Five Lessons We Can Learn From The Classic Beauties

Beauty trends may come and go –90s brown lip liner, the 60s bouffant, bronzer in the 00s – but the classics will always be just that, classics.

This week, Audrey Hepburn beat out the likes of Beyoncé and Kate Moss to be crowned the ultimate beauty icon of all time thanks to her timeless look, which has been replicated on catwalks and in magazines for decades.

In a survey of 2,000 women, Audrey came out on top followed closely by another iconic face – Marilyn Monroe.

In fact, four out of the top five icons were stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age with Beyoncé just about managing to creep into the top five.

Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Ava Gardner all made an appearance in the top ten with the only other contemporary star to make the cut being Scarlett Johansson.

And it’s not just former movie starlets that have been hitting the beauty headlines this week.

French fashion house Céline released their latest ad campaign featuring legendary author and essayist Joan Didion.

The 80-year-old journalist appears in the ad wearing a simple black jumper, gold statement necklace and a pair of oversized sunglasses in a picture that sent the fashion world into meltdown.

Not one to get carried away with her foray into the world of high fashion, Joan claimed she had “no idea” the sensation the image caused on social media.

Despite never having been to a Céline fashion show, the author did admit that she was “fortunate enough to own a few” of the brand’s designs.

Total denial of going viral and never been to a catwalk show? Sorry Balmain but Joan Didion > Kimye, any day of the week.

This week also saw Cara Delevingne pay tribute to her late great-grandmother Angela, who sadly passed away in the New Year at the age of 102.

Twenty-two-year-old Cara bears more than a passing resemblance to the former socialite, who she clearly inherited her world-famous eyebrows from.

Cara posted pictures of her glamorous great-granny on Instagram in tribute to “the kindest, most intelligent and wickedly funny human I have ever had the pleasure of knowing let alone being related to”.

Angela’s striking brows, painted lips and killer cheekbones had us all pining for a more glamorous age where red lips and a sassy attitude were de rigueur.

So what lessons can we learn from these iconic beauties?

1.    Strong brows will never let you down
From Audrey’s natural curve to Angela Delevingne’s power brow, a set of full, maintained but not manicured brows is as integral to a striking look as matte red lips or an expert flick of liquid eyeliner.

2.    Glowing skin is a girl’s best friend
Yes, we’d all like one of those old Hollywood soft filters on our faces 24/7 but alas the closest we can get is the Earlybird filter on Instagram. For an everyday glow, make sure you get your eight hours every night, drink plenty of water and invest in a shimmering primer like Benefit’s That Gal. Mix it with your favourite foundation to make it look like actual sunbeams are coming out of your face.

3.    Grow old (dis)gracefully
Joan’s silver locks and sunnies at 80, Angela’s pearl earrings at 102, Sophia Loren’s…everything. A mere four per cent of mature ladies claim they rely on make-up to make them feel beautiful, compared to nearly 20 per cent of 18-24 year-olds. What do they know that we don’t? Confidence. It’s what keeps you young at heart and eternally beautiful.

4.    Sexiness comes from within
We’re just going to hand over to Sophia on this one… “I think the quality of sexiness comes from within. It is something that is in you or it isn't and it really doesn't have much to do with breasts or thighs or the pout of your lips”. This comes from the woman who chalks her hourglass figure up to a lifetime of eating spaghetti so you have to trust her.

5.    R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Yep. Along with confidence, self-respect is one of the most beautiful qualities anyone can possess. But Joan says it much more eloquently than we ever could:  “To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves - there lies the great, singular power of self-respect”.

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