An Introduction to Vintage Make-up

There are some great tutorials on YouTube which explain how to do the most popular looks from days gone by: Marilyn, Marlene, Audrey etc. But this video by Lisa Eldridge is actually about the products themselves and how they've changed over the years. It's really fascinating, even though it's just a little introduction, and if you look through the rest of Lisa's channel you'll see a two-part history of products in even more depth (http://www.lisaeldridge.com/)
Here's the video "Vintage Make-up...I Love It!"

I find it really interesting that the make-up women wear can depend totally on the zeitgeist of the time - it's not just randomly decided, it's a collective movement to either rebel or conform depending on the circumstances. 
During WWII, many cosmetics companies (including AVON) used half of their facilities to manufacture weapons and soldiers' equipment (especially camouflage make-up), and Avon Ladies sold War Bonds along with their wares. In the 1920's, make up was dark and exaggerated simply because the stars features wouldn't show up on the low quality film without it - but the general public took this as a 'fashion' and that iconic 'Flapper' look was born.

It's incredibly interesting stuff so do check it out xox