Old Hollywood Glam Make-Up: Katherine Hepburn

Throughout her six-decade career, Katherine Hepburn holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins with 4 out of 12 nominations. She won an Emmy Award in her lead role in Love Among the Ruins and was nominated for four others. Katherine also won two Tony Awards and eight Golden Globes. In 1999, she was ranked #1 in the American Film Institute’s list of The Greatest Female Screen Legends.

Last weekend, at our free monthly workshops in LA and NY, we showed our participants how to recreate the classic looks of Old Hollywood. Here’s how to get Katherine Hepburn’s Old Hollywood Glamour make-up look:

Products Used:
Face: Cream Foundation, Loose Powder, Dual Finish Powders DFD1 and DFD2
Eyes: Eye Pencil in Taupe, Auburn, Rich Brown or Black, Eye Colors in Bone, Apricot, Wheat and Taupe, Black Cake Eyeliner and Volumizing Mascara
Lips: Brick Lip Pencil and Rustic Satin Lipstick

Face: Select the foundation colors that may be a match from MUD’s Foundation Palette #1 or #2 using the Palette Knife. Test the foundation colors on the neck to find the closest match. Transfer the selected foundation to a Stainless Steel Palette for sanitation and ease of use. Starting from the top of the forehead, apply the selected Cream Foundation with a Professional Make-up Sponge. Work down the face using small strokes to ensure an even coat allover the face. Work the foundation all the way down onto the neckline for a seamless application. For an Old Hollywood Glam “matte” appearance, apply a generous amount of Loose Powder with the #720 Powder Brush to set the make-up. To shape the face, try the Dual Finish Pressed Mineral Powders in DFD1 and DFD2 applied with the #510 Duster Brush. First, apply the DFD1 directly under the cheekbones and hairline. For depth, reinforce the contour with a darker pressed powder such as DFD2.

Eyes: Thin, long and over-exaggerated eyebrows were in for Old Hollywood Glam. You can recreate this look by using an Eye Pencil in Taupe, Auburn, Rich Brown or Black. For a softer look, try transferring the pigment from the Eye Pencil onto a #210 Angle Liner Brush. Start at the inner base of the eyebrow. Drag the pencil or brush to create an arch above the iris. For this particular look, it is necessary to overdraw the end of the eyebrows lower than normal.

Use matte eye colors to play up the highlight and shadows. A light color like Bone or Apricot can be used directly under the eyebrow with the #330S Shadow Fluff Brush. With the same brush, apply Apricot or Wheat on the entire lid. For a sultry appearance in the crease, use the #800S Crease Brush with the Taupe Eye Color. Start from the outer corner and lightly sweep toward the inner corner of the crease. Make sure to meet the shadow with the inner base of the eyebrow. Soften the edges with the #330S Brush or a clean Professional Make-up Sponge. If you make a mistake, a sponge makes for a great eraser.

A “Natural” or “Wedge” shape was the eyeliner look for Old Hollywood. Not only was it a corrective method, it also camouflaged the strip from the false lashes. The #210S Brush with the Black Cake Eyeliner is the way to go. Activate the cake liner with water and create a slurry of product with the #210S Brush. This point, lay and drag technique will help ensure a perfect liner: Point the tip at the tear duct, lay the tip flat and drag to the center of the lid in one sweep. Point the brush opposite on the outer lash line, lay the tip and drag the brush to the upper lid and stop. It may take one or two strokes in thickness to build up properly. The wedge will develop on the outer corner. Complete the look with Volumizing Mascara. For more drama, apply strip lashes.

Lips: Define the lips with Brick Lip Pencil. Begin on the upper lip. Draw up the peaks of the Cupid’s Bow and follow the lip line. Then draw out to meet the outside corners of the mouth. On the lower lip, start from the outside corners of the lip line and meet in the center. Load both sides of the #310 Lip Brush with Rustic Satin Lipstick. Apply the lipstick to the lips starting from the outer corner of the upper lip and allowing the brush to follow the lip liner to the center of the lip. Flip the brush over and repeat, meeting in the middle. Reload the brush and repeat the technique on the lower lip.

See photos in the Photo Gallery!