Hello again!
I’d like to share with you my first YouTube tutorial that I released about a month ago. Before I released this video, I was working in Singapore at Universal Studios impersonating Marilyn Monroe. So, seeing she’s such an icon and she has such timeless, stunning makeup, I decided to user her makeup as an inspiration for my first tutorial.
I researched the makeup techniques and products she and her Makeup Artist Alan “Whitey” Snyder used to achieve her beautiful makeup, and included them in this tutorial. For how to do this makeup from scratch, please watch the tutorial.
In the meantime, in this post you’ll find full product list used in the tutorial, as well as information about makeup in the 1950’s, Alan “Whitey” Snyder and the real products Marilyn used.
I hope you find it as fascinating and enjoyable as I did!
Love Charlotte x
Products used in this tutorial:
- SMASHBOX Photo Finish Primer
- Makeup Forever Liquid Lift Foundation #2
- Napoleon Perdis Foundation Stick (Look 1)
- Napoleon Perdis Pro Palette Concealer
- Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish (Porcelain Girl Look G2)
- Chanel No5 Eau de Parfum
- INGLOT Freedom System Eyeshadow Matte 353
- INGLOT Freedom System Eyeshadow Matte 373
- INGLOT Freedom System Eyeshadow Pearl 453
- Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow (Blonde)
- MAC Eyebrow Pencil (Lingering)
- Napoleon Perdis Pencil Eyeliner (White On)
- Napoleon Perdis Lip Liner (Rococo Red)
- Kryolan Liquid Eyeliner
- Benefit “They’re Real!” Mascara
- Ardell Demi Wispies Black
- Too Faced Matte Bronzing Powder (Chocolate Soleil)
- MAC Sheertone Blush (Pink Swoon)
- INGLOT Soft Precision Lip Liner (59)
- Lime Crime Lipstick (Glamour 101)
- Napoleon Perdis Divine Goddess Lipstick (Xenia)
- Napoleon Perdis Lip Laquer (Clearly Glam)
- Almay Liquid Eyeliner (Brown)
- Nail Scissors
- Teezers
- Napoleon Perdis Colour Disc (Skinny Dip)
Brushes used in this tutorial
- Napoleon Perdis High Definition
Foundation/Concealer Brush g20 (2x) - Napoleon Perdis Full Coverage Brush g12
- Napoleon Perdis Buffer Brush 24r
- INGLOT 4SS
- Napoleon Perdis Contour Brush 16b
- GlossProfessional Blending Brush
- INGLOT 6SS
- Brow Comb
- Napoleon Perdis Angle Brush g5
- Designer Tools Classique 217-24W
- Models Prefer Blending Brush
- Scott Barnes Contour
- Lip Brush
- Flat Eyeshadow Brush
Makeup in the 1950’s
The 1950s was the decade of femininity and women.
The women of the 1950s had been deprived of beauty and luxury because of the war in the 1940s.
The men returned from the war to beautifully made up women, with hour glass figures, curve hugging outfits and a more pronounced evocative use of makeup such as Marilyn’s famous ‘bedroom’ eyes and her kissable full lips.
Makeup took a massive leap in the 1950s adding new products and colour palettes such as eye shadows containing shimmer and pastel eye shadows in blue and green. The first mascara like those we use today was invented in 1957 by Helen Rubinstein, as well as the first non smear lipstick released in 1950 by Hazel Bishop.
Makeup and cosmetics evolved a lot during the 1950s, starting out with only a few brands, and some brands such as Max Factor, Estee Lauder, Revlon, Rimmel and Elizabeth Arden forming into major companies. The start of the decade started out with vibrant reds and cherries and minimal eye makeup which we see in Marilyn’s look as well as that of Elizabeth Taylor’s, while towards the end of the decade when titanium was added to products to mute the colour, we see a lot more pink and peach tones, which we see in the likes of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.
Marilyn and her Makeup Artist
Marilyn and her makeup artist Marilyn owes her eternal classic makeup look to her personal makeup artist, Allan “Whitey” Snyder.
Whitey made up Marilyn for her first screen test at Twentieth Century Fox in 1946, then for nearly all her films and events. Marilyn and Whitey became very close friends, Whitey being one of the few people who Marilyn truly trusted.
Marilyn asked Whitey to always look after her makeup needs, even after her death. So he never forgot his promise, she gave him a gold Tiffany’s money clip engraved with “Whitey Dear, While I’m still warm, Marilyn.” Whitey did as he promised, making her up for her funeral and being a pallbearer.
Marilyn’s skin care routine
It’s said that Marilyn used Shu Uemera Cleansing Oil to wash her face.
This brand didn’t launch any products until the 1960s, “Unmasked”
being the first cleansing oil released in 1967. While it seems unlikely that Marilyn used this exact product, we can assume she used something of the same sort.
Regardless of what cleansing oil she used, she apparently splashed her face with cold water 15 times after cleansing to seal her pores. She then used two products to moisturize her skin. She would use thin layers of Vaseline and thin layers of Hungarian dermatologist Erno Laszlo’s Active pHelityl Creame. She swore by this cream, and it’s still available today here.
Marilyn’s Makeup Routine
As her makeup base, Marilyn used another Erno Laszlo product,
this one was called Duo-pHase Loose Powder in Translucent Light.
I haven’t managed to find this product, however a few websites
seem to have it in a pressed powder form. I’m not sure if this product
has been discontinued or what, so don’t quote me on this one!
Another product she used for a base was Elizabeth Arden’s “Pat-A-Crème”, this was found amongst her possessions when she died
and is now owned by the Marilyn Monroe Collection.
Marilyn used a foundation called Anita d’Foged Day Dew Make-up
in Ivory Medium. This product is still available, although it’s under
the new name of Anita of Denmark, available for purchase here.
Other foundations Marilyn would have used were Max Factor
Pan-Cake, which is available in a new formula most drug stores
worldwide.
For blush she used another of Laszlo’s products, this one
(no longer available) was called Phelitone Blush.
Whitey designed Marilyn’s eye makeup taking inspiration from Sweedish actress Greta Garbo, who had that sexy, almost slanty eye makeup which he developed into Marilyn’s famous ‘bedroom’ eyes.
She had two Elizabeth Arden Cream Eyeshadows in Autumn Smoke and Pearly Blue which we can assume she used mainly in her crease.
In her makeup kit, there was also a Leichner of London Eyeshadow. The colour of this shadow is unknown and this brand is no longer available.
She used Glorene of Hollywood eyeliners and false eyelashes, this brand is also no longer available.
Also found in per possessions when she died was a black and dark brown Elizabeth Arden eyeliner pencil, so she would have used these too.
For Mascara, she used Helena Rubenstein. As mentioned earlier, this was released in tube form for the first time in 1957, so she would have had the first on the market.
Found in her makeup kit were three Max Factor lipsticks. She also used Elizabeth Arden lipsticks. However her favourite lipstick was Guerlain “Diabolique”. This colour is now available in the KissKiss Range and is colour 522 “Insolence de Rouge”.
That’s all from me!
To learn how to do Marilyn’s makeup, please watch the video above.
Please subscribe to my youtube channel, follow me on Instagram, like my Facebook Page, and of course subscribe and follow my blog – spread the love!
Cheers!
Charlotte x
Charlottes Makeup Web 