FashionEtc.com April 19th, 2024

Marilyn Monroe’s Yardley London’s English Lavender and Other Old Hollywood Beauty Secrets

With My Week with Marilyn rolling into theaters, our fixation with the blonde bombshell has hit a fever pitch.

So, naturally, our attention has turned to Marilyn Monroe's beauty secrets, which, as the MWWM trailer points out, included Yardley London's English Lavender. Such a favorite, that Michelle Williams (as Monroe) coyly suggests it's the only thing she sleeps in.

Still, it took more than just some eau de toilette to help Monroe achieve superstar status. We uncovered the beauty essentials that Monroe and other iconic Hollywood stars relied on ... though we miiight just have to pass on a couple.

Marilyn Monroe: Like many actresses in her time, Monroe was a devotee of Max Factor, who is said to have transformed her into a blonde. She also adored the brand's red lipstick, and her image was used in a 1999 ad. Tru-Glo liquid makeup, Nivea lotion, Vaseline, and Chanel No. 5 (which she is said to have added to her ice baths) also found their way into her beauty stash. The Dior campaign star appears to have been somewhat of a skincare fanatic, frequently cleansing her face, protecting the skin with olive oil, and even, according to some accounts, layering a hormone cream with her powder foundation to create a shimmery complexion. If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, instead, try Erno Laszlo's new Morning Beauty Rescue, which takes inspiration from the screen siren. Monroe was a patient of the beauty brand's dermatologist namesake, who created the pHormula 3-9 to help her scars heal, reports Elle.

Elizabeth Taylor: This violet-eyed legend came to launch the best-selling celebrity fragrance (White Diamonds) of all time, but behind the scenes, her beauty regimen was a bit more, er, unorthodox. Skincare guru Kate Somerville, who used to assist the star's personal cosmetic dermatologist, told Style.com that Taylor and Marilyn Monroe would shave their faces as a way to exfoliate skin and combat fuzz. In an interview with More, the late actress also confessed to a love of "green eye shadows and black liner" thanks to her role in Cleopatra.

Grace Kelly: The Duchess of Cambridge isn't the first royal bride to score her own scent. Prince Ranier of Monaco commissioned Creed to create Fleurissimo (featuring notes of bergamot, violet leaves, tuberose, Bulgarian rose, iris, ylang ylang, and ambergris) for his beautiful blonde bride to wear on their wedding day. The scent eventually became available to the public in 1972. The classic beauty also modeled for Max Factor's Colorfast Lipstick and Lustre-Creme Shampoo.

Dorothy Dandridge: This groundbreaking star reportedly has her maid to thank for her signature look. Dandridge's house cleaner is said to have advised her to exaggerate her facial moles rather than hide them, inspiring her to draw on beauty marks long before Cindy Crawford was born. She also credited a trip to Max Factor's studios, where she slapped on heavy lipstick and arranged spit curls around her face, for helping her land her most famous role as Carmen Jones. The lipstick was no doubt reddish-orange, a Dandridge signature.

Audrey Hepburn: Scoring Hepburn's doe-eyed look might be tricky. Makeup artist Alberto de Rossi is said to have used a safety pin to individually separate each lash. Luckily, not all of her beauty essentials were quite as dangerous. The iconic star swore by Erno Laszlo Organic Sea Mud Soap and Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre-Shampoo Treatment, which was created with her in mind. In fact, the Oscar winner was pretty much a professional beauty muse, inspiring not just Creed's Spring Flower scent but also L'Interdit from longtime costumer Hubert de Givenchy.

Meanwhile, check out never-before-seen photos of Marilyn Monroe.

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