History of Makeup: The 1920s Makeup Tutorial

Prime your skin for your 1920s makeup look by applying my award-winning moisturiser, Charlotte’s Magic Cream. This iconic, immediate skin revival moisturiser helps to hydrate, smooth, re-texturise and plump the look of skin to create the perfect canvas for makeup. Magic Cream is Magic Skin! I never wear makeup without applying Magic Cream, first! To apply, smooth the moisturiser onto the face and neck and massage into skin with my Tilbury Tap technique. Use light, angel wing motions to work moisturiser into skin, then gently tap with your fingertips to help boost absorption.

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For complexion, keep foundation makeup light to create a subtly perfected base. I suggest applying a light-coverage foundation like Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick to make skin glow while still looking natural. Swipe this stick foundation directly onto your face and use the Magic Complexion Brush to buff and blend until skin looks even and radiant. Build coverage with concealer; apply a colour-correcting concealer like Magic Vanish under the eyes to neutralise the appearance of darkness and discolouration, then apply Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer to brighten and create a subtle lift effect.

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To get the sculpted look of an Old Hollywood star, dot my Hollywood Contour Wand onto the hollows of the cheekbones, the temples, and the jawline to create the appearance of a more chiselled facial framework. Use the flat end of my Hollywood Complexion Brush to blend this easy liquid contour into the skin and give your complexion natural-looking, sculpt-effect shadows.

Discover how to contour for your face shape

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Powder is the secret to making skin look silky-smooth and it can be used to capture that vintage-inspired, 20s look. Tap AIRbrush Flawless Finish into the centre of your face, around your mouth, and under the eyes to remove shine and create a flawless-looking complexion finish. Then, sweep AIRbrush Brightening Flawless Finish onto the high points of your face and under your eyes to create a brightening effect that mimics the beautifying beams of Hollywood lights.

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The 1920s popularised fine, pencil-thin eyebrows with a defined arch and long tail. To recreate the brow look of a quintessential 1920s flapper girl, use the micro-precision tip of my Brow Cheat eyebrow pencil to sketch out a thin 20s-inspired eyebrow shape. Then, take Legendary Brows tinted brow gel and brush through your brow hairs to give them a natural-looking, feathered effect, brushing the upper hairs in soft downward motions to accentuate the vintage shape you have created.

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Eye makeup from the 20s often featured kohl eyeliner that was smudged onto the lash line to create a sultry, smokey effect and matte eyeshadow that was blown out and blended through the crease.

To create a classic 1920s eyeshadow look, softly define your eye shape with the neutral shades in The Sophisticate Luxury Palette, then deepen the inner and outer corners and the lower lash line with the dark brown SMOKE shade. Use the matte PRIME shade in the centre of your lid to create a sophisticated cream matte highlight that helps eyes to look bigger and brighter.

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Take a nude eyeliner like my Super Nudes Liner Duo and accentuate the look of your waterline with a brightening, eye-opening effect. Next, reach for a lacquered liquid eyeliner like The Feline Flick to create a lift-effect wing at the outer corners of the eyes. Complete your 1920s eye makeup with a coat of Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara to give your lashes a dramatic, fanned-out, ultra-volumised look.

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One of the defining features of 1920s makeup was to emphasise the roundness of the Cupid’s bow. To create the perfect 1920s red lip, line your lips with my Pillow Talk Intense Lip Cheat to accentuate your Cupid’s bow and create a beautiful, rose-brown base for your red lipstick. Then, top your lip liner with my Hollywood Beauty Icon Lipstick in Cinematic Red to create a starlet-inspired, cherry-red lip. Add a slick of delectable red lip gloss to make your lips shine like a 1920s siren – I recommend Lip Lustre in Unleash Me as the perfect pop of black-cherry lip gloss to complete your look.

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My lip and cheek tints have rose-gold, mirrored packaging inspired by the rouge compacts used in the 1920s to give makeup a delicate, just-been-kissed rush of colour. Brightly blushed cheeks were everywhere in the 20s; pretty pinks and punchy reds were used to give cheeks that love-blushed look and were even blended close to the nose and lower lash line for a blown-out, beautifying effect. To create a flattering, youthful-looking, rouged appearance, tap Paradise Pink Glow onto the apples of the cheeks with the flat end of my Hollywood Complexion Blush to lift the look of your complexion and channel one of the most popular glamour rituals of the roaring 20s.

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Make your 1920s makeup look last all day by spraying on a waterproof, hydrating setting spray. My AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray is a weightless, waterproof formula that mists over makeup and locks it into place for up to 16 hours!*

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