It’s been decades since her death, but Marilyn Monroe is still inspiring makeup lovers everywhere. Some of her beauty secrets have been revealed before, such as the ingenious way her makeup artist Allan “Whitey” Snyder drew a shadow outside her lower lid to make it look like her lashes were so heavy, they weighed her eyes down. Other beauty secrets, though they’ve been shared before, were perhaps a little too innovative for the general public even ten years ago. With recent trends in contouring and highlighting taking over the beauty scene, however, none of Marilyn’s tips and tricks seem as outlandish anymore. Here are a few of the best beauty tips, compiled by Marie Claire, Marilyn and Snyder swore by:
- Marilyn used Vaseline as a primer.
Oh, and we thought we were the first generation to use a primer. Marilyn loved Vaseline because it’s so moisturizing and made her skin look great under the studio lights.
- Snyder contoured Marilyn’s lips for a perfect pout.
You’ve contoured your face and even your eyes, but have you ever contoured your lips? Apply a dark red to to the outer corners of your lips and lighter colors in the middle. Then add highlighter on the cupid’s bow and bottom lip.
- Do the “Greta Garbo.”
“Monroe literally called it the ‘Greta Garbo eye,’ as the silent screen star was the one who originally blended white eye shadow on the lids all the way up to the brow bone and into the inner corners to add more depth.” (Marie Claire via MSN)
- Don’t use only one eyeliner.
Snyder used a combination of black, red, white and brown eyeliners on Marilyn. Apply both the black and brown eyeliners to the upper lash line and waterline. Then draw a small white triangle on the outside corner of the eyes. Put a dot of red eyeliner in the inner corners to make your eyes look whiter.
- Use blush on your nose.
After applying Marilyn’s blush, Snyder would define the tip of Marilyn’s nose with the same color, making it appear smaller.
- Cut your falsies in half.
For a natural but sexy look, Snyder would cut Marilyn’s false lashes in half and apply them to the outer corners of her eyes.
Image via Flickr/Phil Roeder
