What was Lauren Bacall's signature beauty look?

Lauren Bacall was famous for her striking angular features, bold arched brows, luminous cheekbones and perfectly polished red lips. She mastered contouring decades before it became a beauty trend, using strategic highlighting to enhance her natural bone structure and create a timeless, sophisticated aesthetic.

How do I get Lauren Bacall's iconic eyebrows?

Bacall's brows were thick, bold and meticulously groomed with a strong arch. To recreate this look, maintain fuller brows and use a brow mascara like By Terry Eyebrow Mascara to keep them polished and in place whilst preserving that confident, structured shape.

What products should I use for Bacall-inspired cheekbones?

Use a luminous illuminator like St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Gold on your cheekbones to create that striking, light-reflecting glow Bacall was known for. This technique diffuses light and enhances angular features without looking overdone, perfect for achieving her sophisticated contoured look.

How did Lauren Bacall style her hair?

Bacall favoured bed-head barrel curls-soft, voluminous waves that looked effortlessly chic. You can recreate this vintage style using hot rollers like Infiniti-Pro by Conair, which give you that timeless, tousled curl pattern that epitomised her glamorous yet relaxed aesthetic.

Lauren Bacall Beauty: Iconic Style Secrets & Modern Products

Beauty by Bacall

Lauren Bacall maintained a style signature that reaffirms the mantra – never mess with a winning formula.

Ashley Ropati — Beauty Editor & Lifestyle Journalist

Last updated July 20262 min read

Hollywood’s love affair with Lauren Bacall certainly wasn’t fleeting. The flaxen haired bombshell with the famously raspy voice, bounced onto the silver screen and left viewers positively captivated. From the picture-perfect pose that made her an icon, bold and becoming angular eyebrows to her masterfully contoured cheek bones, polished pin-tuck and Pinot-red pout; Lauren Bacall maintained a style signature that reaffirms the mantra – never mess with a winning formula.

1. Film: to Have and Have Not, 1944

Best beauty moment: Luminous cheekbones

Famed for her striking angular features, Bacall had contouring down pat before there ever was such a thing. To garner an equally striking profile, opt for a light and luminous illuminator like St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Gold, that’ll reflect and diffuse the natural light.

ST TROPEZ SKIN ILLUMINATOR IN GOLD

St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Gold

2. Film: Dark Passage, 1947

Best beauty moment: Angular brows

Boasting one dynamic set of brows, Bacall sparked brow envy amongst Hollywood’s elite. Bold yet perennially polished a great set of thicker eyebrows needn’t look messy and unkempt. Try By Terry Eyebrow Mascara to keep your set in check.

3. Film: the Big Sleep, 1946

Best beauty moment: Bed-head barrel curls

Infiniti-pro by Conair Hot Rollers

4. Film: Written on the Wind, 1956

Best beauty moment: The perfect red lip

Like most of life’s great endeavors, the road to a perfectly punchy pout never did run smooth. But Bacall made a great argument for why you shouldn’t part with ‘that’ shade once you eventually find it. Colour-match your rouge of choice to the skin inside your wrist to determine which hue will best work with your skin tone. A universally flattering shade like M.A.C Russian Red, agrees with almost everybody.

5. Film: How to Marry a Millionaire, 1953

Best beauty moment: Bedtime beauty

It’s called beauty sleep for a reason. Go without it and be prepared to pay the price. A good nights sleep clocking up a full eight hours, will do wonders both inside and out. Apply an infused balm like This Works Sleep Balm to leave you well rested and positively glowing come morning.

This Works Sleep Balm

Story by Ashley Ropati.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you want to know about beauty?

We use your questions to shape what we write about next.