1940s makeup tips that kept women glowing through wartime and beyond
Before the war, beauty routines could be elaborate. Women spent time perfecting a pale, polished look with dramatic rouge and deep red lips. But by the mid-1940s, beauty experts emphasized a fresh-faced glow over heavy makeup. A good skincare routine was key, with a focus on cleansing, moisturizing and keeping skin clear. Home remedies like a cornmeal scrub helped exfoliate, while simple soaps and water softeners kept skin fresh.
Makeup application also changed. Instead of layering on products, women learned to use a lighter touch. Foundation was blended carefully for a natural finish, and pastel pink blushes replaced the bold reds of the past. Powder was pressed into the skin rather than dusted on, creating a soft, even look. Even the timing of makeup application mattered — some women put on their makeup before a bath, letting the steam help set everything in place.
Eye makeup followed the same restrained approach. Brows were kept natural but well-groomed, and lashes were defined with a light coat of mascara. Bright lipsticks were still popular, but softer shades gained popularity, too. The goal was a polished but effortless appearance, one that fit with the era’s emphasis on practicality and resilience.
If you’re curious to see how women in the 1940s perfected their beauty routines, we’ve collected original articles and photos from the era. They show exactly how makeup trends evolved during the war years and beyond — when beauty was all about making the most of what you had.
Vintage 1940s makeup & beauty tips for that healthy glow
by Alicia Hart – Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Mass.) February 2, 1943
The American beauty of 1943, says one of Fifth Avenue’s most eminent experts, will spend about 20 minutes daily on her beauty care — and will set a standard that compares all right with that of the pre-war type who averaged an hour and a half a day on her beauty care.
There’s a reason, this expert goes on, why Miss 1943 will be able to look as well with less time spent on personal care — in fact, several reasons.
That pre-war girl “strove for a pale, sophisticated look-of-leisure,” the authority says, but the wartime beauty “radiates healthful beauty from within and without.”
She wears subtle makeup, a short coif, nails filed down to working length and tinted with natural polish, a tailored suit or slacks or uniform for work.
The pre-war girl flaunted wide, material-consuming skirts, painted her over-long nails deep red, and thought a glowing complexion was the result of a bang-up make up job. In short, the now beauty doesn’t waste time on trivialities, and shows it.
But, more important, the new beauty has learned that a quick, sensible routine of home-beauty care is indispensable today. She knows that nowhere is it so true as in beauty care that a stitch in time saves nine.
She doesn’t have to go in for elaborate weekly rejuvenation — her skin and hair are kept in good condition.
She is not boycotting the beauty parlor: she realizes that a thorough and basic conditioning treatment is just as essential as brushing her hair, and really brushing, at least twice a week.
She keeps her complexion clean, gets a fair amount of exercise and has a healthful diet. She is healthy, and looks vital.
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Spring makeup tips from the 1940s
by Alicia Hart, Rhinelander Daily News (Rhinelander, Wisconsin) April 26, 1948
Revise your technique of makeup application when you switch to the innocent pink shades of powder and paint which are decreed for spring.
A good beginning is to concentrate as much on the scrub-up as the make-up. If you need to rout blackheads or graze off dry cuticle, which can spoil your best make-up efforts, use a friction paste of cornmeal and rub it over your face.
You can make this granular cleanser with a heap of cornmeal and a little water. To make clogged pores and ruffled skin receptive to your friction rub, use the cornmeal paste after a hot soapy scrub.
For this spring clean-up, use a water-softener to effect a better liaison between soap and water. Some softening cereals not only relieve water tensions and make a lather more active, but will perfume your wash basin with crushed lavender flowers.
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All set for your pale and pretty make-up? Polka-dot your makeup cream over face and neck, then blend dabs of color together. A warning against a heavy-handed application: your spring make-up will look like a mask if you don’t use restraint.
The more pastel-pink your rouge is, the more restraint you will need to use when painting on a delicate blush.
A pressing-in technique is a good one to use when applying powder. That way, you banish a powdery surplus, make skin surfaces look smoother, coax powder to stay-put, and create the effect of a more uniform color.
Put on your make-up before you take your bath — allowing vapors to have their way with powder and paint — and see if you aren’t better pleased with the results. Your reward will be a softer, better-blended make-up with more of a dewy than a powdered look.
Don’t overlook the pale powder that sticks to the hairline. To clean that up, wrap the top of an orange stick with damp cotton and swab.
Vintage Shirley Temple 1940s makeup
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