Walk into any high-end salon today and you’ll see it. The soft, sculpted waves. The bold, unapologetic red lip. It’s funny how we think we’re being modern when we’re basically just recycling a look that was born out of total global chaos. During the 1940s, beauty wasn't just about looking "pretty" for a date; it was an act of psychological warfare. Seriously. When you look at the history of 1940s hair and makeup, you aren't just looking at cosmetics. You're looking at a survival strategy.
War changes things. Fast.
When the 1940s kicked off, the beauty industry hit a massive wall because of rationing. Metal for hair curlers? Gone to the tank factories. Alcohol for hairspray? Needed for explosives. Even the chemicals in lipstick were suddenly restricted. But instead of giving up, women got incredibly creative. They had to. If you couldn't buy a new dress, you fixed your face and pinned your hair. It was called the "Beauty as Duty" campaign, and it wasn't just a catchy slogan—it was an actual government-backed push to keep morale high.
The engineering behind those iconic victory rolls
Let’s talk about the hair. It’s the first thing people notice. Most people think "victory rolls" were just a cute name, but the term actually came from fighter plane maneuvers. It’s a literal aviation reference.
Achieving that height wasn't easy without modern products. You didn't have a ceramic curling iron that heats up in thirty seconds. Women used "pin curls." They’d dampen their hair, roll it into tiny circles against the scalp, and pin them flat with bobby pins. Then they slept on them. It sounds uncomfortable because it was. In the morning, you’d brush it out into these massive, architectural shapes.
The goal was always height. You wanted the hair away from the face, partly because so many women were suddenly working in factories. Long, flowing hair and heavy machinery are a nightmare combination. So, they pinned it up. They used "rats"—which were basically bundles of old hair collected from brushes—to puff out the rolls and give them structure. It’s a bit gross when you think about it, but it worked.
If you're trying to recreate this today, you have to understand the "C-shape" vs. the "S-shape." Modern curls are usually vertical. 1940s curls were horizontal. They were meant to look like a solid ribbon of hair. If it looked messy, you were doing it wrong. Precision was everything.
What most people get wrong about 1940s hair and makeup
The biggest misconception? That everyone looked like a Hollywood starlet every single day.
They didn't.
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Real life was grittier. Most women were dealing with "Utility" standards. Because of the "Make Do and Mend" philosophy, makeup became a precious commodity. If you ran out of mascara, you used boot polish or a burnt matchstick. Honestly. It sounds like a horror story for your eyelashes, but it was common practice.
The "Red Lip" is the other big myth. We think of it as one specific shade, but it was actually quite varied based on what you could get your hands on. Brands like Tangee and Max Factor were huge, but Elizabeth Arden famously created a shade called "Montezuma Red" specifically for women in the Marine Corps. It had to match the red piping on their uniforms. That’s how deep the connection between beauty and the war effort went.
The eye look was actually quite minimal
If you look at authentic photos from 1943, you won’t see heavy eyeshadow. That’s a 1950s thing. In the 40s, the eyes were kept very clean. A little bit of petroleum jelly on the lids for shine, a flick of mascara, and that was it. The eyebrows were the real stars.
Unlike the pencil-thin brows of the 1930s, the 1940s brow was thicker and more natural, though still very groomed. They used a heavy arch to create a look of constant "alertness." It was a strong face. It wasn't soft. It was the face of someone who could handle a blackout, a ration book, and a 12-hour shift at the shipyard.
The secret ingredients of wartime cosmetics
Everything was a substitute.
When silk stockings were diverted to make parachutes, women didn't just walk around with pale legs. They used "liquid stockings." It was basically leg tan in a bottle, but it was notoriously streaky. Some women even used gravy browning. Yes, the stuff you put in stew. They’d rub it on their legs and then have a friend draw a "seam" down the back of their calf with an eyeliner pencil.
It looked great until it rained. Then you just looked like a melting roast dinner.
- Beetroot juice as a lip and cheek stain when lipstick ran out.
- Coal dust mixed with Vaseline for eyeliner.
- Soap to "set" the eyebrows into a perfect arch.
- Hair rats made from shed hair to save on foam fillers.
It’s this kind of grit that makes 1940s hair and makeup so fascinating. It wasn't about vanity; it was about maintaining a sense of self when the world was falling apart. Max Factor, the man basically responsible for modern makeup, saw his sales skyrocket because cosmetics were one of the few luxuries people could still afford. They called it "The Lipstick Effect." When the economy crashes, lipstick sales go up. We still see this today.
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Why the "Look" changed in 1947
Everything shifted when Christian Dior launched the "New Look."
Suddenly, the sharp, military-inspired shoulders and practical hair disappeared. The silhouettes became softer, the skirts became massive, and the hair got smoother. But for most of the decade, the aesthetic was defined by the war. If you see a photo where the hair is excessively large and the lips are extremely over-lined (the "Hunter's Bow" lip shape), you're looking at the peak of 1940s defiance.
Even the nail polish was a statement. Revlon’s "Fire and Ice" didn’t come out until the early 50s, but the groundwork was laid in the 40s with deep crimsons and berries. They didn't paint the "moons" of the nails (the white half-circle at the base) because it made the manicure last longer as the nail grew out. It was practical. It was smart.
Creating the 1940s aesthetic today
If you want to pull this off without looking like you're wearing a costume, you have to pick one element. Don't do the rolls, the red lip, the liquid stockings, and the arched brow all at once unless you're headed to a reenactment.
The most wearable part of 1940s hair and makeup is the "Middy" haircut. It’s a specific layered cut that allows those vintage waves to fall perfectly. Without the right layers, victory rolls just look like weird lumps on your head.
- Focus on the "Set": Use a setting lotion (like Lottabody) on damp hair. Modern mousse doesn't have the "crunch" needed to hold these shapes.
- The Brush-Out is Key: You will look like a poodle when you first take your pins out. Don't panic. You have to brush it for at least ten minutes to get those smooth, 1940s waves.
- Matte Everything: The 40s were a matte decade. No highlighters. No glitter. Use a matte foundation and a matte red lipstick (Besame Cosmetics makes actual historical replicas if you want to be authentic).
- The "Over-Line": To get that 1940s mouth, slightly over-line the top lip to create a rounded "bow" rather than a sharp "V."
The cultural weight of a red lip
We can't ignore the political side of this. Adolf Hitler famously hated red lipstick. He thought it was "un-German." In response, women in the Allied countries wore it as a literal "screw you" to the Nazi regime. It became a symbol of democracy.
When you see those old posters of Rosie the Riveter, she’s not just wearing a bandana; she’s wearing a full face of makeup. It was a way of saying, "I’m doing a man’s job, but I haven't lost who I am." It’s powerful stuff.
Experts like Madeleine Marsh, who wrote Compacts and Cosmetics, have pointed out that makeup was one of the few things women had total control over during the war. They couldn't control the bombs, the food shortages, or where their husbands were sent, but they could control the exact shade of red on their lips.
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That’s why this era of beauty persists. It’s not just about the aesthetic. It’s about the resilience behind it. When you put on a 1940s-style lip today, you're tapping into a history of women who refused to look defeated, even when they had every reason to be.
How to actually start your vintage beauty journey
Forget the "all or nothing" approach. Start with the basics.
First, find a true blue-toned red lipstick. This was the most common "patriotic" red of the era. If you have warm undertones, go for an orange-red, which was also popular in the early part of the decade.
Second, practice the pin curl. It’s a steep learning curve. Your first three attempts will probably look terrible. That’s fine. The trick is to keep the ends of the hair tucked in so they don't get "fishhooked."
Third, look at real 1940s film noir. Watch Gilda or Casablanca. Pay attention to how the light hits their faces. You'll notice that the makeup is designed to look good in black and white—which means high contrast. That’s why the lips look so dark and the skin so pale.
Finally, accept that your hair has its own personality. Some hair won't hold a vintage set without a ton of product. That’s okay. The women of the 1940s used sugar water as hairspray when they had to. You have much better options at your local drugstore.
Actionable Next Steps:
To master the look, begin by mastering the "wet set." Apply a setting lotion to damp hair, use 1-inch sections for pin curls, and allow them to dry completely—usually overnight—before brushing out. For the makeup, focus on a clean, matte base and a precisely applied red lip, using a lip brush for the edges rather than applying straight from the tube. This provides the architectural precision that defines the era.