Color charts for make-up hair and clothes 1951 –

1950s makeup tutorial from Carolyn Earle

Bright ideas in 1950s makeup and effective use of costume colors accentuate your good looks and compliment each other. In this post are four complexion types – blonde, brunette, brownette, and titian – together with color suggestions that you can make your own or use as a glamor guide.

Brunette ( left).
Aim: to achieve color contrast.
Cosmetic cues; brown eyes take green; light eyes, violet blue shadow, black mascara. Clear to russet-red lipstick, blue-red with pale skin. Costume colors: pink, jade, violet, blue-green, fuchsia, blue. Blue-reds with light eyes and skin.
Blonde ( right).
Aim: to preserve delicate coloring.
Cosmetic cues: grey-blue to misty-blue eyeshadow, warm brown mascara. Golden to clear red lipstick toning.
Costume colors: sapphire, mauve-pink, muted orange-red, cinnamon, blue-violet.

Brownette ( left).
Aim: to dramatise and enrich mousy coloring.
Cosmetics cues: green-blue or lilac eye-shadow, brown mascara. Almost any shade of lipstick from crimson, coral, ruby-red or blue-red. Costume colors: orange, reddish browns, lavender, grey-green, gold,turquoise.
Titian ( right).
Aim: to play up bright hair, pale skin.
Cosmetic cues: brown or green eyeshadow, or blue for blue eyes for daytime wear. Orange lipstick, with gold coral, vermilion, and russet-reds for a change. Costume colors: black, orange-red, pale yellow, forest-freen, pink, and electric blue.

Download direct to your smartphone or laptop – beautifully restored vintage makeup guides.

Also see a 1930s Makeup Color Harmony Chart