Our enduring fascination with Hollywood’s golden era continud this weekend with BBC Four documentary ‘Arena: Screen Goddesses’.
The programme celebrates the lives and looks of the first legends of the silver screen, including Marlene Dietrich and Ava Gardner.
Known for their immaculate glamour statements and inimitable star quality, both actresses defined the beauty look of their generation – beauty looks which continue to resonate with women today.
Marlene Dietrich
Mr Max Factor created Marlene’s striking look, using his craft to enhance her best features and create the illusion of larger eyes. For today’s make-up lovers, Marlene’s look is one that will get you noticed, with the smoky eye-shadow being the epitome of ‘come to bed eyes’ paired with sculpted cheekbones.
Max Factor make-up artist Caroline Barnes shares how to create a modern reinterpretation of Marlene Dietrich’s glamorous look
SKIN: Mr Max Factor emphasised Marlene’s cheekbones to dramatic effect. The same look can be achieved by sweeping blusher and adding a highlighter to ooze that seductive screen siren style.
Apply Max Factor All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation. Use fingertips to smooth the foundation all over the face and then take a small brush to apply the formula to any problem areas, such as the nose and under eyes.
Focus on your the cheekbones. The easiest way to contour is to use a face powder two shades darker than your normal colour – try a matt bronzer such as Max Factor Flawless Perfection Blusher in Subtle Amber. Suck in cheekbones and using a small brush, apply to where the cheeks dip in. Then warm the top of the cheekbones with a natural shade of blusher and finish by dabbing Masterpiece Colour Precision Eyeshadow in Pearl Beige to the top of the cheekbones.
EYES & BROWS: To create the perception of bigger eyes, Max Factor would leave Marlene’s bottom lash line bare and instead focus on a strong grey smoky eye coupled with a thick slick of black, top liner and extra-long lashes.
Draw a thick line of eyeliner across the upper lash line using Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil in Black Fire.
Then using the dark end of Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow in Onyx Smoke sweep the shade across the entire lid – from the root of the lashes right up into the socket, blending harsh edges away with fingertips. Once the effect is dry, finish by lightly brushing a layer of Max Factor Max Effect Mono eye shadow in Magic Nights for a little added sparkle.
Next, coat lashes with two layers of Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara to create bold, volumised lashes to frame the smoky look
LIPS: Marlene’s lips were emphasised using heavy lip-liner slightly outside of her natural lip line and filled with a deep and dark red lipstick. With cheekbones and eyes that are the focus of this look why not have fun playing with the lip shade of your choice to create your own added glamour detail?
Try Max Factor Lipfinity Lip colour which comes in a range of different shades – from the nude Delicious to the more Marlene-inspired Vivacious. It’s a long-lasting lip colour which will set the look for the day.
Ava Gardner
Created by Mr Max Factor in the 1940s, Ava Gardner’s signature siren look demonstrated her hugely successful career as one of the most heralded, and Academy Award nominated actresses of her time. Widely described as one of the most beautiful women of the Hollywood Golden Era, it was Mr Max Factor that designed Ava’s glamour statement of sultry eyes (enhancing their unique green colour), strong lips and lustrous brunette curls. Today, her look is still the epitome of classic glamour, as 70 years on we continue to see contemporary takes on the Ava look.
Max Factor make-up artist Caroline Barnes shares how to recreate Ava Gardner’s timeless look with a contemporary twist.
SKIN: The key to carrying a strong eyes and lips look is to follow Ava’s lead with perfectly smooth and fuss-free skin.
Apply Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation using fingertips, working the foundation into the skin like a moisturiser.
Using a small to medium sized blusher brush sweep Max Factor Flawless Perfection Blusher in Subtle Amber just under the cheekbones to add definition and warmth.
EYES & BROWS: Strong, defined eyebrows frame Ava’s look and these were beautifully complemented by long and feathery lashes, plus her signature slick of heavy upper-lid eyeliner.
Start by defining brows with Max Factor Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel, using the built-in brush to round off afterwards for precise definition.
Using Max Factor Colour X-pert Waterproof Eyeliner neatly line the upper lids with a gentle flick outwards and upwards to give the illusion of bigger eyes. Repeat the line a few times to gradually thicken the flick.
To finish, layer lashes with Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara for dramatic volume – don’t forget to sweep the mascara onto the outer lashes for extra feline eyes.
LIPS: With her colouring, Ava carried off a strong burgundy lip shade with confidence. Straying from the much loved pillar-box red, which was often seen as flirtatious and playful, burgundy tones made Ava look even more striking. It’s also a hot shade pick for autumn/winter, which sees a rich russet palette, as seen with the Max Factor ‘Lip Noire’ trend. Apply Max Factor Lipfinity Lip colour in Frivolous for a show-stopping shade of deep red. For an added twist, dab Max Factor Colour Elixir in Ruby Tuesday to just the inner part of the mouth and finish with a slick of Max Factor Max Effect Gloss Cube in Sweet Cassis.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Beauty Tips max factor