Nothing epitomizes the vintage makeup and hair from the 1940s and 1950s more than burlesque.
The vixens of the burlesque stage had signature styles that incorporated everything we have come to associate with vintage makeup and hair: glamour girl waves, arched brows, long false lashes, and overpainted red lips. They had curves and style that are iconic.
Burlesque has been associated with working classes and gritty nightlife, but is now thought of as a beautiful time capsule of the glamour of the mid 20th century. The women are every bit as glamorous as the Las Vegas showgirls and Hollywood actresses of the time.
Best makeup to recreate the vintage burlesque style?
I love the HUDA New Nude Eyeshadow Palette. This is luxurious, buildable color that they will see from the back rows. STUNNING.
If you want the classic face powder, no one does this better than Besame. They have singlehandedly and lovingly recreated the vintage cosmetics from the 20s through the 60s. If you are ever in Burbank, California, be sure to visit their store on Magnolia Blvd. It is like a mini vintage makeup museum.
Who currently is the most famous burlesque dancer?
The revival of vintage burlesque has been going on since the 1990s, but no one has taken it to the super star level like Dita Von Teese. She epitomizes iconic vintage burlesque makeup and hair, and inspires legions of pinup girls with her classic style.
She is as much a household name today as Gypsy Rose Lee or Tempest Storm were in their day. From her unique sets and costumes, to her savvy business mind, she has parlayed her classic retro beauty and dance talent into an empire, and earned the name “queen of burlesque”.
Her most memorable act is the giant cocktail glass that she immerses herself in on stage, complete with bubbles and an olive shaped sponge.
If you want to feel like a burlesque star, What Katie Did makes THE BEST vintage inspired lingerie!
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At our pinup studio, Iconic Pinups in Los Angeles, we are inspired by Dita’s cocktail glass burlesque performance. We do the vintage burlesque makeup and hair for you!
Is burlesque an art form?
Burlesque is a national treasure and definitely an historic art form. Its U.S. origins are in the early years of the 20th century, and it combines vaudeville and cabaret. It was like a working man’s Zigfeld Follies.
Burlesque has been associated with working classes and gritty nightlife, but it is now thought of as a beautiful time capsule of the glamour of the mid 20th century. The women are every bit as glamorous as the Las Vegas showgirls and Hollywood actresses of the time.
The BEST lipstick to get this vintage look has to be from Besame. This matte, velvety texture is EXACTLY like a vintage lipstick, and the tube is reminiscent of the period as well. This is a luxury product that comes in so many colors.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, burlesque has been reclaimed as a powerful way to connect with the feminine: the tease, the art form, and the importance of reviving and preserving a historical treasure.
Who were the most famous burlesque dancers?
With the historic burlesque dancers, blonde bombshells were electric, but the redheads ruled! They were the most smoldering of the bombshells of their time, and explosive in their performances.
Tempest Storm
born Annie Blanche Banks, February 29, 1928), also dubbed “The Queen Of Exotic Dancers,” is still alive today! She is perhaps the most famous of the burlesque performers of the 50s, and even starred alongside Bettie Page in some short films of the 1950s. With her red Rita hayworth hairstyle, red lips, and staggering curves, she is an American burlesque icon. Along with Lili St. Cyr, Sally Rand, and Blaze Starr, she was one of the best-known burlesque performers of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Blaze Starr
(born Fannie Belle Fleming; April 10, 1932 – June 15, 2015) was another american burlesque star of the 1950s. She used inventive stage props and fiery stage presence which earned her the nickname “The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque”. She was also known for her affair with Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long.
Lili St. Cyr
She was statuesque and elegant, and looked like a blonde Ava Gardner. She was class all the way, and one of the most famous striptease / burlesque artists fo the 40s and 50s. She was elevated to the Las Vegas stage and became one of the most elegant burlesque performers. Buxom, highly painted blonde Lili St. Cyr was a notorious striptease artist of the 1940s and 1950s who replaced Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio on the burlesque queen pedestal. Lily Actually took the stripper out of burlesque and put her squarely on the Las Vegas stage. She started her own lingerie line called the Undie World of Lili St. Cyr.
Sally Rand
(born Helen Gould Beck; April 3, 1904 – August 31, 1979) was a famous fan dancer in the 1930s. Everything to do with burlesque and feather fans and giant bubbles we owe to Sally Randy, although she isn’t that well known today. She was an American burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.
Gypsy Rose Lee
(born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was probably the most famous of the burlesque icons. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted into the 1959 stage musical Gypsy. She had her own talk show in the 1960s.
What’s the difference between burlesque and cabaret?
Good question. My favorite time period was 1930s Berlin with its seedy cabarets. The clubs featured a wide variety of acts like singers, dancers, juggling, and magic, but they didn’t focus on the art of striptease. This art form originated in the burlesque houses. Modern burlesque performers pay the ultimate homage to this historic art form!
I hope you have enjoyed into this brief exploration of the history of burlesque. The makeup and hair from this period has inspired my own take on vintage beauty, and the way I have interpreted in my own work. The glamour girls from this time were the ultimate icons of glamour. I hope you will visit our pinup studio in Los Angeles and channel your own burlesque beauty.