How do I do pinup girl makeup and hair so that I can look like a vintage glamour girl? Well the first place to start is to do a little research on the pin up look. You have come to the right place, dear reader. Read on!
What is pin up, and how did it originate?
Pinup was thought to have originated during WWII when G.I.’s overseas would “pin up” the photos of famous actresses of the time. Two of the most famous and earliest pinup girls were Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth.
The soldiers would cut out images of these glamour girls from magazines or newspapers, or they could be on a postcard or lithograph. Such pictures often appeared on walls, desks, or calendars.
Pinup calendars remained popular post war time, and they became popular to represent businesses or in advertising. Every sort of business seemed to have featured a calendar with a gorgeous pin-up girl at one time or another.
Do you want to look like an authentic pinup girl? I recommend What Katie Did vintage inspired lingerie. It is THE MOST authentic vintage lingerie out there!
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What is Pin-up art?
Pin up art could be paintings and illustrations that featured glamorous actresses and starlets of the day. There were some very famous pinup artists whose work is still very iconic today: Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas, among others. At our pinup studio we have women reference a lot of the themes and poses from these classic illustrations.
What is the pinup style?
In fashion it is born out of the 1940s films and 1950s car culture and fashion. It is a combination of Burlesque, Rockabilly and Old Hollywood Glamour, and the basic idea is that it can be extremely sexy and flirtatious without being overtly sexual or showing too much skin.
The clothing is elegant, feminine and form fitting, and the makeup is glamorous, with red lip and arched brows being the most basic characteristic.
The hair features waves, updos and rolls and curls of all kinds. The most famous rolls are the Victory Rolls, which originated when female factory workers during WWII pinned up their hair to keep it away from dangerous machinery.
What is a rockabilly style?
This is still a very popular pinup look which refers back to the rock and roll and hot rod culture of the 1950s. The fashions are sexy and feature high heels, sexy 50s dresses, capri pants, and victory rolls and pin up hair. This music is a mix of rock and roll, western swing, and rhythm and blues.
Who was the first pinup girl?
I really think that Betty Grable was the first pinup girl.
Her studio, Twentieth Century Fox, provided 5 million copies of this iconic leg shot of Betty, which was distributed to all the troops during WWII. I believe that at one point her legs were considered so much the ideal of beauty that they were insured for $1 million. Betty Grable herself said, when talking about her film career, “I became a star for two reasons, and I’m standing on them.”
How to look 1950s
You too can look like a 50s pin up babe.. It just takes a little practice to find your inner pinup style. It can be part of the rockabilly world, swing dancing, or hot rod pinup culture. Basically you want to strive for an hourglass silhouette with full skirts, tight bodices, crinolines, or tight fitting wiggle dresses. Hats and gloves were a big part of the fashion of the 50s, as well as fascinators. Earrings and pearls are another must-have for the 50s pinup look. Pinup girl makeup and hair is really the key focus of the 1950s look. Read on for more info on this!
How to dress like a pinup girl
Shop for some vintage dresses: full skirts, leopard patterns, anything halter. Get a vintage swimsuit: one piece or two piece; a high waisted 2 piece with halter top is a classic. Polka dots and leopard are perfect for this, and you can definitely do a nautical theme with a red, white, and blue sailor suit.
Vintage shoes are adorable, and can be high heels, mary janes, pumps and ankle straps. The key is to show off your legs! Vintage style lingerie is easier than ever to find these days, and we suggest waist cinchers, corsets, bullet bras, push up bras, and robes with lots of yardage with perhaps feather trim.
We love these burlesque inspired robes with all the sheer chiffon yardage. We have these at our studio, and they are gorgeous. We were surprised by how high quality they are, and quite a value for the money.
Dita Von Teeese has her own line of lingerie, and it is so beautifully made and truly sexy and tasteful.
Now that you have the history of pin up, BECOME A PINUP GIRL! Here are the steps to look like a pinup girl:
Do a pinup photo shoot
A pinup photo shoot is a retro / vintage inspired photo shoot with props and sets that look like the 1940s and 1950s. They can include old time cars, furniture, and props, and can be kitchen sets, bedroom / boudoir sets, etc. You get the idea.
There are many pin up photographers in the U.S. in different cities, and if you come to Los Angeles we would love to have you shoot with us at Iconic Pinups. We have been around since 2009 and have transformed thousands of women into glamorous pinup girls.
We provide the pinup girl makeup and hair, the sets, and the outfits.
How do you do pin up makeup?
That would be a bold arched eyebrow, red lips, a light cat eye liner, a blush of cheek color, and long, fluttery eyelashes. Makeup ads from the 40s and 50s really highlight this popular makeup look. Stay tuned for future blog posts where I will give tutorials on how to do this beautiful look.
How do you do a pinup hair?
There are so many ways to do this, and again, take a look at our gallery of vintage pinup girl makeup and hair: there are victory rolls, long waves like Rita Hayworth, the poodle hairstyle, and many other varieties that are still very popular today. Take a look at my tutorial on vintage waves.
What color lipstick was worn in the 40s and 50s?
Red was the dominant shade in the 1940s, and all shades of lipstick were worn during the 1950. Red was still very popular, but so were lighter, innocent shades of coral, pink and orange. Much advertising was done to promote women’s ability to change her lipstick with the days of the week and her moods.
I think the most authentic re-imagining of the vintage lipsticks are from Besame cosmetics. Their colors and their packaging are directly from that time period, and the formulas are buildable and velvety and matte; exactly like vintage lipstick. I have had vintage lipstick and Besame resembles it exactly in its texture and container design.
I hope this article helped answer some of your questions about pin up, and perhaps helped you find your way to looking and feeling like more of a pinup girl!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, and if you have any ideas for future blog posts.
I am planning on posting tutorials for vintage makeup and hair in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.