1950s step-by-step photo tutorial for applying eye make-up

✯ Day 337 of Vintage 365 ✯

It's a safe bet to say that the majority of us have at least a decent handle on how to apply eye makeup, especially given the emphasis on that particular facial feature that certain vintage looks call for (hello, cat's eye eyeliner!).

Some of us are old pros, others relatively confident in their abilities but not quite as resolute in their skills as they hope to be one day, whereas there is certainly a percentage of vintage make-up fans who are just starting out with learning how to apply old school cosmetic looks on themselves.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum, it's likely that you'll enjoy the instructional set of black and white photographs in today's post, which show the precise techniques used (on this model at least) back in 1950 to achieve a strikingly elegant, endlessly classic lined eye look.

{Dramatic, but certainly not overpoweringly so, and richly beautiful vintage eye make-up tutorial from the pages of a 1950 copy of Life magazine. Image via Van Michelle on Flickr.}

 

In this particular step-by-step guide we're taken through the five stages of achieving a striking early fifties make-up look, which include shadow, pencil (eyeliner), lower lid, and eyebrow, cumulating in a finished, polished face that is as timeless as the day is long.

I always delight in vintage make-up and hairstyle tutorials like this, whether I'm merely observing them as a fan of the past or taking detailed notes so that I can recreate the same style myself later on.

It’s always such a treat to chance upon vintage images like this and get a chance see exactly what products were used, as well as what steps were taken, to achieve the very mid-twentieth century make-up looks that I adore (as so many of you do, too) and emulate most myself.

The list of clothing measurements I never leave home without

✯ Day 336 of Vintage 365 ✯

As sewers of their own clothing everywhere will attest, in order to guarantee a proper fitting garment, it's crucial that one knows their body's measurements. Regardless of if you craft your own garments or not though, every last one of us can benefit from keeping a handy dandy list of our measurements at the ready.

I've been carrying just such a list for several years now and have found it immensely helpful on many occasions while out shopping for clothing, buying items online, or talking to a seamstress about having a piece altered.

When we (ladies) think of our measurements the big three that generally spring to mind are our bust, waist and hips. While these are certainly extremely useful to know, they're not the only numbers that are worth being aware of (and checking periodically - say twice a year - as most everyone's weight and body shape fluctuates a bit over time, especially if you've recently lost/gained weight, given birth, or - for teenage readers - gone through a growth spurt).

Below is a list of measurements that I keep neatly typed up on a little piece of paper in my handbag. It only took a few minutes to take these measurements and since the original document is stored online, I can edit it in mere moments and print out an updated copy any time I want.

 

Clothing Measurement Checklist

-Hat size (measured around the middle of your forehead)

-Neck circumference (useful for both garments and jewelry alike)

-Arm length (good to know in case you need to have the sleeve length of a garment altered)

-Wrist circumference (measure both wrists in case you have one that's a tad larger than its mate)

-Glove size (taken at the widest part of your palm; measure both hands as - just like feet - some people have one hand that's slightly larger than the other)

-Ring sizes (especially important for those who may be planning on getting married in the near future)

-Shoulders (width from one shoulder to the other)

-Bust (measured across the fullest part of the bust while wearing a well fitting bra)

-Waist (taken at the narrowest spot on my natural waist where I wear my pants/skirts)

-Hips (as with the bust, taken at the fullest part)

-Inseam (especially important for those like me who are petite, or for those lucky tall gals on the other end of the spectrum)

-Stockings/nylons size (both vintage and modern)

-Calves (important for those who live wearing tall boots)

-Shoe size and width (in both American and European sizes)

-Current height (without shoes on)

(Note that if you often wear figure enhancing undergarments such as girdles or Spanx, you may wish to keep two sets of measurements on hand for those parts of the body which would be affected by having these types of items on: one taken with your supportive undergarments on and another without.)

{Whether for the purpose of sewing or for when you're purchasing ready made items of clothing, it's always wonderfully useful to have a list of your own measurements on hand. Vintage photograph of a woman making a dress sourced from Slow Sewing.}

This list (which assumes all measurements were taken without clothing, save for undergarments, on) is geared more towards to information that I might need when clothes shopping, as opposed to sewing a garment from scratch, in which case you may want to add in further measurements, too, such as your outseam, upper arm/bicep circumference, and your back height and width.

If you frequently shop internationally (be it online or in person) or otherwise tend to encounter two measurement systems, take a moment and include both inches/feet and centimeters/meters for your measurements.

In addition, it doesn't hurt to keep a concise list of what sizes you generally wear (taking into account how widely most modern garment sizes vary from brand to brand) for certain items of clothing (I keep both my vintage 1940s/50s sizes and modern ones listed with the information above).

While I certainly have some of my measurements memorized by heart, it can be easy to forget those (like glove, hat, and calf) that you may not refer to very frequently, so keeping a list like this to hand at all times is a must if you want to help ensure you get the best possible fit that you can from the clothing (be it vintage or modern) that you buy.

One last note...and perhaps this is just the Girl Guide in me being overly prepared, but I try to always carry a flexible tape measure in my purse, too, so that if I run into a garment that I'm interested in but not able to try on (for example at an outdoor yard sale), I can quickly measure it to help determine (especially if the original sizing tag is gone or completely faded) if it’s  likely to work for my body or not.

Daydreaming about taking a vintage sleigh ride

✯ Day 335 of Vintage 365 ✯

There are scenes, whether illustrated or photographed, from the past that evoke such a strong sense of longing - for an era I never got the chance to call my own - that it is  impossible for me to ever forget them. So entrenched in my mind do these images become that I almost turn them into memories of my own.

I must say, I don't mind this one bit and feel blessed that history touches me (as I know it does many of you, too) so deeply.

One recent example of an image I chanced upon that made me pine to travel back in time and hop right into it, is the terrifically pretty magazine cover pictured below of a winter's eve farm neighbourhood scene in which two fine, strong horses pulls a sleigh merrily through a carpet of crunchy snow.

{Immensely lovely, heartwarmingly sweet illustrated winter themed cover of the December 1940 edition of Woman's Day magazine. Image by way of Charm and Poise on Flickr.}

 

I am almost 100% certain that I've never had the pleasure of enjoying a good old-fashioned sleigh ride myself (if I did, I'm too young to remember it). Something which, until this very morning, I'd stopped and given too much thought to.

Having grown up watching TV shows (such as the Canadian classic Road to Avonlea) and movies in which yesteryear life was portrayed, paired with singing jingle bells countless times, almost made it feel as though I dashed through the snow in a one horse open sleigh of my own each winter.

Alas, such is not the case, but it's fun to keep on imaging that it is. One day, I'm sure, I'll get the opportunity to fly through a farmer's field, clearing in the woods, or a snow covered back road in a sleigh much akin to the wonderful example in this beautiful 1940s illustration. Until then though, I'll keep on living out my wintertime sleigh ride ambitions vicariously through vintage images like this marvelous one.

Here's to the start of December - that most magical, meaningful of months - and all the memories, dreams, and wishes it holds for each of us, sweet friends.