Prom night goes old Hollywood glam

Prom night goes old Hollywood glam

Old school styling is experiencing a renaissance with teen girls for prom this year. The night like no other offers them an opportunity to go old Hollywood glamorous, a look that wows dates (and pleases parents).

Rachel D’Hoore is a senior at Mauldin High School. She found her prom dress at Carolina Traditions in Spartanburg. The pale blue chiffon with beaded bodice is timeless. "I wanted a dress with some flow. Something classic, ethereal, a bit vintage," she says. "It’s prom. You gotta be classy, not trashy."

Hair and makeup team Melissa ElMouatez and Ashley Randall accepted the challenge to style D’Hoore with the old Hollywood glam look. ElMouatez is a stylist at Dv8 Suites salon, and Randall does special events makeup.

"She looks like Ava Gardner in ‘The Killers,’" ElMouatez says of her model.

The movie launched Gardner’s career in 1946 when she was just 24. As young Hollywood embraces the film-noir styling of Sophia Lauren, Ava Gardner and Veronica Lake, teens who follow the younger celebrities on Instagram are taking note, ElMouatez says.

Randall notes that Taylor Swift has single-handedly revived red lips. "She rocks a ’50s pinup look for day and night, making it sweet and appropriate for teens to mimic."

The classic-starlet look is relevant for today’s older teens. "The fresh face, strong eye and pouty lip works for this generation, too," Randall says.

Film-noir styling creates a striking photo, with soft hair and matte makeup. "There is no sparkle, no shine and very little blush is applied," Randall says. "It’s all about the eye and lip. Too much blush on a teenager can overwhelm the face."

The eye is winged (usually with a false lash) and a deep red lip is applied. Randall suggests creating lipstick that will stay on all night, first by lining the lip with a red lip pencil, filling it in and then adding a red, saturated gloss over top. She likes Stila’s Stay All Day lip gloss in Fiery (available locally at Ulta); it has just a hint of a pink undertone that works on most teen complexions.

"This makeup doesn’t take away from the ‘wow’ moment of the dress," she says. "You spend enough money on the dress that you want your styling to add subtle glamor."

The typical prom updo is replaced by half-up, half-down hairstyles with lots of soft waves.

"With the current popularity of pin-up style, it is a formula for a perfect prom look," ElMouatez says. To keep it modern, curls are soft, not as perfectly constructed as in the past and a bit messy. To maintain the style for the night ElMouatez ssuggests using a volumizing hairspray to set pin curls at the crown. "A textured spray will give the hair some grip to hold the curl."

After 30 minutes, she separates the curls with her fingers only and pins up just the right side with well-placed bobby pins. Finally, she spritzes the look with finishing spray.

"It gives an extremely feminine look that has been missing for decades," ElMouatez says. "Prom is a major milestone, a right of passage in a teenage girl’s life, and this is a timeless look that will make her feel beautiful."

STYLING TIP

Old Hollywood glam is defined by a big eye. The style team of Melissa ElMouatez and Ashley Randall offer these tips for applying eyelashes at home:

Curl your natural lashes first and apply just one light coat of mascara and let it dry to create some tack.

Trim the false lashes if they are wider than your natural eyelid. The duo likes the brand Ardell.

Put the glue on the side of your hand and use it like a palette. Drag the adhesive line of the lashes through the glue and then apply with tweezers as close to the natural lash line as possible, starting at the inner corner.

Add a new coat of mascara to lashes and then curl to blend them all together. Use water-resistant rather then water-proof mascara for a long-lasting, but non-clumping look.

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