QUICK TIPS on HOLLYWOOD CONFIDENTIAL STYLE

Women’s Hair Styles

1. No matter the length, to achieve any style from the era, you will need to preset your hair in pincurls.  For more specific instructions on how to achieve a pincurl, see the videos below.
2. Setting your hair is best done the night before but you can use hot rollers or a curling iron to help set your curls a few hours prior to the event.  Spraying your curls with a hairspray that is malleable but has memory is best.
3. If you want tight curls, then set your hair when it is damp.  If you want loose curls, then set your hair when it is dry.
4. Heat application can help hasten the process, but don’t get impatient.
5. Once your hair has set, release the curls be removing the pins.  Now you can style.  Be sure to use a fine comb or a rat tail comb to help smooth out sections.  Check out some of the videos for styling tips.  Remember to spray to set your style.

Women’s Make Up

1. Dark eyeliner contouring the eye and accenting the outside points help frame the eyes so they stand out.
2. Accentuate the top lashes over the bottom lashes.  False eyelashes add extra glamour.
3. Women typically managed their own eyebrows by tweezing.  As a result, you will notice most women had to fill in their brows to ensure the perfect arch.  Eyebrows were very feminine though very strong.
4. Red full lips.  Be sure to contour the lip with a color that matches the lipstick.  Women didn’t typically have multiple colors in their make up kits so your lip color should be flat.
5. If you are feeling particularly exotic, add a beauty mark.  They were all the rage thanks to Marilyn Monroe.
6. Remember, make up was expensive for most women and powder was often the way they accomplished their finished looks.  The powder was more often, lighter than a woman’s natural complexion.

Men’s Hair

1. Watch an episode of Mad Men to see the many variations on the exact same shape.
2. With your hair still damp, apply gel liberally to the front of your hair from root to shaft.  Then apply some gel to the back.
3. With a fine toothed comb, slick the hair straight back.  Let the hair rest so you can start to see the natural part.
4. From the natural part, begin to separate the hair, slicking the top to the side and then back.  The sides should be combed tightle back.
5. Once your hair is in place, take your hands and run the along the side.  You can gently lift the cowlicks to give some dimpling.  (See the video for additional ideas.)
6. If you have short hair, just be sure that it is tailored and tight.  It wasn’t until the mid-sixties that we let our hair down (literally).

Now these tips give you a great place to start, please read on for some history.  The pictures are intended to inspire you and the videos are to give you hair and make-up enthusiasts an opportunity to impress with additional finesse.  In fact, the internt is just full of ‘groovy’ videos that capture the ‘like crazy’ styles of the time.  Enjoy!

As far as hairstyling goes in the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, even well into the 1960’s and 70’s there was an entirely different approach than the way things are done in the salon today.  During these times women did not style their own hair.  The ladies of yesteryear would make weekly salon visits to have their hair washed, set, and styled (and if they could not afford a salon visit, they would style each other’s hair which is the beginning of the ‘slumber party’ phenomenon). 

Things sure have come a long way in hair styling with haircutting, hair color, styling products, usage of hot tools and blow dryers making at home styling much more convenient.  Although some women still visit the salon weekly for styling sessions especially in densely populated urban communities, for the most part, women can easily manage their daily hair regimen themselves.

The Hollywood Confidential look (late 1950s to early 1960s) was ruled by this routine.  Whenever I think of this era, I think of Mia Farrow’s Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby as well as the glammed out coiffed style of Veronica Lake.  Greta Garbo also wore some very chic styles back in this time.  When looking at these images, I see that the styles have a lot of structure and shape.  Less, length, less volume, and less texture than the current looks that most starlets are wearing today.

One of the biggest things I noticed in my research was that women didn’t wear any sort of bang, or fringe on their face.  Every style is either gelled away from the face in pin curls or combed with a significant part.  But always the hair lifted away from the face.  The trend tends to be more form fitting to the head, only with a slight amount of volume, depending on how severe one wishes to go with the style.

A few years ago, this era was an inspiration for much of young Hollywood and this style was all over Hollywood’s red carpets.  I believe the simplest way to achieve this vintage throwback look, is to curl your hair, give it a little texture and a little shape.  Brush hair away from the face with a part, and don’t be afraid to use styling products.  As far as the length goes, take the hair and pin it up underneath at the nape of the neck to give the illusion of a bob.  This faux bob can be quite the show stopper, and if you have length on your hair, a fun way to play around with a shorter more temporary look. 

Glamour girls were also so prominent during this day.  Veronica Lake was the actual inspiration when casting Kim Bassinger’s characer in James Ellroy’s film adaptation of LA Confidential.  This look is glamour glamour glamour!  It’s about length, softness, and sleek style.  It’s about creating that perfect wave in your hair and styling it so not one hair is out of place.  I actually found an incredible DIY video on YouTube to help educate on how to do this sort of pin curl set at home.  This look is without a doubt for the girl with Jessica Rabbit style looking to turn a few heads.

As for the make up, it is all about the eyes and the lips.  The tools and palettes were much more basic during this time, thus making the eyes and lip the easiest parts of the face to glamorize.  The lip most certainly would be a striking shade of red.  Eyeliner and mascara are your eyes best friends.  Broaden the lash and contour the eye creating a simple but sexy visage.

When looking at all of these styles, it is interesting to see that in hair styling how trends repeat themselves over and over again.  Various modifications made over these years, but this influence from the first part of the 21st century still has major impact on the looks we see today.  I love the idea of experimenting with different styling techniques.  With styling, nothing is permanent.  Have fun with your hair! Think of your hair as your best accessory, and be glad that in 2010, you don’t have to spend hours in the salon every week achieving these looks.

I encourage you to experiment, have fun, and get HOLLYWOOD CONFIDENTIAL!  When looking at the images and watching these videos, make sure you choose a style that makes you feel sexy and fabulous.  After all no matter the time confidence has always been key in Hollywood

“Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself” – Hubert de Givenchy