Old School Beauty Tips From Marilyn Monroe You Can Still Use Today

No one left her mark on the world quite like Marilyn Monroe. A bright beacon of Old Hollywood, she embodied the glamour and elegance of her era. She placed audiences under a spell with her sultry gaze, bright red lips, and platinum blonde hair. Although she ruled the '50s and early '60s with her undeniably keen fashion instincts, the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" star was also one of the most celebrated beauties of the era.

And it's well-established that Old Hollywood stars were brimming with secrets to their radiant allure, as seen in these old-school beauty tips from Joan Crawford you can still use today. It's not surprising, then, that the Marilyn Monroe had her own wisdom to impart to modern audiences of the 21st century. After all, the star had quite a few secrets to looking her best. Even Marilyn Monroe's outfits were full of hidden meaning, so it stands to reason that her skincare and makeup routine was chock full of some precious, hidden gems too. From prepping her skin until she glowed for the gods to sticking to a particular shade of lipstick, here are the tried-and-true beauty tips that will leave you looking as fabulous as Monroe did.

As a silver screen darling, it's understandable why Marilyn Monroe wanted to look almost ethereal when she appeared on-screen. In fact, she achieved this with the help of Vaseline, and it's safe to say that it was a staple in "The Seven Year Itch" star's pre-filming beauty routine. Monroe, who reportedly struggled with dry skin, would slather heaps of Vaseline over her face, using it as both a moisturizer and primer prior to makeup application. It certainly helped make her look as though she was glowing from within when the cameras turned to her, which is a huge reason why Vaseline should have a place in your beauty routine.

But when it came time to wrap up a hard day's work, Monroe remained as meticulous as ever. She relied on renowned dermatologist to the stars Dr. Erno Laszlo, who went to great lengths to create a personalized routine for her. Double cleansing was a crucial step in Monroe's skin care regimen, using products such as the Phelityl Cleansing Oil and the Phelityl Cleansing Bar to do the job. Laszlo also recommended the Shake-It Tinted Skin Treatment as an integral step in both her morning and evening routines, as well as for red carpet events. Truly, it does take a lot of effort to look this good.

Aside from her platinum blonde hair, red lipstick was also a quintessential part of Marilyn Monroe's look. From studio portraits to red carpet events, it seemed almost inseparable from the star. But it may surprise you to learn that Monroe didn't actually rely on a purely red lipstick to pull off her signature lip look. According to an Instagram reel by makeup expert and historian Erin Parsons, Monroe's makeup kit was discovered to contain only orange to reddish-orange lipsticks.

Although Parsons identified Monroe's go-to lip product as the red lip pomade by House of Westmore, there was actually a method the "Some Like It Hot" star used for her lips. And it was definitely a complicated one, as it's reported that Monroe's makeup artist would rely on several red shades with varying undertones and intensities to give the impression that the actor's lips were fuller than they actually were. It would certainly explain why her lips were one of her most eye-catching attributes.

Aside from diamonds, it's well-known that perfume was also one of Marilyn Monroe's greatest loves. The three-time Golden Globe winner gave Chanel one of its biggest marketing boosts ever after she cheekily said that Chanel No. 5 perfume was a nonnegotiable part of her nighttime routine. "Once this fellow says 'Marilyn, what do you wear to bed?'" Monroe shared in an exclusive with Life Magazine (per New Beauty). "So I said I only wear Chanel No. 5."

But Chanel No. 5 shouldn't take all the credit for being the "How to Marry a Millionaire" star's favorite perfume. Monroe also let it slip that she really liked Yardley's Original English Lavender, and a receipt discovered after her death revealed that the silver screen legend was partial to Floris' Rose Geranium perfume. It's clear Monroe was all about wearing what you love, and this extended to her fragrances.

As a notable public figure, Marilyn Monroe knew she had to look her best at all times. The "Bus Stop" actor regularly performed several exercises to stay in shape, focusing on her legs, bust, and arms. And for Monroe, it was all about workouts that accentuated her curves. In fact, Monroe never really cared too much about exercising, but reaching the level of stardom she did meant she needed to start getting serious about her taking care of her body. She outlined her first morning exercise as "a simple bust-firming routine which consists of lifting five-pound weights from a spread-eagle arm position to a point directly above my head." She added, per Into The Gloss, "I do this 15 times, slowly."

In addition to exercising, Monroe was known for regularly indulging in ice baths. Although she allegedly did so to maintain her skin's firmness, it could also have been a way for the star to wrap up a workout routine — after all, ice baths have been used by athletes to alleviate inflammation and discomfort in their limbs. Some research also suggests that ice baths may offer mental benefits, so they could possibly have been a way for Monroe to relax and de-stress from her hectic work schedule.