Timeless: A Century of Iconic Looks

I love make-up books and have a growing collection but something that has always been missing, and indeed was missing when I trained all those years ago was a good, accurate guide to period make-up. Something that you could refer to when planning a shoot with genuinely useful references. Timeless: A Century of Iconic Looks by Louise Young and Lou Shepperd is that book, it's finally here.

I'm lucky to be friends with Louise and know that her passion for period make-up is absolutely genuine - she has an enviable collection of vintage make-up and clothes and is always on the look out for original products so she can find (and often create for her own make-up line) the exact modern duplicate. If you are doing '40s make-up the lips have got to be the right red, if they're not, Louise will know. This book is born from her passion for period make-up but also the frustration that many of us feel when the available references are often full of inaccuracies.

Timeless is a must for anyone studying make-up or hair, interested in period make-up, photography or just vintage looks and style. There are step-by-step guides, before and after pictures, and colour references and plenty of ideas for further research. There are a few different looks for each era with references to what celebrities wore (which is probably what we think of) and what real people at the time wore. It is a pleasure to read and the time and effort is apparent in every page, even down to the little arrow indicators showing which chapter you are on.


Beautifully shot and carefully designed throughout you can be engrossed in this book for hours.

1920s

1940s

1970s

I was sent this product but the choice to feature it was my own and this is an honest review