10+ Beauty Tricks That Old Hollywood Stars Used to Achieve Their Iconic Look

Old Hollywood celebs had their own unique and sometimes risky beauty tricks to achieve their flawless looks. From Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn, these legendary actresses put in the effort to look stunning. Even with modern beauty secrets, there are still valuable lessons to learn from their creative, and sometimes even bizarre, methods.

Stuffed her mouth with cotton

Gloria Grahame was insecure about her upper lip and found a way to make it look fuller. She used to stuff cotton pads or tissues under her top lip to increase the volume and pad out any wrinkles. Her co-stars found out about her trick during kissing scenes.

Shaved her forehead

Ingrid Bergman preferred an all-natural look and she even had to fight for it by refusing to change her hair, her brows, and her name, which was crucial for the movie industry. But there was one secret that she used to look gorgeous on screen. Ingrid shaved a centimeter off of her hairline in order to get a larger forehead.

Used shampoo with hops and barley malt

Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were particularly fond of this method. The actresses used shampoo with hops and barley malt to make their hair look thicker, fuller, and healthier. The actresses used it even though it left a strong smell on their hair.

Got rid of extra pounds with the help of colon cleansing

Actress Mae West often resorted to colonic irrigation. She believed this method removed toxic substances from her body, helping her maintain a slim figure and clean and glowing skin.

Some modern celebrities, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Paris Hilton, also use this method. However, we must consider that there is no scientific evidence that this procedure has any real effect. Moreover, colon cleansing can be dangerous to health, so using it without consulting a doctor is not recommended.

Tried to make their chin more defined

Actresses always had to be sure that their skin was tight. They paid special attention to the chin. For example, Joan Crawford constantly chewed gum, believing it strengthened the lower jaw. And Marilyn Monroe, according to some reports, even resorted to plastic surgery. She inserted bovine cartilage into her chin.

Constantly wore tight underwear and bras with molded cups

Actresses created curvy body shapes with the help of special underwear. Women wore bras with pointy pads, high-waisted panties with an elastic band around the waist, and corsets that narrowed the waist and hips and lifted the breasts.

Such underwear was worn regularly. And some actresses barely took it off. For example, Marilyn Monroe always slept in a bra to keep her breasts firm.

Separated their lashes from each other with a pin

Audrey Hepburn loved this trick. She achieved her famous doe eyes look in a rather dangerous way. She applied mascara and then separated her lashes with a pin to avoid clumps.

Used food as beauty products

Hair, face, and body masks made of food products were often used. For example, Rita Hayworth dabbed her hair with olive oil, wrapped it under a towel for 15 minutes, and washed it with lemon juice. Joan Crawford washed her hair with raw eggs. According to the actress, she learned his trick from Katharine Hepburn. Joan Blondell (in the photo above) applied a face mask made of cottage cheese.

Dyed their hair with unsafe chemicals

Actresses used different methods to lighten their hair. Sometimes, the products they used to achieve platinum blonde hair were not the safest option. For example, Jean Harlow opted for a vicious mix of hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and washing powder.

Were exhausting themselves with rigid diets

Old Hollywood stars exhausted themselves with strict diets that would allow them to shed a few pounds in a couple of days from time to time.

For example, Susan Hayward (in the photo above) sometimes ate only two eggs and three tomatoes daily. And Norma Shearer occasionally removed meat, fish, eggs, and cheese from her diet and ate primarily fruits and vegetables. When it was time to film a movie, Jean Harlow refused almost all the food and ate only vegetables and light salads.

Shaved their face

Movie divas wanted to achieve a flawless complexion. That’s why many of them got rid of any, even the tiniest hair on their face. It’s known that Elizabeth Taylor regularly resorted to shaving.

Accentuated her cheekbones

Contouring has been used very intensively recently but it was invented a long time ago. Grace Kelly used it for her cheekbones. She put one shade underneath her cheekbones, and a slightly darker shade on the apples of her cheeks.

Applied vaseline

Many Hollywood stars used petroleum jelly for both facial care and makeup. For example, actress Bette Davis put a layer of it under her eyes at night to protect against puffiness and dark circles. Marilyn Monroe never left the house without petroleum jelly on her eyelids. She borrowed this trick from Greta Garbo, who rubbed it on her eyelids before applying eyeshadow.

Actress Doris Day covered her body with petroleum jelly. She applied it before going to bed once a month. To boost the effectiveness of this method, Day would put on pajamas, socks, and gloves and go to bed dressed that way.

Chewed gum for a good-looking jawline

Joan Crawford believed that chewing gum could firm up her jaw and help to get rid of the toxins under her chin. Besides, her cleansing procedure was like a ritual. She splashed her face 25 times with ice-cold water after every cleanse.

Beauty standards are always evolving, so many of these tricks perhaps wouldn’t be a go-to for a modern women. But fashion and beauty of the Golden Age of Hollywood are still admired by many. As such, we wondered how it’d be if the two worlds collided and we got to see old Hollywood stars with a modern look.