The Modern Pin-Up

Hello old friends and new!! Today's post is a long awaited pin-up makeup request from my friend Maria--her bday is coming up and she needs a look to match the theme--hence, I'm here to help! I'm excited to showcase my modernized version of this classic look and I'm making it really easy with a pictorial step-by-step tutorial, plus info on the pin-up style, as well as makeup tips, links to products, pictures galore, and other beauty blog goodies. So, stick around and read more if you've got the pin-up starlet in you... :)) WARNING: This is gonna be another lengthy post...

Gee... I wonder if he's thinking of me...

The term "Pin-up" came to the American pop culture around the time of WWII (the practice dates back to the 1900's), referring to a glamour model whose image is mass produced in photographs, posters, and drawings for the purpose of being displayed or "pinned up" on the wall. Most pin-ups were famous celebrities of the pre-war and post-war era, but the style gained great momentum in the 40's and 50's with sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis and Sophia Loren posing as pin-up girls. 

Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner pin-ups (both images from Google)

Some typical drawings and poses :)

The pin-up style is all about sensual femininity, often displayed by innocence, flirtation, playfulness, and child-like naïveté... Even when she's clumsy and spills the ink, she gracefully lifts her dress to avoid ink splatter, all the while "accidentally" flashing her undies... oops :) Yes, this was a time before pin-ups had brains rights... oops again.

Today, we can reminisce and relive the era through modern-day pin-ups like Dita Von Teese & Christina Aguilera... (images from Google)

 

and Miss Ooops herself, Britney Spears

 

SOOooooo, now that I've covered the background and given a damn-near history lesson in pin-up-try,  let me re-track to the reason for this post: MAKEUP. In my version of the pin-up look, I'm combining the history, the past, the present and the current to make this look appropriate for today and not any other day. In other words, we don't want to look outdated, we want to look modern, even when we're wearing a retro look :)

 

For this look, I used the following essentials (you can use the same or similar products):

• FACE:
• Laura Mercier primer for mineral foundation
  
• Bare Minerals matte foundation in Lightand Golden Medium
  
• Milani Pressed Powder - Golden
  
• Lancome Maquicomplet concealer in Medium Bisque
  
• Brown eyeliner (optional for the beauty mark)  

• EYEBROWS:
• Rimmel eyeshadow quad in Smokey Noir
  

 

•  EYES:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
  
• Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Eye Shadow Palette
  
• L'Oréal Telescopic Liquid Liner in Carbon Black
  
• Ben Bye eyeliner in White
• Ardell Wispies
  
• L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black
  
• Duo lash adhesive in Dark Tone
  
• MAC Pro Reflects Glitter in Reflects Gold (optional) 

•  LIPS:
• Revlon super lustrous lipstick in Fire & Ice
  
• Sephora Collection eyeshadow in Aspen Summit (any shimmery white e/s will do)

Pin-Up Pictorial Tutorial :)

PREP: The most important step in pin-up makeup is the skin. Before applying any products, I exfoliated my face with a gentle scrub and a warm washcloth. My favorite scrub is Queen Helene Mint Julep Scrub, check out the product link above. Next, I applied my moisturizer, waited for it to dry and began my face makeup application. I primed my t-zone and applied a matte mineral foundation in a lighter shade than my skin to the t-zone area. I contoured the rest of my face with my regular matte mineral foundation (Golden Medium). I finished the skin with pressed powder on the t-zone only and this is what I looked like afterwards. Very different, right? As a beauty blogger, I think it's important to show the readers that there's actually a face underneath all that makeup. I know you guys appreciate :))



STEP 1: I began by defining the eyebrows to help frame the eyes. The classic pin-up style eyebrow is very arched and defined, so I used a charcoal gray eyeshadow to fill in some sparse areas in my already arched eyebrows and brushed out the color with a spoolie (see pic). I typically don't like to see any harsh, drawn lines in my brows, but for a true pin-up look, such drawn-on eyebrows are acceptable and encouraged.








STEP 2: After priming the entire eye area with a nude colored primer, I used a concealer on a flat brush to disguise sparse hairs under my eyebrow. My brows are a bit on the thick side, which wasn't the style of the 40's or the 50's, so I needed to thin them out without having to reach for the tweezers. This is how I do it when different looks call for it.









STEP 3: Taking a shimmery pale pink eyeshadow on a fluffy dome shaped brush, I applied the shadow all over the lid and up to the brow bone, concentrating the color on the lid, close to my lash line and under the arch of my brow. I re-emphasized those areas with a shimmery white eyeshadow on top of the pale pink, under the arch of my brow and in the inner corner of the eye.









STEP 4: Taking a light brown eyeshadow on a clean dome brush, I applied the color right above my crease using windshield wiper motions and blended it out towards the eyebrow. I added a bit more depth by layering a slightly darker brown eyeshadow to the outer "V" of my eye and blending it out towards the eyebrow.

STEP 5: Next, I lined my eyes in a classic pin-up cat-eye style. I used a liquid liner instead of my beloved gel, only because I wanted to stay true to the era: there weren't any gel liners around. The trick to retro eyeliner is starting with a really fine line in the inner corner of the eye and building from the middle to the outer wing. Start lining where the lashes begin, by placing the liner tip on the actual lashes, so they barely touch your skin. Make a few dots, connect them and feel free to line heavy from the middle to the wing.






STEP 6: After lining the eyes, I curled my lashes and applied mascara to the top and bottom lashes. I also lined the waterline with a white pencil to make my eyes stand out.












STEP 7: Next, I applied my false lashes. Since this eye look is pretty bare in terms of eye shadows, I chose longer and fuller false lashes (Ardell Wispies) to balance out the overall appearance. Without these falsies, I would look more like a China Doll than a Pin-Up Doll, so this is how I customize the look to fit ethnic features :) Voila!! The eye look is done. To modernize the eye look, I later added some reflective glitter to the inner corner of my eye, the high point under my brow and the center of my lid.





STEP 8: To finish the makeup, I applied my red lipstick using a lip brush and blotted away the shiny excess. If you have MAC Russian Red or any other matte red lip color, you don't need to blot, but since I don't (shame, shame, esp. with me being Russian and all) I had to resort to the tissue.

A fun Marilyn Monroe trick: apply a shimmery white shadow to the center of your mouth and blend it out with your finger. I'm not sure what exactly this trick does, but it sure makes a difference in the size of your pout :))




STEP 9: No pin-up vintage makeup look is complete without the essential beauty mark. I would say this step is optional, but it really isn't haha. Now... you don't have to go drawing new dots on your face, just pick a beauty mark you already have and emphasize it with a brown pencil liner. I have two beauty marks on the left side of my face, so I chose the one closest to the mouth area, dipped the liner into it and twisted it in place to exaggerate the size. Voila!! Now you're really done!!

Crispy lines

 

add some sparkle if you nasty

or add a pearl earring

Or a bright polka dot silk scarf (p. s. this one's my grandma's and it's from the 50's)

or face the world chest first, more my style :)

or strike a signature pose, send a kiss to your sailor and be swell :))

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

♥

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