Lucille Ball Tutorial

Lucille Ball is one of my favorite red heads and Lucy, being the vintage icon that she is, was a perfect fit for me this Halloween. In order to channel her, I purchase a vintage how-to hair book dedicated to the 1940's. Lucy's famous hairstyle is called "The Poodle." I can only assume that it earned its name because it looks very similar to puff of curls that sits atop a French Poodle's head. French Poodle's were very popular at the time. I think it has something to do with idea of sophistication, everyone wanted to be like the French Vogue model with her cigarette and her fancy dog.

This book is very helpful because it shows the different hair cuts and pin curl settings to achieve certain looks. It even has a section on hairstyle for women with glasses which I thought was very funny. The poodle bang starts with a rectangular part on the top/front of your head, followed by three rows of four pin curls.

Left: Pin curl setting for poodle bangs.  Right: My attempt at the setting.

Next, I tried to add a slight wave to the sides because that's what Lucy's hair looks like. This is achieved by creating a vertical row of pin curls facing one direction and then another two rows facing the opposite direction.

Left: Pin curl setting for side waves.  Right: My attempt at the setting.

Don't forget to cover it with a scarf so it doesn't get messed up when you sleep.

Left: Book cover.  Right: My scarf.

So now it's the next day and as any girl knows, you do your makeup and then your hair. Lucy has some distinctive features that sets her apart from other famous women. One, the hair, two, the eyebrows, three, the eyelashes, and finally, the lips.  Other than that, her makeup is fairly light. I used the Style Me Vintage book as inspiration also for the hair and makeup.

Left: Inspiration from the book.  Right: Book cover.

For this look I used the following products:

• Makeup Forever HD Foundation
• Makeup Forever HD Powder
• Urban Decay Naked Palette
• Benefit Cosmetics High Brow
• Revlon Matte Lipstick in "In the Red"
• Mod false eyelashes

I started with the foundation to create the light, flawless complexion (minus the under-eye bags, it was early). I then shaped the brows into a more round shape than I normally wear; commas instead of arches. I used a combination of brown brow wax and eyeshadow.  I then applied black liquid eye liner and a light brown shadow to the crease to create some dimension. I then applied the mod lashes to the upper eyelid and a couple of individual lashes the the outer corner of the lower lid. If you are going for a 40's look, choose light, wispy eyelashes instead of thick ones.

Left: Rounded eyebrows. Right: False eyelashes.

You can see the final result of the eye makeup here.  I also used the high brow highlighter on my brow bone and inside my water line to open the eyes.  Next, the signature lips. Lucy's lip shape was much wider than the natural lip.  It's a gradual arch on each side.  I started by using a nude lip liner to create the new lip shape. I then filled it in with the Revlon red lipstick.  I also set it with some powder to help it last. I also applied the cheek stain to the apples of my cheeks and set my whole face with powder.  You can see on the right that I let the sides and back of my pin curls down.

Left: Final eyes and outlined lips.  Right: Red lips and let down curls.

Now that my makeup was done, I moved onto the hair. First I let down all of my pin curls on the sides and back and left the top so they wouldn't get mixed together.  Then, I lightly brushed through the curls with my fingers because I wanted to keep the curls in tact. This is not a brushed out look.  I put my hair in a loose ponytail and started bobby-pinning the curls up in the back to create a full pile of curls.

For the top, I let down the curls, you can see on the left what it looked like.  I then lightly brushed it out with my fingers and gathered it in a pile on my head.  This is the part where you have to rely on a little instinct as to how to place the curls and shape them.  As I got a curl to look how I wanted, I would secure it with a bobby pin and try to hide the pin as I was doing it.  It helps to have bobby pins that are close to your hair color.  This can be a little tedious, but don't give up.  If something doesn't look right, just take it down and start over. Pin curls are very resilient. Also, don't be afraid to force the curls to do what you want.  You fingers are the best tool you have.

Left: Bang curls let out.  Right: The final product!

I finished the whole look off with a pearl necklace and earring set and a vintage polka dot dress that I bought at a local vintage store.  I also added a white apron.

The Final Product. I Love Lucy!

One other note: One of the things I love about vintage hair is that even though it takes a lot of work, it lasts a long time. You can get several days worth of hair styles from one pin curl setting.

Day two style brush out after the "Poodle"