Halloween Makeup & Hairstyle How-To: Old Hollywood Starlet

We’ve seen a lot of Old Hollywood-inspired hair and makeup looks recently. To make this Halloween a little more glam than usual, why not doll yourself up and be a ’40s movie star? (Note: we have another how-to if you’re looking specifically to do a Marilyn Monroe Halloween costume.) Here’s how to get your hair and makeup pretty as a black-and-white picture:

Step I: Old Hollywood Hair

1. Start by parting your freshly washed, still damp hair way to one side at the very top of your temple. Apply a shine-enhancing hair product like Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener.
2. Blow-dry hair straight, then push all your hair over one shoulder.
3. Use a large-barrel curling iron (at least 1 1/2 to 2″ ) to curl wide sections, with the iron barrel pointing vertically—that’ll give you those big, springy curls a la Veronica Lake. Don’t brush out the curl; just gently twirl pieces with your fingers to style and add a fine coat of flexible hairspray to keep curls in place.

Step II: Old Hollywood Makeup

1. Apply a light gold eyeshadow (we like BareMinerals Glimmer Eyeshadow in True Gold) on the lids. Use a matte light brown shadow in the crease, winging only slightly out on both sides toward the end of your eyebrows.
2. Wing out your black liquid liner on the top lash line only, then dab a bit of the same golden shadow along the lower lash line. Eyes will really pop if you leave lower lids bare except for a little shimmer of golden shadow.
3. Finish the look with lots of mascara (we’re talking two and a half, three coats!) and a shiny raspberry-colored lipstick.
4. Need a costume, but no ball gown handy? Try a sexy vintage-looking bustier (read: one of those corsets you bought last year at Charlotte Russe) and you’ll be the belle of any Halloween ball.