From "slugging" to ice-cold baths to her favorite shade of blonde - with these beauty steps, Marilyn Monroe became an icon.
Marilyn Monroe was - and still is - the ultimate beauty icon who had a penchant for glamor that still resonates with many of us today - from her red lips to her platinum blonde locks. To mark her 95th birthday, Vogue takes a look at 9 things in Monroe's beauty routine that you are guaranteed not to be familiar with.
If you've ever wondered what shade of hair Monroe wanted when she stepped into the colorist's chair, you probably wouldn't guess it was pillowcase white. According to author Pamela Keogh, Monroe had her hair bleached every three weeks by Pearl Porterfield (who also looked after Jean Harlow's pale blonde hair) and Kenneth Battelle, among others. In order not to wash it too often (which can affect the color), she swore on a makeshift dry shampoo - Johnson's Baby Powder - which she applied every two days to keep her hair looking fresh.
How do you get full lips like Marilyn Monroe? With the smart use of lipsticks, nothing more, nothing less. Monroe's make-up artist applied up to five different shades of red - dark, rich reds on the outside and lighter ones on the inside - to create the illusion of dimension and fullness. A clever tip that many make-up artists still use today.
Monroe was a woman who enjoyed her sleep, sleeping in a wide single bed for between five and ten hours a night. On Sunday? "[It's] my only day of total leisure. I sometimes take two hours to wake up and indulge in every last moment of sleepiness," she said in an interview with Pageant Magazine.
It is well known that Monroe wore no clothes in bed, as pajamas and "creepy nightgowns" disturbed her sleep. What she wore, however, were five drops of Chanel No.5, a perfume that she is also said to have put in her ice baths. "They know they ask me questions," she said in an interview. "Just one example: 'What am I wearing in bed? So I said' Chanel No. 5 'because it's the truth!"
"Personally, I am against a deep tan because I like to feel blonde everywhere," Monroe explained when asked why she stayed out of the sun. Forget about bronzers and the fake tan many of us swear by today, Monroe was all about her natural look.
While numerous athletes have made ice-cold showers and baths popular inside, Marilyn was way ahead of its time. It is said that she took ice-cold baths to keep her skin tight and firm.
Like Audrey Hepburn, Monroe also went to the Hungarian dermatologist Erno Laszlo on a regular basis. Suffering from dry skin (rumor has it that she compulsively washed her face up to five times a day to avoid breakouts), Laszlo prescribed the actress a rigorous skincare routine that varied depending on the time of day and the occasion. Her evening skincare routine began with an oil cleanse using "Active Phelityl Oil" from Erno Laszlo. Finally, she applied the controlling lotion. All of these products are still available today.
While we're getting excited about highlighter today, Monroe got her glow in a different, perhaps less enticing, way. Following the K-Beauty slugging trend, she applied layers of petroleum jelly under her foundation to help the skin catch the light. She was also a fan of cold creams, like Pond's, and other iconic products that we still use today, like Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, Nivea Creme, and even olive oil, which she allegedly put on her skin as well. to compensate for drought.
"I don't count rhythmically like the fitness people on the radio; I couldn't stand it if I had to feel regulated," said Monroe of her approach to workout. Many of us will understand that. Instead, she enjoyed a "simple breast-firming routine" in which she lifted two five-pound weights over her head 15 times, moving from a "splayed arm" position. She did this in bed every morning until she was tired.
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