1950s Beauty: Cleansers, Makeup, and Routines

The 1950s were such a lovely decade. The women were lovely. The makeup just enough. And everyone looked flawless. Oh, how I yearn for that.

Women's complexions of that era so greatly differ from ours today because of two reasons: they ate healthier and exercised more. Having two cars for one family wasn't very common so if the wife had to run errands, she walked. Some mothers would walk their kids to school in the morning and afternoons, and a few even picked their kids up for a home-cooked meal at lunchtime. All the added housework during the day didn't hurt either. Not only did their complexions get affected by this, but also their figures (that's another topic for a later day though).

Before we get any further, no the women of the 50s were not some extra-terrestrial beauties that didn't get blemishes. Zits, blackheads, whiteheads, and redness come with the territory of owning skin, but there's a right way and a wrong way to care for it.

Cleansers

The key to clear skin is starting with the foundation. No, I'm not talking about makeup, but rather the prep work that goes in to caring for your skin. How you treat your skin will affect how your skin treats you. Remember that.

It was very popular to use all-purpose cleaners in the 1950s. Brands such as Palmolive, Pears, Fels-Naptha, and Ivory were common all-purpose cleaners that could be used in the shower and around the home, while brands like Lux, Dove, Olay, and Camay were mainly labeled as beauty soaps. Scrubbing your face with a wash cloth and soap, then rinsing with cold water seems to be how most women washed their face during this decade. The mentality of "the harder the scrub, the cleaner you are" tends to be a common idea for a lot of cleaning practices of this age. In this case, I think it really depends on your skin type.

I personally don't like using soap on my face because I have very dry skin and bar soap tends to dry my skin out even more, and scrubbing my face with a wash cloth doesn't help my redness either. Occasionally I'll use liquid Ivory soap and work it into a lather with my hands while I'm in the shower if my face feels really grimy, but generally I skip traditional soap all together when it comes to my face.

Cold Creams were also a very popular beauty essential. The two favorite brands I discovered after doing a poll in a 1950's group on Facebook ended up being Ponds and Noxzema which are both still available today. Something I also found out during this poll was that there were/are so many ways to use cold cream. Some women preferred to keep it in the refrigerator, others left it at room temperature. Some would apply it to their face and then rinse it off (using cotton balls or tissues to remove any excess cold cream was also a common practice), and some would slather on a layer of it before bed and let it soak into their skin. Whichever way you use cold cream, it was a staple cleanser for women of the 50s.

I'm a Noxzema girl myself. After my shower (I'm mainly a nightly-showerer), I'll remove my makeup and rub a layer of Noxzema into my skin with circular motions before bed. I love the tingling feel it gives my skin when using it, and the added moisturizing benefits helps my skin in a big way which is why I choose not to rinse it off.

Jergens, Nivea, and Vaseline were recommended as emollients (moisturizers), which were used as often as you washed your face. Using witch hazel and rose water as a toner was used by some women, though it didn't seem so commonly used based on my research and polls. You can also make your own rose water which I'll post a recipe for sometime in the future.

Makeup

The beauty of the 1950s makeup was the simplicity. Face powder, mascara, lipstick, and eye shadow were used by almost everyone woman who wore makeup. Rouge and eyeliner added a more glamorized feel to general every-day makeup. Makeup is just as personal as clothing choices, and likewise women's makeup choices highly depended on their style. This website is one of my favorites for going in-depth with makeup trends from the twentieth century.

Avon, Max Factor, Hazel Bishop and Tangee lipstick, Coty face powder, Revlon, and Mary Kay were all brands I was told about during my polls. Tangee was a very popular lipstick which a lot of the ladies I spoke with recalled the famous orange lip shade from the brand, but it also came in shades ranging from Gay Red to Natural. Pinks, reds, and orange-red shades were most common in lipsticks. Liquid or creme foundation, pressed and loose face powder came in natural, flesh tones; peachy and rosy colors for lighter skin, and rich tans and browns for darker skin. Women almost always had a compact with them, too. I myself carry one around with me to powder my T-zone throughout the day. Rouge came in colors like coral, peach, pink-orange, or rose, and eye shadows could be found ranging from blue to pink and green to orange. Some women would go as far to match their nail polish to their lip shade so nail polishes could be found in just about every shade as well.

Whatever your preference of makeup was, a rule of thumb seemed to be to never to leave the house without lipstick, and I've heard countless women say their mother's and grandmother's offered that piece of advice to them early on.

Beauty Routine

I recently discovered this beauty routine printed in a 1952 women's magazine and had to share it with you all. It reminds me of the "Weekly Chore List" I shared a few weeks ago only for beauty.

Each day of the week has something different for you to do beauty-wise, which for me is a fabulous idea.

"Monday -- A facial helps you start the week with a bright outlook. First cleanse your face well with cream, then apply a mask to your throat and face, being careful to keep it away from your eyes. This stimulates surface circulation and tightens pores. Remove the mask, following the directions on package about time and method. You'll feel and look fresher.

Tuesday -- Because you're on your feet so much, treat yourself to a pedicure and foot exercises. Only way pedicure differs from a manicure is you file toenails straight across - easier on stockings and discourages ingrown nails. While your polish dries, spread and clench your toes by picking up marbles. Or roll a small bottle back and forth with ball of each foot. 

Wednesday -- Use a razor, depilatory, wax or abrasive to defuzz your legs and underarms - remember this is a feminine must all year round. And don't forget your eyebrows. Use tweezers to eliminate stray hairs and give a clean look - follow the natural outline of your eyebrows for most flattering results. To complete the job, apply a mild soothing antiseptic. 

Thursday -- Shampoo your hair - or, if it doesn't need washing every week, give your scalp a thorough relaxing massage. Before washing, brush your hair well. Then apply shampoo, work up a good lather and scrub your scalp with your fingertips or a brush. Rinse well, towel dry, again massaging scalp. It's a good time to wash your comb and brush too. 

Friday -- Fit your manicure into the day's schedule. This includes shaping your nails, pushing back the cuticles and applying polish - first a base coat, then two coats of colored polish topped with a sealer coat. Before starting, assemble all the items you will need. Use a flat working surface to speed up the job and achieve neater and smoother results. 

Saturday and Sunday -- Reap the rewards of time well spent during the other five days of work - and brush up on any grooming details that you find require a little extra attention. Now you know that with only a few minutes warning you can step out looking and feeling your best. Above all, your husband will be more encouraged to suggest last-minute plans."

Fun Fact: Washing your hair multiple times a week is a fairly new practice so when this article was written in 1952, it wasn't unheard of to go a week or longer without washing your hair. Today, our scalps and hair are used to being stripped of it's natural oils by commercial shampoos so our bodies produce more sebum as a way to protect from the harsh chemicals and dyes, thus making our hair more oilier. When you wash your hair fewer times or use natural alternatives such as baking soda and apple cider vinegar, your hair will stop over-producing sebum and you'll find you won't have to wash your hair as often.

In 1954, Diana Day shared some quick beauty routines in "Woman" magazine. These included splashing your face with cold water in the morning, lotioning hands and cuticles daily, and softening your lips with moisturizer after brushing your teeth. You can read the full article here.

Cleanliness was very important to the 1950s woman. Her day started by washing her face (cold water is great for waking you up, reducing puffiness, and closing up pores). Using a soap or cold cream followed by a toner laid the foundation for flawless makeup. A polished look both in clothes and makeup pulled her together for the day, and of course we cannot forget her hair. (Unfortunately due to how many different styles and cuts and colors there are regarding 1950s hair, I decided to leave that out of this post.) At night, bathing and again washing her face and applying cold cream or another moisturizer ended her day.

Going to bed with makeup on was a big no-no and was frowned upon as laziness -- which if I'm being honest, I'm totally guilty of sometimes. Bar soap would suffice in the removal of makeup, but I prefer using coconut oil for both makeup removal and an exfoliant. A pea-size amount of coconut oil is enough to remove even the most stubborn mascara or eyeliner, and it's natural which I really like. Melted coconut oil mixed with granulated sugar is a great exfoliant and again, it's natural and harmless if accidentally ingested. I'll add my recipe for natural exfoliant in a separate post at a later date.

Do you think there was too much pressure put on women to be put-together while keeping the house and kids in order, or do you think following a similar beauty routine could be beneficial to your overall outlook on yourself and life? Let me know in the comments below!

And as always, God bless, lovelies!