Make Up 1940s
Face make up was in short supply and news of a fresh stock of well known branded lipsticks at the local chemist meant that the shop sold out within an hour. Munitions workers were encouraged to wear make up as a protective barrier to the grit and chemicals they worked amidst.
Women working in dangerous conditions were helped to keep up their morale and Max Factor officials from America visited munitions factories handing out the new pancake make up and lipstick. Ponds cold cream, Vaseline and Vitapointe conditioning cream for hair were the few items usually available. Munitions workers often had skin that turned canary yellow if they handled lots of explosive materials.
Hair 1940s
There was never enough stock of anything, but women still did their best to look good and their hair was important to them. By day it was kept out of sight in a turban or knitted snood which stopped it getting caught in machinery. Generally hair still had some length as women could wash and dress their hair in ways which made them feel more feminine.
Left – Veronica Lake and her glamorous hairstyle.
The Veronica Lake hairstyle was very popular as was peroxide bleached hair. Glamorous styles with curls were preferred to the short styles of the twenties.
Some factories even installed hair salons to improve women’s long term attendance. During this era Princess Elizabeth popularised the wearing of a headscarf tied under the chin.
Clothing, textiles and furniture marked with the Utility scheme met certain specifications and were of good design. By the end of rationing utility goods came to mean good quality. Many older citizens in their eighties still have damask tablecloths, blankets and easy chairs bearing the CC41 mark shown in the header are in good state.
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