I Got A 1950s Makeover

Jun 06, 2021

Hello friends and welcome to another video. Today I'm going to get a 50s

makeover

. So we made some fashion videos from decades before up to the 1960s, but in those videos we did most of our research for the outfits beforehand and just presented them in a lookbook style video. 🎵I'm sweating, I'm sweating, inside my pants, inside my pants.🎵 So this time, I wanted to create a look with you piece by piece, kind of like we did with our perfect

makeover

video. where we will team up with a couple of experts and tackle the planning and execution of the outfit, hair and makeup to create a unique 50s look.

Now, of course, the

1950s

were a very different time: definitely in when it comes to fashion, but also social. And while there were many regressive (and even oppressive) social norms that limited many people, there was also a very interesting turning point in the

1950s

, sandwiched between the chaos of World War II and civil rights. movement/sexual revolution/general youth rebellion of the 60s. But for our purposes today, we will focus on fashion, and mainly the American variety. And although style follows society and the two really can't be separated, we will talk about fashion. Alright, cool cats.

More Interesting Facts About,

i got a 1950s makeover...

Let's hit and get started! And the first thing is the outfit. So these are our magazines and catalogs from the 50s (sorry, they're really wrinkled) and we'll use them as outfit inspiration. So I have a Vogue magazine, a Vogue pattern book, and a Spiegel catalog, all from 1953. Now we choose 1953 as our starting point because if people define the postwar years as 1945 to 1960, 1953 is exactly the average year. So, looking through this catalog, you see a lot of these types of fit and flare dresses. And with those dresses you see a lot of belts, high heels and gloves.

So this fit-and-flare silhouette is a descendant of what became known as the "New Look," created in 1947 by French designer Christian Dior, which by 1953 had been copied about a million times and was available in all sizes and for all tastes. every occasion. Yeah, look, this is the vibe. And in general it was characterized by thinner shoulders, a narrow waist and a full skirt. Now this style was diametrically opposed to women's fashion of the 1940s, which was boxier, more menswear-inspired, and padded-shouldered, as women joined the workforce on the home front to replace to many of the men who were outside. fighting in the war.

But with its end in 1945, the men returned home. News anchor: "And what does he want? What he wants most is a job." And the women for the most part returned home. It seems that with the fighting over, society was eager to return to some form of traditional stability. And Dior's ultra-feminine new look tapped into some elements of nostalgia from a time before the world wars, as the silhouette was inspired by the wasp-waist fashion of the Victorian era some 80 years earlier. It turns out that the same thing happened to great-grandmother. See, you could add some sleeves and then add a little length at the bottom and you'd get the 1860s.

All that said, there were some other fashions floating around out there. There was a tighter, pencil-skirted look, as well as a few pairs of pants here and there, for both the mainstream girl and the subculture girl. But I think for our purposes, if we go mainstream, in the 50s, the New Look had to be it. So to get our outfit, we headed to visit some antique and vintage inspired stores to see what we could find. After doing a little research. We found some options. Ah! Tyler: That's the look. Safiya: It's like those Mariah Carey memes. Skinny legend.

Besides just dresses, you can also achieve the New-Look silhouette with two pieces. So I wanted to take some options to test that as well. So, in addition to outerwear, the New-Look environment also required serious underwear. Announcer: "How to get the new look, even if Mother Nature forgot to give you the right figure." Corsets had gone out of fashion during World War I, when the steel used in them was necessary for military purposes, and never came back into fashion. Instead, they were replaced by the slightly less uncomfortable sash. So to achieve a similar pinch effect, we take this sash.

I feel like something like this would definitely make a great absorb, you know? Now the other important undergarment was the bra. Hello Dolly! In the 1950s, breasts were in, or I guess more accurately, they were out, whether they were real or had some kind of help. The padding might have been on the shoulders in the '40s, but by the '50s it had migrated south. This was supposedly some sort of Freudian fashion statement, because in addition to their sensual appeal, breasts are also associated with motherhood, which was a big focus for women in the '50s because of the whole back-to-back thing. traditionalism.

Now, that makes sense to me, but it doesn't explain one of the strangest and most popular boob trends of the decade: the bullet bra. I guess you can't fault it for its playfulness, but other than that, I don't know why people liked it so much. One theory is that the bullet bra was some kind of futuristic version of the bra, inspired by another big fad of the '50s: the space race. Either that or it's like a giant nipple. But anyway, with our underwear in hand, all we needed to top off the sash was a petticoat to release the skirts, and then it was time to sort through our stash and pick out our 50s outfit.

So the first option is this dress. I decided to try on each look with underwear on to make sure the whole structure worked with what we chose. I feel so covered and, at the same time, so naked. This is almost like an 80s look in itself. And once we had all that, we could try our first option. "Tyler, I'm home." I feel the waist band. Everything is happening. Tyler: Is it tight? I was definitely a fan of the bottom half of this dress. I think the softness of the skirt with the petticoat is definitely as good as "zoop!", you know, like

Although the top half was having some issues with the all important bra. I don't think you can see the shape of the bullet bra. In fact, I can feel it being crushed. So I think I'll have to do things. Oh, oh, yes. That will return the profit to you. All said and done, you can still see the strap of the bullet bra through the sheer panel around the shoulder. So we would have to find another slip to go under or in the middle. Our second option is like a skirt and a shirt, which I compiled from this photo of Elizabeth Taylor, where she has this type of outfit and is like in an acting class.

But overall, I feel like she seems a little juvenile. I feel like she's going to school. But also like my breasts were out. The bullet bra was too much for the button-down shirt to contain. So there was kind of a shirtless situation. Other than that, I like the look of separates and I think I'm feeling this color palette in general, but overall I feel like I'm in high school. It's like I have a poodle on my lap. Like I could go to dinner with my high school boyfriend. Then we move on to our final option. We got this dress at a vintage store and this one is actually vintage from the 50s.

There are a few things I like right off the bat. There seems to be enough room for the bullet bra and also, although the straps like to migrate, the dress covers the bullet bra completely and I think it definitely shows off the hourglass well. Then you see, like, the "Bink Bink"--"Bink,"--"Bink," the best one. Just ignore my microphone package in the back. That's not part of the New-Look silhouette. So, with the shape, the harmony with the underwear straps and the authenticity of the 50s, I think we should go for this one. As for accessories, there were some 50s must-haves, like a pair of going out gloves, some high heels (of which we found a pair that matched the top of my dress), and a small bag.

It feels like I should grab it like this. It seems that hats were popular too, but I was leaning towards a more summery look, so I found a couple of scarves that could be tied around the neck and then used to protect your hair while driving if necessary. I feel elegant and yet also a little older. Or also like I had an old school toothache, you know, like they wrapped a bandage around my head. We definitely needed some kind of belt too, because our dress had these empty bows. It looks like there was a matching belt at one point, but we clearly don't have it anymore.

So, with the outfit decided, it was time to move on to the hair. Alright. So I'm here with Kayley Melissa, who is a friend, stylist and YouTuber who has helped us with some decade-old retro hairstyles in the past, and she is here to save us with this mid-century hairstyle. So what are we doing today, Kayley? What's the plan? Kayley: So in the 1950s, the whole thing was that you had to style your hair to the shape of your face. Even in cosmetology school, I still learned about it in this decade. But back then it was very formulaic.

S: And I think this idea of having a set of rules for how to style your hair plays into the neat, demure, proper image that people wanted to project in the '50s. Kayley: So I would say you have a heart-shaped face. You have a great jaw and chin. S: And if any of you remember our perfect makeover video, heart-shaped faces are also wider at the forehead and cheeks. So to balance out my face, Kayley: We're going to add a little bit of volume here. And then we're not going to put a lot of volume in the center, but we're going to accentuate that great jawline with some curls that just dance and play around here.

S: But I think that regardless of the exact shape you shaped your hair, '50s hairstyles were generally fluffy, curly, springy, and generally shorter. Kayley: So we'll start with some configuration products. In the '50s, they didn't have mousse, they didn't really have gel, but they did have what's called setting lotion, which is like a setting product that you put on your hair to help it maintain its hold longer. S: And it basically seems like most women would use it and then put their hair up in rollers to get upright curls. "Oh wow, look at those little ones up there!" And/or make curls with pins without curlers.

That's a good way to think about it. And usually women had their one hairstyle that they just stuck with and often permed their hair in their preferred hairstyle to increase the longevity of their curls. Kayley: It would be very difficult to surprise someone with a perm because it smells so bad. S: But if you wanted to change your hair, you could have followed a curl setting chart from a magazine or newspaper, like the one Kayley was following for my head. We are ready? Kayley: We're ready. S: Yes! Kayley: They're ready to dry. I'm sorry my son came home late because of curfew.

I'm like... I need like a rolling pin. So we have this that Kayley brought us. Kayley: It's a big old dryer. S: Now, in the '50s, women slept with their curls to let them dry overnight or relaxed under the dryer at the salon for faster drying. Wow! Oh yeah. Hello friends... and welcome to my group. Although handheld hair dryers were invented in the 1920s, hooded hood dryers were a salon staple as they were more powerful, required less effort on the arms, and also provided even heat around the hair. head. "Oh, it's hot!" Just to get all those little curls.

Kayley: Oh yeah, it's all dry. S: Yes. So all that was left to do was let my hair down, and when we took out the pins and curlers, the look was somewhere between 1980s. Do I look like Dave Coulier? And the 1780s. Listen, Ben Franklin... I mean, he had the most action. And then it was time for brushing and teasing. Kayley: Believe it or not, for the '50s, this is a little tongue-in-cheek. S: Once all the curls and waves looked good, we decided to pin the bottom of my hair up. Kayley: Oh, that's good. That's all, that's all.

Yes. S: I won't move. Just to make sure my hair didn't look too 1940s, which featured generally longer hair, supposedly in response to wartime fabric rationing, while in the 1950s, dresses were big but the hair was short. Oh, wow. Oh, I think it looks very good. Awesome, looks great! So we sprayed myself, just to try to make sure nothing escaped at noon. Kayley: I just realized.I need to get my sideburns done. S: Just, yeah, spray them. Spray them. No need to zoom. No need to zoom. And with the sideburns off, our hairstyle looked impeccable! I'm learning a lot of 50s slang online.

So, with our hair styled, now it's time to do my 50s-style makeup. So, to help us perfect our mid-century makeup technique, I visited the Besame Cosmetics store in Burbank, California, to speak with Gabriela Hernández , owner of the company and also a makeup historian. Now Besame creates makeup based on real products from the past and Gabriela has also written a makeup history book that we have referenced before when making our fashion videos of the decade. Alright, so I guess the question is: Where should we start? So, from the beginning, Gabriela began to describe the bold and defined nature of everyday makeup in the 1950s, starting with the eyebrows.

Gabriela: The main parts of the face in the 50s were definitely the eyebrows, they were very defined. In the 1950s the shape of eyebrows also became more angular than in the 1940s, which were softer. So it was definitely more aggressive. The '50s were definitely feminine and aggressive...aggressive femininity, I would say.

Something like an Elizabeth-Taylor-like

Oh yeah. I feel like that sounds a lot like what we're looking for. So next I will deal with the complexion. And when we asked Gabriella what we should use for our base, she immediately responded, "pancake." Gabriela: In the '50s, that's when pancake makeup became... really a thing. The appearance was very similar to that of a porcelain doll. S: So the pancake foundation was like a dry cake that was applied wet and then dried on the skin, creating an overall matte finish. Gabriela: So the powder foundations look similar to what the pancake was. S: Oh, yes.

So we have powder foundation. Alright. So that's the foundation: very matte, powdery and one shade. So next we will deal with the cheeks. Now, the cheeks of the 1950s were adorned a little differently than those of today. Gabriela: Now, it's like all that contouring and tanning is in fashion. Where at the time, they didn't really do that. They wanted the face to be rounder and more feminine and not necessarily chiseled. S: And all we needed to get that round look was a little blush. Ooh! Very good, just a little bit. Okay, wait a second before you say that.

It turns out that you need a fairly light hand with red cream. So I turned to more modern tools to help bring it together. I don't think I've gotten the hang of red cream yet. But we finally reached an acceptable level of redness. And then to finish off the complexion, I take some setting powder for my pinky, just to solidify the pink look, I think. So, with our complexion finished, it was time to apply the last products, starting with the all-important eyeliner. Gabriela: The transatlantic liner was actually more defined than in the 40s and 30s. S: In particular, the 50s were characterized by the popularization of the cat-eye type wing.

Here goes nothing. I'm using liquid eyeliner, which existed back then, but people also used pencils to make eyeliner. There is one, more or less. Now the question is: Can I match the other one? Alright. Eyeliner. I don't think it's perfect, but I think it's okay. It's good enough to vlog. Now to finish off the eyes, we needed some mascara. So I used this vintage style pastel mascara, which I have to moisten to turn it into a little paste of mascara and then apply it to my lashes like this. In the 1950s, both cake-shaped mascara and cream mascara were popular.

Apparently a wand-style mascara in a tube had already been invented, but it wasn't very popular until the '60s and '70s. So, with everything else done, we come to the crowning glory of the look: lipstick. And particularly in the case of lipstick, specific colors were marketed that were better suited to certain complexions. I'm not saying that some lipsticks weren't more universal, but in general it seems like warm-toned lipsticks were marketed for blondes, redheads, and lighter brunettes, and cooler-toned reds or pink lipsticks were marketed for dark hair women. In a vague and general way. So I have a cool toned red lipstick and I also have more of an orchid purple lipstick.

Although I think both would definitely look good, I think the red is a little more iconic of the '50s. So I'm going to stick with that. Regarding the shape, Gabriela mentioned that the lips were often exaggerated. Gabriela: You can see that a lot if you look at Lucille Ball's photos, you really overdraw the upper lip to make it look rounder, like two big mounds. S: With the intention of making lips more delicious and sensual. But I'm just going to put on a little bit of liner, just to line the top a little bit. Well, I think with a little lip liner, this is the finished 50s makeup look I'm going for.

So I'll put on my clothes and then we'll go to town. Alright. This is our finished 50s look. So to complete our makeover we thought we needed an additional accessory. A 1957 Chevy Bel Air. I had to roll up the windows to save my hair. Tyler: Yeah. Okay, I don't know how this all works. Ah, I see it. Ah, I see it. Alright. I'm driving. Tyler: Oh! Which we drove far enough to stop and then pose next to it. You remind him of his grandmother. So for our final ensemble, we had our authentic 50s fit and flare dress, our assortment of mid-century accessories including these white cat eye sunglasses, topped off with our aggressively feminine makeup look and our face still almost alive. joke Oh, I keep taking off the gloves to do things I like.

Tyler: Yes. S: I don't want to get them dirty and then forget that I'm not wearing them, which is a complete no-no. Aside from small accessories like gloves, the overall underwear was definitely the most different to experience. There's enough stuff around my abdomen that I definitely feel like

I obviously don't have cleavage, but that's the dress's fault. But I just don't feel like it's like... ah, a mother's breast. It's like a

S: You're on time. It was all the little flourishes of 50s style that made me feel very different. I definitely feel more in control than I normally do. I almost feel like I'm advertising waist trainers on Instagram. Tyler:

Bye bye! I tried to leave Tyler behind, but then I realized I needed someone to continue filming with. Tyler: Yeah, I think so. God help me. S: Okay, let's go. Mom drives. Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Hahaha. Ha. I think after a while I started to get used to the old Bel Air. Honey, how was your day at school? Tyler: Can you look at the road? But anyway, our first stop for our evening was something to eat. We're at this McDonald's in Downey, California, which is the oldest operating McDonald's in the United States. It was apparently opened in 1953. So take a look at a blast from the past.

My bra just ruined it. Now, despite its appearance, it offers the normal McDonald's menu of 2018. Where are we going? Ah, here. But while the food and seating may be modern, it has a lot of fun, retro Mickey D paraphernalia that matches my retro vibe. So after finishing our meal and dancing a little... Tyler: That's called the McDonald shuffle. We hopped over to Anaheim to check out another 1950s establishment: Disneyland. How I look? Tyler: It looks like your hair shouldn't go anywhere. And once in the park, we headed straight for one of the original attractions, which were there when the park opened in 1955: the carousel.

Tyler: Are you hitting the horse's butt? Although I was a little disappointed, I missed a different original attraction: the Bra Store, which used to be located on Main Street and was home to the Bra Wizard, who I think is just this guy. However, it closed in 1956, so I missed it for a couple of decades. So, without a bra store to go to, I felt like it was time to call it a day or at least that's what my feet were telling me. I think my feet could be done with the 50s. My feet don't like decades.

Or any shoe that isn't a Birkenstock. Alright. So that was my 50s makeover. So while this outfit is definitely very different from modern styles, I would say that some elements of 50s style have made a comeback in the last 60 years. But many things have become obsolete only because of new technology. As once control top pantyhose were invented, shapewear practically got the boot. But overall, the most different thing for me about '50s style was actually how many rules there were and, consequently, how easy it was, in a way, to construct an everyday '50s look. Like back then, you needed your gloves, your stockings, and your girdle to be acceptably trimmed and trimmed.

Sure, there were alternative silhouettes, but 1950s fashion was very easy to define, at least in part because the information channel was so narrow. There were a handful of key designers, a few fashion magazines, a few movie studios and, like, 5 TV channels, compared to today where it's so easy to see so many different styles that even though we still have fashion and makeup trends. , it's hard to find a single look that defines the style of 2018. However, that doesn't mean Kim Kardashian doesn't try. I mean, maybe if she can make bullet stocks, I'll retire it, but until then, I'd say it's even more open today.

Thank you all so much for watching and so many thanks to Kayley Melissa and Gabriela Hernandez for helping us with our transformation. If you liked that video, make sure to hit the "Like" button and if you want to see more videos like this, make sure to hit the "Subscribe" button. A big thank you to WildRose for watching. Thanks for watching, WildRose, and I'll see you next time.

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