The 1950s
The 1950s saw color films emerge and with that the cosmetics industry grew. The 70 mm cinema screens showed the larger than life portrayals of stars with their unblemished picture perfect appearances. Make up artist Max Factor was inspired to come up with a daily use version of a type of foundation called ‘Pan Cake’, which was a special kind of make up that evened out and hid skin imperfections. He also introduced a line of lipsticks and eye shadows in excitingly new colors.
In the late 1950s, titanium began being added to make up products that resulted in dimming their brightness and that lent the lips a pale shimmer. This idea was later extended to nail polishes of colors like pink, sliver among others.
SPECTACLES: The 1950s also saw a new accessory emerge – surprisingly, it was spectacles! Yes, spectacles were all the rage in that decade. The more elaborate ones encrusted with colored stones or scattered with glitter dust. The outer corners also had exaggerated wings similar to butterfly wings.
HAIRSTYLES: in the early years of the 1950s, the youth preferred the ponytail, which later gave way to the French braid. Elizabeth Taylor and Queen Elizabeth II popularized the permanent wave in hairstyles.
Hair laquer sprays came into vogue and was now accessible to the common woman. As a result of this, complex and high hairstyles became popular. The later 1950s saw a range of outrageous hairstyles like beehives, backcombed bouffants and French braids.
