Bette Davis and Her Eyes!

Whenever I think Bette Davis, I think strong, independent, and the eyes! Now I’m not talking about the ’74 Kim Carnes single, I literally mean her eyes. Lovely, big doe eyes that I could spend hours envying, couldn't you? Well today, we’re going to get that look with a short tutorial of mine!

Before we start the tutorial, you want to make sure your eyebrows are shaped in a nice arch and generally well groomed. The eyebrows really frame your eyes, and no one notices a pretty picture when you’ve got an awful frame!

Now we can start!

1.        From the lash line to the eyebrow, apply a light ivory or cream eye shadow over the entire eyelid to create a soft, clean base.

2.        Apply another, lightly darker colour with a shimmer onto the eyelid and up toward your crease. A colour idea for this would be a beige/very-light brown.

3.        Add definition to the eye shape by using brown eyeliner across the top eye line and just in the center of the bottom eye line (under the lashes). This should look pretty inconspicuous, and this should allow your eyes to look larger.

4.        Now, if you want to really open up the eyes and fight the tired look, line the bottom inner eye line with white eye liner. This is a tool every woman should invest in as it makes you look awake and looks natural.

5.        Lastly, apply dark brown mascara to your top eyelashes and just a teeny bit on the outer sides of your bottom lashes.

There it is, a classic and natural looking way to open up those eyes. This is such a versatile look and you can really wear it anywhere. Just a short tutorial for today, but before I finish, I’ll leave you with a 1930’s outfit in comparison to a Bette Davis inspired ensemble!

The popular women’s fashion silhouette of the 1930’s embraced their natural form by employing natural waistlines, backless gowns and bias cut dresses. Capes as outerwear, lace and ruffles were in fashion. Costume jewellery became the new way of updating and old outfit, and the Great Depression never stopped many women from being fashionably fabulous!

This look is based mostly on an elegant 1930’s look turned contemporary. I've used a bias-cut Ralph Lauren dress that should hit at, or just below the knee paired with a cream fur cape and white peep-toe, sling-back heels. I've accessorized with large silhouette earrings to match the colour of the dress and a long pearl necklace. To be honest, I’m a novice at 1930’s fashion, this is my first attempt and I hope you like it

Bette’s style was a little left from center during the 30’s. In 1934, she was quoted saying “I have lost faith in glamour … It has been over used and badly mistreated.  I think I should rather be chic and well-dressed”. Information on Bette’s personal style wasn't easy to find, but after a lot of digging I learnt a thing or two about her fashion favourites.

Day Wear

During her the day, she preferred a tailored box pleat suit or a checked sheer wool suit. She also liked peter pan collars and tailored black blazers.

So this outfit means business, obviously. I've paired a beautiful black blazer with a simple peter pan collar blouse and a beige/brown skirt that features box pleats near the hem. For shoes, I've turned to short heeled black brogues to match the office-wear feel, and accessories with a thick chain bracelet. For bags, I’ll give you 2 choices! A classic 1930’s looking black handbag or a modern chain-strap purse with contrast colour blocking. How historically accurate do you want to look? You decide!

Evening Wear

Of an evening, Bette’s ideal dress was made with lace or ruffled organdy. She liked the colour black for evening dresses.

The dress featuring in this ensemble is undoubtedly 1930’s inspired. It’s a ruffle lace maxi dress that I paired with a lace cape. I don’t know a lot about her evening wear, but I’m assuming that she paired the colour black with jewel tones. I've added a deep purple in the peep-toe, sling-back heels and a hand bag with a gold clip. I've given her some suede gloves to accessorize with because I haven’t seen her wear any evening accessories and I need at least one!

I hope you enjoyed my post on Bette Davis, her time was a little further back than I’m used to but I really enjoyed making this post. As I have a film box set with some Bette Davis classics, I may end up creating a series similar to my 'Channeling Your Inner Audrey Hepburn'. My next post will just be 2 days from now on Friday for my first Outfit Photo Friday, and then for a bit of a personal post on the 6^th, my post is titled ‘Hardest Part of Moving – Clothes’. I expect tears to be flowing, ha-ha. See you then!

Love Claire, xo.