The Very Best Eye Makeup Tricks From 1955

The power of beautiful eye makeup is nothing new. Women have always wondered how to get their brows, lashes, and liner just right. But with so many tricks and DIY tutorials available these days, we wondered if there were some old-fashioned tips that could be just as helpful. Luckily, we found a beauty gold mine in our May 1955 issue. Read on for yourself:

We've seen it happen! A vaguely untidy face suddenly made clean and clear because a few straggling eyebrow hairs were plucked. A pair of so-so eyes become beautiful from a swish of mascara. Balance and distinction given to a face with just a few deft strokes of a pencil on scanty eyebrows. We've seen such little miracles time and again. And so we wonder why two out of three women neglect their eyes. Your eyes are your most important feature. They can be your most attractive.

Start with eyebrows.
Because those wings of beauty sketch a definite horizontal above your eyes, even a slight change in their shape, length, or color may make an enormous difference in the balance, character, and good looks of your face. So before tweezing take a long, analytic look. Plan no drastic alteration, for basically your natural arch suits you best. Do clean out any hairs that meander above the nose or below the eyebrow proper, but leave the top line strictly alone.

Shape with pencil.
To shape a prettier arch, use a sharp pencil, and make tiny feathery strokes as if you were drawing each extra hair. For most women, black pencil gives too hard a look. Brown is better, light brown for blondes or light redheads.

Shadow for color.
Shadow is magic stuff to give the eyes more depth and color, but it does require that you try, try again, for the right effect. Blue and green, or soft grayish shades of either, are the most flattering hues. On one eye try the easiest way to use shadow: Dip a lipbrush into the color, and draw a brushline of it just above your upper lashes. On some eyes this gives a clean, sparkling look. Now, on the other eye, try this for a soft, colorful look: Mix a bit of shadow with make-up base, spread it over the outer half of the lid, and blot with tissue. Then place a thin band of pure shadow close to the lashes. Which way does the most for your eyes?

Try eye lining.
To make your eyes appear larger and your lashes thicker, use pencil or eyeliner to draw a very thin brown or black line, or a row of closely spaced dots, along the roots of the lashes. An easy way to get a little color on the lids is to apply blue or green eyeliner next to the upper lashes. We recommend it only to women with smooth eyelids.

Everybody needs mascara.
Lashes are lighter at the tips, so to make them look lush you need mascara. Powder the lashes, cover your mascara brush evenly and thinly, and brush from roots to tips. To do those vital corner winkers, pull the lid up and out with one hand and work with the other. Then, for a fine-fringe effect, sweep a clean brush over the dry lashes to separate each hair.

Curl your lashes.
For shining, wide-open eyes, curl your lashes. This allows more light to enter your eyes, gives them more sparkle. For a slight upsweep, press your mascara brush against the upper lashes until the mascara dies. Or for more curl, get one of the clever curlers — so quick and easy to use.

Enlarge small eyes.
To make small eyes seem bigger, spread your make-up base over the upper lids, use no shadow, but lavish mascara on both lashes. Pencil lines along the lash roots to slightly beyond the corners, and fill in the tiny triangles they form.

Enhance deep-set eyes.
Deep-set or hollow eyes tend to look small and unnoticeable. To give them importance, use a cotton-tipped stick to apply a light shade of foundation all over the lids. Or try a swivel-stick make-up. Then brush on mascara to make the most of your lashes.

Subdue pop eyes.
If your eyes are too prominent, cover the lids lightly with brown shadow. Then, with pencil and mascara, do what you can to straighten your eyebrows and lashes.

Brighten pale eyes.
To deepen the color of pale eyes, apply gray shadow near the lashes, and soft blue or green above that. Use brown mascara, or green or blue to match your eyes.

Consider your specs.
If you wear glasses, pick becoming frames, and be sure they do not cut across your eyebrows. Then experiment with mascara, pencil, and shadow. You'll know you have the right combination when your eyes look more important than your glasses.

The Very Best Eye Makeup Tricks From 1955

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