The Aviator - Gwen Stefani makeup

I watched the Aviator for the first time the other day and had completely forgotten that Gwen Stefani had a starring role alongside the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio, Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale.

Gwen plays the famous Jean Harlow, who is at the time a waitress that catches (Leonardo's character) Howard Hughes' eye one night at dinner. On seeing her he realises she'd be perfect for his lead female role in his first epic Hell's Angels. There I was watching the scene thinking A) She's stunning and B) She looks familiar...

In Gwen's first scene she hasn't the blonde locks that we all know and love and is instead a brunette, so it's not immediately obvious it's her! Nevertheless I fell in love with her makeup! It's typical of the era the film is set in - the 1920s which is one of my favourite periods to date - it's when makeup went wild!

Back in the 1920s after World War I when the men returned home, their respective wives, lovers, sisters and daughters who'd been worrying sick and working away back home felt an urge for freedom. This time things would be done on their terms! Girls chopped their hair boy-short, wore the reddest lips ever seen and lashings of dark eye kohl. Previously "nice girls" hid their makeup away from their male counterparts, so coming out with this new approach to beauty was very revolutionary and brave indeed!

And that was just the makeup and hair - fashion and even etiquette both took a massive turn too! The girls made no effort to hide the fact that they wore makeup - quite the contrary. Out came the first compact mirrors at the dinner table where lipstick would be unashamedly reapplied and the first powders came out at parties! Away went the conservative dresses and restrictive corsets - women's skirts were going short like their hair and a more masculine look was adopted in a big way when it came to clothing.

It was definitely a most exciting time for fashion and makeup, a time that influences us greatly today and one that is perfect for fancy dress which is why this will be my first choice of looks to try out next.

I'll be posting the pics and all the details in a week to share with you, I can't wait - watch this space!! : )