Personalized beauty is about each woman being able to create her own makeup routine that complements her coloring and style.
― Bobbi Brown

I must confess: beauty blogs are not at the top on my preferred reading list… But I still enjoy a well-written roundup of quality beauty products, especially when it comes to lipsticks (and, as a matter of fact, I wrote one).
I can’t remember the exact moment in time where I fell in love with colored lips as a child, but it happened and here I am: I like making up my face and collecting products with cute packaging, I love weird looking lippies, I’m always willing to be the first to try out brand new products and I firmly believe every outfit deserves its own specific makeup. Yes, I grew up to be some sort of a beauty junkie. Not the die-hard kind though. I mean, I really love makeup, but only as long as I can still look like me. In my mind I have a clear and strong view of how my face should look like, so I enjoy makeup experiments when I get to stay indoors (I’ve also assembled a voluminous lookbook for hair and makeup inspiration), but during the day I hardly ever wear a full face makeup. I’m actually the only-eyeliner kinda girl and when I feel like I need an extra boost I add a bold lipstick and that’s it! Full face makeup is only for special occasion.

‎Lipstick is really magical. It holds more than a waxy bit of color – it holds the promise of a brilliant smile, a brilliant day, both literally and figuratively.
― Roberta Gately

For this post I wanted to do something more than just show you my two favourite full face makeup looks – which are actually pretty basic (there’s just a teeny tiny bit of contouring). Since traditional beauty shots are not my thing, I went for a very special tribute to what I believe to be one of the biggest pieces of fashion photography history: John Rawlings and his iconic makeup shot for Vogue (March 1943). That photo is so beautiful, glamorous and yet a little creepy – how could you not love it?

So here we go: my first look is somewhat neutral. I used my all time favourite foundation, Lancôme’s Miracle Cushion in ‘Beige Rosé’, and I applied Winky Lux’s Bellini Powder Highlighter slightly below the cheekbones. For the eye makeup I used the Bellini Palette and the Kitten Shadow Matte in ‘Bardot’. To enhance my eyelashes I applied and my lipstick of choice was ‘Meow’. I didn’t use black eyeliner which is almost an unprecedented thing for me: day to day, I may forget about putting mascara on, but I always – and I mean always – wear eyeliner on my top lid! That’s why I have mixed feelings about this makeup: I like it, but it’s pretty different from what I normally wear and I have to feel pretty self-confident to rock it.

I’m not saying that putting on makeup will change the world or even your life, but it can be a first step in learning things about yourself you may never have discovered otherwise. At worst, you could make a big mess and have a good laugh.
― Kevyn Aucoin

My second look is essentially my every day armour: black cat eye eyeliner (I love the Dior Show Art Pen, super easy to use) and red lips (I used Smashbox’s Always Sharp lip liner in ‘Ruby’ and the best red lipstick ever, ‘Heart’ lip velour by Winky Lux). I also used Lancôme’s Belle de Teint in ‘Belle de miel’ to sculpt my cheeks and jaw and the Diamond Complexion Powder to highlight my cheekbones, under eyes and Cupid’s bow.

Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.
― Gwyneth Paltrow

Think about an iconic fashion photo or a memorable Vogue cover from the 1930s through the 1960s. Well, it’s almost certainly a John Rawlings’ photo. It’s either his or Horst P. Horst’s.

After working as a display artist at Saks Fifth Avenue, John Rawlings’ career in fashion photography began in 1936, when the set designer for ‘Gone with the Wind’ showed his portfolio to Condé Nast Publications. He started as an apprentice for many acclaimed 20th century photographers, such as the legendary masters Cecil Beaton and Irving Penn. One year later, because of his impressive style he was sent to London to work for British Vogue, where he quickly captured the attention of Edna Woolman Chase, Vogue editor in chief. She wanted to renovate Vogue’s appearance and Rawlings, an unknown twenty-four-year Midwesterner, had just the right talent and artistic eye to do that. In less than three years he scored eight magazine covers, including the famous shots of Bette Davis and Loretta Young. He also brought about real change when he suggested featuring well-known models on the cover of the magazine in order to use their popularity to sell more.
In 1945, few years after marrying Countess Isabella Bou t-Willaumez, Rawlings opened his own photography studio in New York City, where he started experimenting with lighting and mirrors, developing his signature uses of light, setting and posing. But he also kept on creating amazing covers and campaigns for Vogue. In 1961, Rawlings photographed model Monique Chevalier for his last Vogue cover.
After working for Condé Nast for three decades and photographing more than two hundred Vogue and Glamour covers, Rawlings died in 1970 from cancer.

A special thank goes to Serena Bianconi, the amazing photographer who was crazy enough to follow me down the rabbit hole in the daring attempt of making this John Rawlings tribute.
Her website: https://seripat.com/
Her IG account: @seripat

A beautiful selection of John Rawlings most famous photos HERE.

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