It’s no surprise that I love retro glam. Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth were just a few of my favorite beauties from the eras of the 40s and 50s. But I also love Alberto Vargas’s work of 1950s pinup girls, and have used his paintings as inspiration for creating many of my looks whether its for red carpet glam or for a magazine or video shoot. I will continue to draw inspiration from his art and bring it to life as I did on my friend, actress Haley Bennett, in a Vargas pin-up style photo shoot.
Haley Bennett, who has been in several films including Marley and Me, Music and Lyrics and The Haunting of Molly Hartley, has several incredible movies in post-production. Amongst them are Kaboom and Arcadia lost. I’m really excited about these images and also to share a sneak peak video with you from the recently launched Troy Jensen TV.
Troy Jensen TV.
I’ve created a Modern starlet look on Haley. Looks from these eras can be overpowering, so I did makeup that looks fresh and fun. This makeup is versatile, great for holiday parties or a formal dance; sophisticated enough for a winter bride and sexy enough for a night out on the town.
Prep the skin with a light moisturizer and dab a touch of concealer on the eyes, mouth, and any areas that need a little extra coverage. Dab a touch of liquid foundation and blend onto the entire face and neck. Set with a loose powder and apply a bright pink blush to the apples of the cheeks. Finally, dust a bit of shimmer to the top of the cheekbones and then to the neck and shoulders for a subtle glow.
Retro Eyes
Define brows with an eyebrow pencil, matte powder and brow gel.
Thicker more defined brows were the look in the 40’s and 50’s, so that with a bold lip is what can really give a retro look. Keep the eye shadow pale using shades of white, pearl, champagne, and beige. Then line the lash line with a brown eye pencil, slightly bringing it out on the outer edges for a winged effect. Curl and coat lashes with black mascara. Apply a strip lash and add a thin line of black liquid eyeliner, also winging it out towards the outer edges right towards your brow line.
Modern Retro Mouth
Define mouth with a neutral liner. Dab on a cherry, wine or tomato red lipstick with fingertips. Blot off excess product from lips and top with a sheer red gloss. Shimmery gold gloss can be added to the center of your lip for a fuller plumper effect.
Scroll from left to right to view behind the scenes photos
Vargas Pin-up Girl
