with the ladies and guys there, and let them know you are going to a shoot. Also be prepared to Buy something of significance from them. These people make their living from selling product and they will be spending a good 45 minutes to an hour+ doing your makeup. So reward them for a job well done by purchasing some product from them. It’s a good gesture to “Pay” them for their time, if you don’t you will be insulting them.

Dress Rehearsal

One thing I can suggest before you show up to your shoot with a bad makeup job from a professional makeup artist is to do a practice run. Sometimes a professional will still need to take a look at you and try a few different colors to find the best match, or the best foundation for your skin tone. If you can, schedule a private consultation, preferably in the privacy of your own home, this way you aren’t rushed and can spend some time working out the kinks. Don’t leave things to chance, always be prepared for your shoots and give your best face forward.

I’ll leave you with a couple of photos from each of these Ladies shoots.

Enjoy…

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Pinup and Rockabilly Makeup Book List

We get a lot of requests for resources for Makeup for Pinup Modeling and just general Rockabilly makeup. So we’ve put together a list of books for just that purpose: Makeup, Eyebrows and Hairstyles. The makeup books by Kevyn Aucoin are a very good resource for several different styles of pinup, rockabilly and Hollywood glamour style makeup. Kevyn explores period pieces from the early days of film(1920’s) to today with clear instructions and makeup pieces. The Bobbi Brown books are a great resources for makeup in general including skin and face care, something I have found as a photographer, to be invaluable. You would be surprised at how many women DO NOT know about skin and face care. Got big pores, you should read this book, black heads, read this book, just need to know how to clean your skin and apply good makeup? READ THESE BOOKS.

Then there is the ALMIGHTY Eyebrow book. Ladies, if you haven’t had formal training in sculping your eyebrows for YOUR face shape, you should get this book right now. Many ladies do their eyebrows the way they THINK they should be done, but they are wrong for their face. Also it teaches how just one or two eyebrow lashes out of place can change the whole look of the face. Check it.

These books, are a valuable resources for ANY women wanting to look her very best for ANY occasion. If you are still unsure about having your makeup done before a shoot, please see this post here at Darkmans Darkroom

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Pinup Makeup: Eyebrow Video – How to Perfectly Shape Your Eyebrows

Valentines day is coming and E.L.F. Cosmetics, makers of Cheap but Good makeup, has a few specials going and will only last another 19 days. So ladies if you are in the market for Cheap but Good Makeup, E.L.F. is the place. Check out the video below about shaping your eyebrows as well as the cool specials going on at E.L.F. Makeup.

E.L.F. Also has many other videos for makeup tips and tricks, in cluding “Looks” like Hollywood Glamour, Pinup and Glamour. Check out their site for more videos. Most of their stuff is $1.

elfonomics – be beautiful for less. In today’s economy why pay more? Shop e.l.f. Cosmetics for Affordable Makeup.

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If you ever want to buy cheap makeup, but good makeup, you have to check out E.L.F.. I probably should qualify myself for this post, in saying that I know a bit about makeup thanks to Marissa Freeman. Marissa is by far one of, if not The best MUA(makeup artist) I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She really knows the different period looks and styles of makeup, and has taught me a lot about makeup in general, just from the shoots we have worked on together.

Being a photographer who does many period type shoots I always require makeup, and it’s funny to hear myself say this, but I look for good deals on makeup so I can pass the deals on to “my girls”. No really I do. So one of the makeup lines I ran across lately is E.L.F., a line that you can get online and is very affordable. Items starting at $1 each, and up. with crazy deals on shipping too.

I am going to have to put it out there that yes I did apply for an affiliate account with them so if you decide to buy, use my links to their site. Makeup can be expensive and everyone likes cheap makeup, but good makeup. You should go to their site to check out the prices and buy some of their makeup. If you do get some of their product, let me know what you think, I have had one person tell me already it’s pretty decent makeup, for being cheap makeup, I mean inexpensive makeup.

Click here to buy cheap makeup

[eminimall]

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Pinup Models and Pinup Modeling

A pin-up model specializes in provocative poses, however, pin-up photography is not pornography. It features fully-clothed women in playful and suggestive stances. Traditional pin-up art never shows nudity and prefers to leave a lot to the imagination. The women in these photos, often times smiling and friendly-looking, suggesting the “girl-next-door” look, in contrast to the more overtly sexual expression in porn. Pin-up girls are also known as “Cheesecakes.”

History of Pinup Modeling

Pin-up models became popular during the end of the nineteenth century. It was the end of the Victorian age, where women and sexuality were severely repressed. During the twentieth century, especially during the swinging 1920s, western culture began to rebel against Victorian repression and started celebrating sensuality. The first pin-up models were painted or illustrated. During the 1930s and 1940s, photographers started capturing pin-up models on film. These images converted into calendars and posters and were marketed to the masses. Posters were particularly popular with soldiers during war time, who took these posters and calendars with them overseas. The most popular pin up models were Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford, to name a few.

Types

In modern times, pin-up models are used in photography. Before photography was a popular medium, pin-up models were often the muse in illustrations. Even after the advent of photography, pin-up models were employed to model for paintings, drawings or other art work. Many people think Betty Boop, a very popular cartoon in the 1930s, was a caricature of various pin-up models during that time.

Features

The most successful pin-up model is one who can balance sexual innuendo with a deliberate innocence. Modern pin-up models are often stylized in a retro-1950s appearance. Hair is polished and reminiscent of the pin curl, or wave look. Makeup is bright, especially featuring red lips and defined eyes with heavy mascara. Clothing is also retro-inspired, in keeping with the WWII era, where fashion dictated tight bodices, pantyhose and high heels.

Misconceptions

Pin-up is not porn. It is also not a fetish. Many aspiring pin-up models are confused on the history of pin-up modeling, and believe that anyone dressed up in a retro style is a pin-up model. A true pin-up photograph leaves more to suggestion than it ever reveals.

Any model looking to get into pin-up or any other niche of modeling must be at least 18-years-old. It is necessary, for the liability of the photographer and the company that purchases the photos. Although pin-up models are fully clothed, it is sexually provocative and vulnerable minors should never be in a position of evoking lust.

Models: Jennifer, Sandee Betty and Heidi from Fresno

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Rockabilly Makeup, Hair, Wardrobe Tips

Guest Post by Marla Verdugo

Hello Dollface…

Rockabilly makeup is very bold and clean…The trick is to make your makeup look minimal.

The Eyes:

Very defined, dark, semi-thick eye brows, arch varies on your face shape.

Eyes, Lips and Cheeks Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe/Photo - M. Verdugo

For eyeshadow , I recommend sticking to nudes and pale pinks.

Feel free to pack on the black eyeliner, particularly to the top and wing it out…you may add a little on the bottom just enough to make your eye color pop.

Big and flirty eyelashes…Don’t be afraid to use falsies, especially on the outer corners…dab the bottom lashes with mascara.

*But please don’t do the super duper shadowy-colors…this drives me nuts. (Save those deep shadows  and pencil thin eyebrows for the 1920s & 1930s glam look…trust me.)

Lips:

Bright reds and pinks. Sometimes suttle is good when you just want that little innocent-popsicle-stained pout…(I personally am a fan of blue-toned reds and pinks than the ones with orange hues.)

Cheeks:

Bright and rosie and sun kissed…apply cheek color to apples and be careful not to get carried away with contouring.

Going to wash that man right out of my hair…or girl…

Hair Tips and Tricks Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe - M. Verdugo Photo - Red Carpet Studios

Well not really. Especially if you are doing an intricate style, you want to keep your hair dirty. The dirtier your hair, the better it holds.

Tools needed for victory rolls:

• Dirty hair!
• Hairspray, a setting cream or lotion (Thermasilk works great), an aerosol hairspray lots of bobbypins, a brush and a pick. (hair stuffer if your hair type needs the height and volume and curling iron if you are in a hurry).

Victory rolls can take some practice, but you basically curl hair, brush it out, backcomb, and roll it and pin it. (for more detailed tips…feel free to email me.)

Taking the easy way out…sometimes looks better. You don’t have to wear victory rolls to be a rockabilly gal…sometimes simple makes more of a statement.

• Bandanas are great statement pieces and terrific for bad hair days…tie it up like a headband, with a knot on top. Or pile your hair on your head and wrap it up like a diaper Rosie the Riveter style.
• A flower in your hair. Part your hair to one side and leave some soft loose curls in. Tuck your hair behind your ear on the side with less hair and pin a gardenia, rose or something similar.
  

  Bandanas are great for bad hair days! Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe/Photo - M. Verdugo

• Pageboy and school girl bangs. Curl your hair and brush it out and under with a round brush. If you already have school girl bangs, you are one step ahead…If not, you can create some mock-bangs with some bobby pins.
• Pony tails!
• Now if you have short hair, you can slick the sides and do a little pompadour…pomade and putty work swell.

“You have a body like a coke bottle…”

These classics will get you by.

• Jeans, (Levi’s are always the best way to go…) You can pull off a very girly-school girl look, a masculine-tomboy look, or a rebel look with jeans.  Big cuffs, whether you do a flood pant/pedal-pusher style or a long pant style…Cuff ‘em daddy!
• Shorts, high waisted and basic…lengths can be tricky…but a good girl length is just barely above the knee (with a slight cuff if they are denim.) Shorter shorts are a little bit racier (obviously) and more of a beach look.
• Both jeans and shirts can go great with cardigans….plain white tees, tanks “wife-beaters”, classic button up shirts you can tie up in a knot to show off your tummy. Or if you want to keep warm or are more of a tomboy or rebel, throw on a flannel.
• Full circle skirts are usually more for the goody-goody type…
• And form-fitting dresses will definitely have you turning heads…
• Leather motorcycle jacket (faux is fine of course!)

Shoes

• Saddle shoes
• Peep toe high heels
• Converse high tops in black (chucks)
• Basic black flats
• Basic white tennis shoes (similar to classic Keds)
• Cowboy boots

Have fun!

About the Artist:
Marla Verdugo “Cupcake” is a makeup artist, hairstylist, wardrobe stylist and photographer. She specializes in vintage inspired looks from the 1920s – early 1960s, but does not limit her creativity to one genre. She enjoys working on her own projects as well as collaborating with other artists. She has been doing makeup for the San Diego Charger Girls for two years in a row and also enjoys styling high fashion and editorial shoots. She keeps herself grounded and humble.

The number one advice she would give to you is to have fun! Number two is that if you are going to a photo shoot or it is a big event for you…trust a professional. Especially for photoshoots, it is always a great idea to keep your stylist at hand when possible.  Stylist are able to keep an eye on things that you (the model) or the photographer may not catch…hair out of place, wardrobe malfunction, the list goes on.

To see some vintage/pinup inspired  and other looks created by Marla Verdugo, check out www.marlaverdugo.com and www.myspace.com/cupcakephotoglamour You may contact her at luckycharms@hotmail.com

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