I've always wanted to do an "icon" series with makeup. I guess Marilyn Monroe is a pretty fine place to start :) On June 1st, the bombshell would have been 86 years old. In her honor, I watched "My Week with Marilyn". After watching, I am still intrigued. She is flawless yet ever so vulnerable, and what girl can't relate to that? She has proven that sexiness doesn't mean you have to be a size 0 and that despite one's perception of her perfection, she was a wounded woman.
Marilyn Monroe's make-up artist, Allan "Whitey" Snyder, did her make-up from her very first screen test at 20th Century Fox to doing her funeral make-up.
Here are some tips from the one and only...MM.
Highlighting Tips:
She used a powder to highlight certain spots on her face that she liked to accentuate.
For clients that are being photographed, I use a matte highlight that comes in the smashbox contouring kit.
$45 |
Lip Tricks:
She used up to 5 different red lipsticks
at once to get her perfect red mouth. Her make-up artist would draw above the top lip curve with a white
eyeliner (use a nude if you are a darker skinned gal) to make it look larger and more highlighted.
Also, she extended her top lip liner out at an angle above her lower lip (take a peek at the pic above!).
They
would also dab a white eyeshadow in the center of her lips to make them
look fuller and grab the light, as you can see in the photo above!
EyeBrow Tips:
Marilyn's eyebrows were drawn into very pointed eyebrows, which was
because she thought she had a wide forehead (...women and their insecurities), and adding such sharp peaks
makes it look like your forehead doesn't take up so much room.
Eyeliner Tips:
This is my favorite. Her MA would draw in a white triangle on the outer corner of her eye with a white eyeliner, and blend it outwards to brighten the eye. He
also lined the waterline of her lower eye with white eyeliner, this was
a very popular trick in that era (50's), to make the eyes look bigger and
brighter on camera!
Next they
usually used a brown eyeliner (contrary to all the popular Marilyn looks
that use black), and drew the liner like I show in the red above, and
slightly below the eye--LEAVING the white space on the corner UNTOUCHED.
This trick makes the eye look wider, in combination with drawing the top
eyeliner out longer. Gives it a doll-like feel. Obsessed.
Absolute perfection.
I'll leave you with this MM quote...
Until next time...
Xo