How to Apply 1950's Pinup Eyeliner

The woman of the 1950’s reigns supreme when one thinks of glamour, beauty and pin-ups. Smoothed-faced and lacquer-lipped, these angels on the noses of war bombers knew exactly how to accentuate what they had and make the most their features.

1. Wash your face. This is an important step and not one that should be skipped. The cosmetics used in the 1950s were very matte in appearance, and any oil on your skin will affect the entire look of your makeup. Always start with a nice, clean canvas.


2. Apply your base. Before you even get to your eyeliner, you will want to apply at least the bare minimum of a foundation and powder to your face, including your eyelids, to prevent caking and slipping. Use a foundation brush and apply a sheer matte foundation over the entire face and follow with a fair or translucent powder.


3. Apply your liquid eyeliner to the top eye lid. Eyeliner in the 1950s was primarily liquid and always black. It may be helpful to apply a small ‘dab’ of liquid eyeliner to the top of your non dominant hand and to dip your liner brush into that supply rather than using the bottle. This provides a more immediate access to the liquid which can help prevent it from drying too fast. Begin application at the very center of your upper eyelid and directly against the lash line. Create a small, thin line at the center, working it out towards the corner of the eye. You will want the line to begin to widen almost immediately until it is a wide, curving line that ‘kicks out’ from the corner of your eye to extend a little beyond the eyelid itself. You start thin, then widen so that it looks like the eyeliner appears ‘naturally; out of the lash line.


4. Apply liner to your lower eyelid. In direct contrast to the widening line you made on your upper lid, eyeliner applied to your lower lid should be very sparingly done and seem to be ‘barely there’. You want just enough to demonstrate the lower lid, but nothing more. As you come out from the center of the lower lid, begin matching up the line to the ‘kick out’ you created on the upper lid. The two should match up together to create a flawless point.