How To Have Luminous Skin – The Vintage Way

Looking at colorized photos from the 40s and 50s, all the women have stunning, luminous skin that glows with youthfulness, hydration, and beauty.

How To Have Luminous Skin - The Vintage Way

Skincare products have come a long way since then, but it can still be hard to find the right routine that gets the same results for you.

Despite the leaps and bounds that we have made in skincare research and the ingredients that we use, sometimes going back to basics is the best thing for us.

In this article, we will look at how to get luminous skin the vintage way.

Exfoliate With Homemade Scrub

The first step in your vintage skincare routine should be to exfoliate your skin.

You can restrict this step to your face or exfoliate your whole body in the shower or bathtub.

Exfoliating scrubs weren’t readily available from drugstores back then, so you had to make them yourself.  

If you are exfoliating your body you can use salt as the exfoliant but be careful if you have sensitive skin and avoid using salt on your face.

For a facial scrub or for sensitive skin, sugar is a better, more gentle option.

Mix your chosen exfoliant with an oil of your choice.

Vegetable oil would have been widely available, but it does have a slightly odd scent to it.  Coconut oil is always a great choice.  

You should only exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.

Cleanse With Bar Soap

After you have removed all of the dead skin from your face, it is time to cleanse.

Again, we have a wide variety of products available to us in terms of cleansing.

There is something for every skin type and preferred method of cleansing.  

For a vintage skincare routine, however, all that would have been available would be bar soap.

This might sound scary, and you can probably feel your skin tightening already.

However, bar soap is making a comeback as a means of reducing plastic waste.

Therefore, there are plenty of skin-friendly options available.

If you want to be a true vintage girl, using Dove bar soap is a great option that isn’t too drying.

If you have particularly sensitive skin, it would be wise to stick to products you know and trust for this step. 

Reduce Puffiness With Ice Water

A brilliant vintage skincare and beauty tip that still works wonders today is reducing puffiness with ice water.

This is something that you might have seen social media beauty gurus doing in recent years and touting it as a trick they discovered.

The truth is, this has been used by women for decades, long before jade rollers and Gua Sha stones were mainstream.

Simply fill a bowl or your basin with cold water and add in some ice cubes.

Then dunk your entire face into the water for a few seconds at a time.

Beware, that first dunk is a shocker. You can gradually increase the time your face is in the water. This will help reduce puffiness overall.

Moisturize With Cold Cream

Once you have exfoliated, cleansed, and depuffed your skin, it is time to moisturize.

If you have ever looked through your grandma’s bathroom cabinet, you might have come across a little pot of Ponds cold cream.

How To Have Luminous Skin - The Vintage Way

This was the staple of all vintage beauty routines and it is a product that is still being made today with resurging popularity.  

This cream will feel nice and cold when you apply it to the skin, hence the name, which can really refresh you in the morning.

Cold cream glides onto your skin easily and absorbs well.

The best thing about this product is that it can also be used to remove your makeup at the end of the day.  

Protect Your Skin From The Sun

While SPF products might not have been as accessible back in the 40s and 50s, women often took care to protect their skin from the sun.

This was common in the form of wearing brimmed hats a lot of the time when they were out of the house.  

You can choose whether you want to protect your skin with a hat or if you want to use some of the many SPF products available.

The most important thing is that your skin is protected from sun damage. 

Use Light Makeup

With the vintage skin care done, you can also use light makeup to help give your skin an extra glow.

Light Coverage Foundation

One of the easiest ways to add a glow and luminosity to your skin is with foundation.

After following the skincare routine above, you should have beautifully prepped skin that only needs a small amount of light coverage foundation to even the tone.

Using a foundation that is dewy rather than matte helps to achieve that vintage look. 

Lengthening Mascara

Using a lengthening mascara rather than a volumizing one is a great way to keep the focus on the luminosity of your skin.

It also helps to keep your overall look more natural and vintage-looking.  

Youthful Lips

Adding a little bit of color to your lips can really help bring the whole of your look together.

Your skin is likely to look fresh and clean and adding a little bit of a youthful tint to your lips can help to make you look more vibrant and healthy. 

Rosy Cheeks

Finish your luminous skin look with a touch of blush on your cheeks.

Using a cream or liquid blush will create a dewy and youthful look.

To keep your face looking vintage, it is best to apply the blush to the apples of your cheeks more than your cheekbones.  

Hydrate And Nourish

The biggest tip that will help you to achieve stunning luminous skin is to keep yourself hydrated from within.

Remember to drink enough water throughout the day and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to help keep your skin in tip-top condition. 

Final Thoughts

Vintage skin care is simple and effective. Reverting back to the basics of skin care can really help your skin reset and get back to its best, most luminous state. 

Willa Price