How to be a glamorous forties-style Femme Fatale

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Have you ever dreamed of being the classic sensual, exotic, vamp and glamorous woman? Female figures like Ava Gardner, Sofia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor embody this type of beauty. All women have the potential to look the way they want. A few focused tips and some research are all it takes. You will see, all the efforts will pay off if you are looking for a sophisticated style and a glamor that is reminiscent of old Hollywood. Here are some tips for turning yourself into a femme fatale.

Steps

Step 1. As you begin your journey to becoming a femme fatale, get inspired by the big screen

Hollywood beauties are ideal for finding the style and look you want to imitate. To boost your inspiration, consider the following movie stars:

• Rita Hayworth (Guild).

  

• Ava Gardner (The gangsters).

  

• Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra).

  

• Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind)

  

• Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah).

  

Step 2. Style your hair

A 1940s femme fatale features long, wavy hair, parted to the side (think Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake), or short, curly hair (think Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner). No highlights, eccentric tints with unconventional colors. The hair color of a femme fatale always has a single tone: black, dark brown, red, light brown or platinum blonde.

The hair should be bright and well-groomed. No hair that is dull, frizzy, with split ends, damaged by dyes and so on. A femme fatale goes to the hairdresser regularly

Step 3. Put your makeup on

The makeup of a femme fatale is a vamp full of glamor. The skin is perfect, usually pale and well powdered (but with no fake effect). Add a red or purple lipstick.

• Match the nail polish to the lipstick.

  

• False lashes are ideal if you want spectacular makeup, or if your lashes are short.

  

• You should also look after your eyebrows.
• Apply mascara. For a cat-eye effect, use a black liquid eyeliner. Before creating this look, apply a neutral eyeshadow that is slightly lighter than your skin tone. Afterward, rest your elbow on a flat surface and carefully outline the eyes. Try to keep your hand steady and not to draw too thick a line. It takes practice at first, but it will be worth it when you see the results! At the end, create a small ponytail for a more seductive look.
• Do not make up the inner rim of the eye. You can apply white eyeshadow on the inner corner, but this is the only exception: no tropical or trendy shades.

Step 4. Find the right shoes

Femme fatales do not wear casual ballet flats or sneakers. A self-respecting femme fatale is always fully dressed and her shoes are always high: sandals with marabou, stilettos and wedges (not those in the seventies or stripper style). Add decorations, such as feathers (marabou or ostrich), pieces of fabric, perhaps in animal print, or artificial diamonds.

Step 5. Choose the right number of coins

When it comes to stockings, a femme fatale always wears a good quality fishnet pair and / or garters. Avoid leggings, tights, and opaque stockings.

Step 6. Prepare the wardrobe

Understand and study the beautiful women of the forties, but also some femme fatales of the twenties, thirties and fifties. See how they dressed, take a cue from the "old Hollywood" style, all glamor and sensuality, with a dark side. The wardrobe of the femme fatale often includes clothes more suitable for the evening, even for daytime occasions. Femme fatales rarely wear denim clothing. The next few steps will give you examples of a typical femme fatale wardrobe.

Step 7. If you want to remember a glamorous femme fatale from the 1940s, you must have at least one long dress

It can be strapless, backless, satin and tied at the nape or with art deco geometries. The important thing is that you value yourself, make you feel sexy and evoke the golden years of Hollywood.

• Overcoat: coats (a must), fur shawls, stoles and shrugs. You can also opt for a feather shrug. The fur should be mink, sable, fox, chinchilla or ermine. Use the feint if you are against animal abuse. Vintage furs are readily available in thrift stores and at auctions at reasonable prices.

  

• A femme fatale usually wears elegant long gloves, like those used to go to the opera. They can be made of satin, silk, lace or velvet. The shorter ones are fine during the day.

  

• When it comes to lingerie, opt for black, silk and lace. The wasp waist completes the typical femme fatale look. Invest in a bustier and / or corset if needed. Femme fatale clothing requires basic clothing. Corsets are a great solution; wear one as a base for other outfits or as part of your outward look. Avoid plain, cotton underwear, it's boring. Remember that a femme fatale is always seductive and sexy, but in a dark way. Lace bras, corsets with garters, bustiers and garters are some examples of what cannot be missing in your wardrobe.

  

Step 8. Bring your sunglasses

When out of the house during the day, a femme fatale always wears dark sunglasses. They can be retro, in the shape of cat eyes, or recall those of Jackie-O. Choose a pair that enhances your face, what matters is that no one sees your eyes.

Step 9. Complete the look with a hat

Choose one that has a certain structure and that enhances the shape of the face, preferably decorated with a veil, jewelry, fur or feathers. A good example is a hat with a veil.

Step 10. Most femme fatales smoked because they were considered sexy

You don't have to do it to be; in fact, nowadays it is more polite to avoid it. If you do, however, use a long cigarette holder.

Step 11. Spray a seductive scent

It must be an aroma capable of making you recognize and remember.

Step 12. Choose the jewelry

Go for diamonds, nothing else! Make sure they are large enough to be visible from a distance.

Step 13. Cultivate a seductive voice, inspired by Lauren Bacall's (hear her here)

It will be the icing on the cake to become a femme fatale. Lower your voice and do some exercises.

Avoid making your voice sound too masculine or low, otherwise it will be difficult to understand what you are saying

Advice

• Buy good quality clothes that fit your body.
• Stay straight. Good posture is essential for a femme fatale.
• When applying the lipstick, make sure it is matte or slightly shiny. If you want to wear a purple one, you may want to choose a bright one, as dark and matte lipsticks make your lips appear smaller and thinner.
• Choose clothes and lipsticks in colors that flatter you. The right ones make a big difference.
• Some classic femme fatales to inspire you: Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, Hedy Lamarr…
• Some modern femme fatale to inspire you: Scarlett Johansson, Dita Von Teese and Angelina Jolie.
• If you don't want to draw a line of eyeliner for a cat look, you can create smoky eyes, but don't use black eyeshadows, otherwise you will get a "raccoon" effect. Make sure that the final result is subtle, giving depth to the lids and without clashing with the dark lipstick.

Warnings

• If you try to look like a femme fatale, do it with grace, you must not give the idea of wanting to copy one or dress up as if it were Carnival.
• Looking like a femme fatale doesn't always mean smoking by blowing smoke rings or getting men into trouble!
• Learn the art of seduction, such as staring deeply into a man's eye or dangling a marabou shoe on the tip of your foot.
• Know the difference between being sexy in a dark and mysterious way and being sexy in a vulgar way. The femme fatale reflect the first type.
• Men will feel intimidated in your presence!