Behind Those Perfect Headshots
Old Hollywood certainly produced some of the most stunning stars. However, these actress's beauty hacks might surprise you...
Audrey Hepburn's Perfect Lashes
Known for her big, brown eyes, Audrey Hepburn would apply mascara to her lashes and then use a pin to painstakingly separate every individual lash. To achieve a similar effect today, we thankfully only need to use a spoolie brush.
The Secret Behind Her Flawless Face
Hepburn also had smooth, porcelain-like skin, but reportedly, she didn't use makeup to fake it. Peter Lamas—a celebrity makeup artist—revealed that the actress used a steam facial a few times a week to achieve her flawless complexion.
Trailer screenshot, Wikimedia Commons
Brigitte Bardot's Hair Hack
Brigitte Bardot's big, blonde updo was part of her appeal—but her beauty hack is a little... repulsive. Reportedly, she used her saliva. To achieve the subtle curl at the ends of her locks, she'd soak them in her saliva. Then she'd twist the hair pieces and tuck them behind her ear.
e r j k . a m e r j k a, Flickr
Gloria Graham Stuffed Her Upper Lip
Gloria Graham was very critical of her upper lip. She thought it was too thin. To make it seem more luscious she'd actually shove tissue or cotton under her lip, which sounds extremely uncomfortable.
eBayFront and back, Wikimedia Commons
Ida Lupino Kept Her Jawline Tight
Ida Lupino was a brilliant director and actress, but one of her beauty tips is a real head-scratcher. She claimed that using the back of her hand to smack her jawline helped keep it taut and defined.
Marlene Dietrich's Hollow Cheeks
Marlene Dietrich often took her beauty hacks too far—even to the point of physical pain. For instance, to make her cheeks more hollow, she extracted her back molars. But this was just the tip of the iceberg.
She Forced A Facelift
Dietrich also had a facelift hack. She'd use a thread to draw back her hairline. Sometimes, she was so forceful with this method that she'd even bleed. However, not all of her beauty secrets were terrifying.
Trailer screenshot, Wikimedia Commons
She Always Had Perfect Nails
To make sure her manicure always looked nice, Marlene Dietrich refrained from painting her nails' half moons. Therefore, as her manicure grew out, her nails would still look pleasing.
Elizabeth Taylor's Luscious Skin
Elizabeth Taylor undoubtedly had one of the most striking looks in Old Hollywood, but there was a reason her skin was so perfect—a beauty secret that's had a recent comeback in modern times.
She Shaved Her Face
Taylor actually had a condition where her face was naturally covered in peach fuzz. To remain fuzz-free, she frequently shaved her visage. This practice was actually an excellent form of exfoliation which benefited her skin.
Philippe Halsman, Wikimedia Commons
Ginger Rogers' Skincare Step
Reportedly, Ginger Rogers had a step in her skincare regime that rings true to this day. For a toner, she used witch hazel on a cotton pad.
Witch hazel is known for having antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly's Use Of Blush
Grace Kelly had magnificent cheekbones. To accentuate one of her best feature, she focused on her blush. Unlike today's contouring practices, Kelly used blush in two separate shades to sculpt her gorgeous cheeks.
Carole Lombard Hid Her Insecurity
Carole Lombard's mesmerizing gaze jumps out of every photograph, but she did have one insecurity—her nose. Though it may difficult to spot, the actress's nose was actually crooked. Of course, she had a way to hide this.
She Used Highlighter to Her Advantage
In order to make her nose look straight, Carole Lombarde would draw a line along the bridge, highlighting it. As for spotlighting her most prominent feature—her eyes—she liked to use blue mascara.
Sophia Loren's Simple Instructions
Sophia Loren has always chased her pleasures, living her life to the fullest. When she was 81, she shared her greatest beauty secret: "a love of life, spaghetti, and the odd bath in olive oil."
Greta Garbo's Glossy Eyes
Recently, we've seen a comeback of the glossy eye trend—but this isn't some new idea. In fact, Greta Garbo was at it decades ago. Before applying her eyeshadow, she swipe on some petroleum jelly.
Jean Harlow Had To Do Something About Her Hair
The film studio's powerful lights did a number on Jean Harlow's hair, drying out her lovely locks. In 1937, the actress shared with a newspaper, "I know I devote a terrible amount of time to this hair of mine." To combat the damage, she came up with a solution.
She Massaged Her Scalp Every Week
Harlow kept her hair luscious and shiny by massaging her scalp every week. The secret ingredient? Castor oil.
Joan Crawford Used Cold Water
Joan Crawford truly believed in the power of cold water. After washing her faced, she'd splash ice water on her face a whopping 25 times. This would not only increase circulation, but decrease the size of her pores. To finish up, she'd slather her face in a heavy cream. But this wasn't her only bizarre beauty hack.
George Hurrell, Wikimedia Commons
She Had Bizarre Methods
Joan Crawford also chewed a lot of gum, believing it would keep her jaw looking nice. To tone her legs, she took up the practice of pointing her toes inward while walking. Obviously, this is not recommended.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Mae West Used Coconut Oil
There's been a lot of discussion around using coconut oil in one's beauty routine—some are believers and other are naysayers. However, Mae West was reportedly a believer. She claimed that coconut oil kept her skin looking young.
Los Angeles Daily News, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marilyn Monroe Used Multiple Shades
Quite famously, Marilyn Monroe had a pretty intense beauty routine. Her makeup artist Whitey Snyder had a unique way of applying products. Monroe's eyeliner was actually comprised of four different shades of Elizabeth Arden's Beautiful Smoky Eyes Pencil.
Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons
She Used Red Eyeliner
Marilyn Monoe's makeup artist, Whitey Snyder, used the black and brown eyeliner on her waterlines and for her wings. However, he'd use white eyeliner on her outer corners to make her eyes look bigger. But the best part?
He'd apply red eyeliner to her inner corners. This actually made the whites of her eyes even whiter.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
Her Lipstick Was Actually Five Different Shades
For her glorious red lips, Marilyn Monroe employed a similar strategy, using five shades of lipstick and lipgloss. This created a very pleasing gradient, with the dark reds on the outside of the lips and the light reds in the middle.
Rita Hayworth Oiled Her Hair
Rita Hawyorth had to keep her moneymaker in check: her bouncy auburn hair. As part of her haircare routine, she'd soak her locks in oil after washing it. Then she'd wrap it all up in a towel and wait for 15 minutes before rinsing it out with lemon juice and hot water.
eBayarchive, Wikimedia Commons
Katharine Hepburn Was A Minimalist
Katharine Hepburn was famous for being very down to earth and natural-looking. If anything, her makeup was usually quite minimal. However, this also meant that she took great care of her skin.
She Used A Lemon And Sugar Scrub
To keep her skin glowing and healthy, Hepburn had a singular exfoliating method. She'd removed dead skin cells with her own sugar scrub made with lemon.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ,Wikimedia Commons
Rita Moreno's Struggle With Breakouts
During her early days in Hollywood, Rita Moreno faced countless hardships—but on the superficial side of things, this was her skin. Her acne breakouts led her down a difficult path.
Her Doctors Led Her Down A Dangerous Path
When Moreno sought her doctors' recommendations for her breakouts, they came up with an extreme solution—one that Moreno does not recommend. They told her to use an acetone alcohol rub and ultraviolet light. NOPE. Moreno knew she had to come up with her own skincare routine.
She Came Up With Her Own Beauty Trick
To tackle her breakouts, Rita Moreno soon discovered that exfoliation worked the best: "I used to use one of those rough, nasty brushes to scrub my face every day. It was very harsh, but exfoliating every day helped a lot. I would definitely say that exfoliating was really my main beauty trick."
Jack de Nijs for Anefo, Wikimedia Commons
Dorothy Dandridge's Coral Lips
Dorothy Dandridge had a signature lip color that was all her own. It wasn't just a classic red lip. Instead, she mixed red lipstick and orange lipstick to create a unique coral color—one that complimented her complexion perfectly.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
Gloria Swanson Was All About Raw Veggies
Gloria Swanson certainly went back to basics with her skincare routine. She informed Weekly World News, "My best beauty secret is raw vegetables. I apply them on my face and make sure I eat them regularly. As far as I'm concerned, there is no beauty product better than raw vegetables."
Anna May Wong's Smokey Eye
Anna May Wong was a Chinese-American actress who used makeup to cement her signature look. She used dark eyeliner to creat a smokey cat eye, smudging it over her lower lash line and accentuating her eyes.
Ingrid Bergman Made Her Forehead Larger
Ingrid Bergman was another actress known for her minimal makeup looks. She kept things quite natural, but she did have one beauty hack. To make her forehead look bigger, she shaved her hairline back a full centimeter.
Keep in mind that at the time this was actually a popular practice.
László Josef Willinger, Wikimedia Commons
Bette Davis's Eyecare Routine
Bette Davis's eyes are so famous, there's even a song written about them. Turns out, she paid special attention to keeping them in good shape. In the evening, she'd place cucumbers on her closed eyes—and to remedy dark circles, she'd use petroleum jelly.
Alexander Kahle (1886–1968) for RKO Radio, Wikimedia Commons
Josephine Baker's Personal Pomade
Josephine Baker was a 1920s performer with the most stunning lacquered hairstyle. Baker even began selling the product Le Bakerfix, which was a pomade of her own creation.
Studio Harcourt, Wikimedia Commons
Vivien Leigh Was A Fan Of Lip Liner
Even the most beautiful celebrities have deep insecurities. In Vivien Leigh's case, she was unhappy with her lower lip. To make her lips seem more plump, she'd draw outside her natural lip line.
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