Let me just begin by saying that the past two weeks have been really crazy and hectic for me and my schedule has been all out of whack! I have been working five days a week, where I normally work four 10-Hour days, and missing that day off during the week has taken a major toll on the time I have to get things done for the blog. That coupled with the fact that I recently had an eye issue, similar to the issue that I had back in December, only this time I actually went to a doctor and found out that I had a corneal abrasion. Fortunately, it seems to be resolved now and my work schedule is going back to normal next week, so the blog should be getting back to normal next week, too! I include this little intro, though, because, much like last week, this post is going to be a smaller one than usual – only one tutorial instead of my normal two! I hope to make up for it, though, by making that one tutorial a really good one! Just you wait and see…
Last week I happened to see a film that I absolutely fell in love with and, as I watched it, immediately knew that it would be the inspiration for my next Friday Feature here at Beausic because it was so brilliant and filled with such inspiring and iconic images, recreated in a really beautiful and interesting way. The film I am talking about is “Hitchcock,” starring Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock and the incomparable Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma. The film tells the story of the creation of, perhaps, Hitchcock’s most iconic film, “Psycho.” I loved this film so much not only because it told a really fascinating and beautiful story but also because it was set in the midst of the Old Hollywood studio system of the “Golden Age of Hollywood,” in the 1950s and 60s, which is a whole world away from the Hollywood that I have known in my lifetime and something I have always found really fascinating and glamorous. I have also always been a fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s work and although “Psycho” is not my favorite film of his, (that would be his 1939 film, “Jamaica Inn,”) I can definitely say that it has a very special place in my heart because it is such a brilliant and truly iconic film and really broke new ground in the horror genre, which is one of my favorite genres of film.
One thing I hadn’t entirely been aware of as an established concept was the “Hitchcock Blonde.” One recurring theme in Hitchcock’s films is a gorgeous, glamorous blond leading lady and Hitchcock was known for having a strange, obsessive relationship with the actresses he cast in these roles. Some of the most iconic actresses in Hollywood history have been “Hitchcock Blondes,” including Doris Day, Tippi Hedren, Kim Novak, Ingrid Bergman and, perhaps most notably, Grace Kelly. One of the most brilliant and groundbreaking moves made in the film “Psycho” was perhaps the decision to kill off that leading lady, Janet Leigh, very early in the film – a move that was recreated in my favorite horror film of all-time, “Scream.”
Janet Leigh, as mentioned above, played the leading lady, the “Hitchcock Blonde,” in “Psycho,” but actually had a really well-established career prior to this, having been signed to a contract with MGM at an early age and making her debut in the 1947 film, “The Romance of Rosy Ridge,” but her most iconic role has to have been in “Psycho,” particularly in the iconic shower scene, which is included below. Leigh was also married to Tony Curtis, and mothered two children with him, actresses Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis.
In “Hitchcock,” the role of Janet Leigh was played by a favorite actress of mine, Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is one of the hottest and most accomplished young actresses working in Hollywood today, with 35 films under her belt, multiple Golden Globe nominations, a BAFTA award, and numerous other nominations, endorsement deals with major labels including Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, L’oreal and Dolce & Gabbana. Perhaps my favorite, given this blog is called Beausic, is her two albums, “Anywhere I Lay My Head” and “Break Up.”. Below you can see live performance of my very favorite track of Scarlett’s music career, “Relator,” with Pete Yorn.
As I watched “Hitchcock,” it just felt like such a brilliant idea, to me, to do a tutorial for Scarlett as Janet Leigh because, well, how cool is it to get to do a tutorial on both one of the hottest stars of today and a classic Hollywood starlet in a single video?! The makeup throughout the film struck me as so beautiful and timeless, both on Scarlett, as well as on Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, (which was actually initially intended to be the second tutorial in this post,) that it just seemed like a no-brainer to me! So, check out my Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh tutorial below!
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 20 Beige
Urban Decay Naked Basics Eye Shadows in Walk of Shame, Naked 2 & Venus
Rimmel London By Kate Lipstick in 102
Like I mentioned before, next week my schedule will be back to normal, my medical issue has been resolved and I am pretty determined to have two brand new tutorials in next week’s Friday Feature! I am actually pretty excited about next week here at Beausic because I have a lot of really cool stuff planned! After all, next week is time for “This Month In Music: April,” as well as Weight Loss Update, Favorites and, of course, the announcement of the winner of my giveaway for the LORAC GLOgetter Palette! I am really excited for all of that and I hope you guys are, as well! Keep an eye out! In the meantime, though, I wish you all a beautiful weekend and a beautiful life!
Jason
beausic 
Awesome piece. This is one of the best you’ve done, in my opinion!
Thank you so much – I really appreciate that feedback! It’s certainly a far cry from most of what I’ve been doing here lately – I keep saying to myself, “Stop piling all the teen pop stuff on top of each other,” so this was a cool one to throw in the mix!
It is a refreshing change (not that there’s anything wrong with your usual pop posts!) and very well done. Of course, as you know I write about classic film so I am probably a bit biased. It is also nice to see that your fave Hitchcock film is “Jamaica Inn” (it’s weird, because I did a style post on Daphne du Maurier last night) and not one of his 1950s or 1960s films like the average person. He started making films in the 1920s and had an amazing pre-1950s career. 🙂