Fashion Influential #10: Max Factor
Polish immigrant Max Factor was the most important make-up artist in Hollywood. His products have been marketed by celebrities like Madonna and Gisele Bundchen. Images via Madonnalicious and TruTv.
MAX FACTOR
Born:
1877, Moscow, Russia
Died:
August 30, 1938, Beverly Hills, CA
Inventions:
Supreme grease paint, pancake makeup
Fans:
Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert
Beginnings.
Around the turn of the last century, Max Factor opened a cosmetics store in a Moscow suburb, where he sold handmade wigs, creams, and fragrances. A traveling theatrical group wore Factor's makeup to perform for the Russian nobility, who were so impressed they named him the official cosmetic expert for the Russian royal family. In 1904, he and his family emigrated to the United States.
Career Highs.
Factor, recognizing a need for cosmetics in the burgeoning film industry, moved his family to Los Angeles in 1908. A few years later, he developed a makeup, "flexible greasepaint," which wouldn't crack or cake as actors performed. Thanks to his makeup and human hair wigs, Factor soon became the most recognized name in cosmetics. In the 1920s, he began marketing his products nation wide, claiming his creams and colors could make any girl look like a movie star.
A woman who doesn't wear lipstick feels undressed in public. Unless she works on a farm.
- Max Factor
Carmen Electra was a Max Factor spokesmodel.Career Lows.
Factor's career never really hit a lull. By the time of his heart failure and death at age 59, he had amassed a huge empire in Max Factor Cosmetics. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Legacy.
Factor, who had apprenticed under a pharmacist during his youth, was the seminal innovator in women's cosmetics for the first half of the century. He deserves credit not only for his technological developments (which also include pancake makeup), but also for being one of the first to successfully mass-market women's beauty products, creating an industry of its own.
Madonna's Max Factor ads recalled the Old Hollywood charm of the original starlets Factor worked with.Get the Look.
Max Factor cosmetics continue to be popular, although the company's founder died long ago. You can find Max Factor cosmetics at groceries and drugstores nation wide. Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest advertising campaigns: Brazilian supermodel Gisele is currently hawking the products.
Related Articles:
-
MARIO TESTINO Born: October 30, 1954 in Lima, Peru Famous subjects: Princess Diana , Claudia... Read Full Story » -
Designer Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren Fall 2008 fashion show during... Read Full Story » -
DAISY DUKE First Apparence: 1979 Last Apparence: 1985 Occupation: Server at the Boar's Nest, sex... Read Full Story » -
Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief . Photo via Hitchcock... Read Full Story » -
images via fashion encyclopedia and papier doll CLAIRE MCCARDELL Born: May 24, 1905 in Frederick... Read Full Story »
Comments
