Eyeliner, and by extension eye make-up as a whole, and I have had a long standing love affair stretching back all the way to when I was 14 years old (and not technically allowed to wear make-up yet, but I'd put it on - and take it off before returning home - each day at school...such a rebel, I know!). Back in those days (the late 90s) I loved nothing more than to rim my lids, top and bottom, with thick, smoky black (or less commonly blue) liner and any number of different colours of shadows.
Like many teenagers, I played around a lot with make-up during those formative years as I tumbled ever closer towards adulthood, sometimes sporting vivid indigo hued mascara, vampy sage green and grey adorned eyes, violet shadow, sultry gold liner, and all number of different looks. It was fun, creative, and helpful in ultimately helping me to learn which eye-makeup colours (and products themselves) worked best on me – and which were best left back in the 90s!
These days, well over a decade since high school ended, I generally stick with the same small handful of beloved, highly tried-and-true eye cosmetics: black liquid liner, black mascara, and light coloured shadows (i.e., cream, mushroom, pale pink). Every now and then though, especially since I rather adore the dramatic, attention grabbing eye make-ups looks that were present throughout the 50s (particularly during the second half of the decade), I channel my inner 16 year old again and toss on a striking, heavily made-up eye.
I know that I'm not alone in this regard and that many of you greatly enjoy experimenting with various make-up looks as well. As such, I wanted to share this delightful pair of vintage magazine pages that I recently came across on Flickr, which guide you through seven easy steps to achieve big 1950s eyes.
{Both vintage images via Dovima is Divine II on Flickr. Please click on an image to be taken to its respective Flickr page, where you can also see an even larger version of each image.}
Aside from the fact that few of us still use cake mascara applied with a brush, these handy instructions really look as though they could have just as easily come out of a contemporary magazine. A few years ago beauty experts were recommending step number seven right, left and center, but having already seen it suggested in mid-century magazines (such as this), I knew that lining your inner lids with white pencil was a technique that had been around for decades.
By today's standards, the look these steps create isn't astronomically dramatic, but it's still bold and very beautiful. Though you might not adopt it as your day-to-day vintage eye make-up look, it has elegance and appeal aplenty, making it immensely well suited to fancy evening events in particular.
I hope that, as it has for me, this charming tutorial has put you in the mood to try a captivating vintage eye this coming summer. On your marks, get set, sharpen those eyeliner pencils, ladies! It's time for a big 1950s eye!
