Backstage

The '20s (1920-1929) are also known as' The Roaring Twenties’ (Roaring Twenties) o 'Jazz Age',and witnesses, Europe in the early post-war, economic recovery (from which also the name of 'Golden Twenties') and other important events, including greater independence of women.

The cinema of the time, confirming in this decade, its widespread, is still silent, and the film insensitive, best suited to bring whites and blacks rather than shades.

The trick in cinema in recent years, even clear imprint theater, application is located on the characters of those men and women who not only serves as embellishment, but also to give a clear positive or negative connotation, that the characterization and state aid to the viewer.

(Gustav Fröhlich in 'Metropolis', 1927)

(bandits in 'The Kid', 1921)

It is therefore a trick whose dominant color is very clear (the basis) opposed to dark colors (eyebrows, eyes and mouth) and that they are still not using blush and chiaroscuro.

An example of this type of makeup you can find in Louise Brooks and Clara Bow, famous American actresses of silent cinema, that helped popularize with the theme of Olive Thomas ‘flapper’, uninhibited young girls who are critical of the generations before smoking, flaunting their youth, in opposition to past generations, bringing short hair straight or curly, short dresses (and sometimes with fringes fluttering, suited to do the Charleston) or to exhibit the arms and legs from the knee down, and making extensive use of makeup in public.

(Louise Brooks, 1928)

(Clara Bow, 1926)

This look is spreading faster among girls and fashion, enough to become a characteristic feature of the time.

It is identified by a short haircut, smooth or corrugated iron, a very clear makeup base that removes all the imperfections, eyebrows quite thin and rounded towards the corner of my eye, eyes rimmed in black above and below to confer expression and a thin mouth, designed 'to heart', with a double arch on the upper lip and a rather dark red.

Here's how I enjoyed making up Betty for her distinctive look here these years:

(Betty al naturale)

(Make-up the 20s -1)

(Make-up the 20s – 2)

The realization of the make-up 20s

Having laid the foundation of the fat makeup of a color rather than clear, shaded on the neck to get to the skin tone, I made a fading light and dark brown on the sides of the nose, in the contour of the face to 'detach’ the neck and oblique shadows on the cheeks, under the cheekbones.
The eye makeup, instead, obtained by marking the line between the upper eyelid and eyelid fixed, the line above the lashes on the eyelid just below the upper and lower lashes, was initially defined with a black pencil, gradient and then with a brush. This type of makeup is very similar to 'smokey eyes’ very timely in this period, but has a more rounded, not going to define the corner of my eye.
I then powdered with a transparent and neutral face powder all over her face, pulling the trick well in areas where usually tends to accumulate (crease between the eyelid and eyelid fixed, sides of the nose near the nostrils). The powder was determined by vaporizing water all over your face dry with a tissue and buffered.
Once in this way the base, I focused on the eye, going to weigh down the design just released with a black eye shadow, more pronounced on the upper and lower eyelid line and fold eyelid, maintaining a very nuanced eye round.
Followed by, I gave a little’ more strength to the eyebrows (already quite thin) using a black pencil, stretched to excess on the edge, to give the queues round the drawing very typical of these years.
On the lips, dark red with a pencil, I made the drawing 'at heart', characterized by narrow, fleshy upper lip, semicurve defined in two at the top and a semicurve to close in the lower.
Finally, to give a little’ of life on this face so full of light and dark contrasts I applied a subtle brush of blush on the cheeks. The hair, previously collected to make the make-up, were covered by a black wig, typical of the period with a cut.

Giorgia, 20s make-up

Giorgia, 20s make-up

Giorgia, make up anni’20

(Make Up in collaboration with Messrs. Bobbins and Mario Manlio Michisanti)
 

Features of the trick:

Hair characteristics: