Elizabeth Taylor Doing Her Eye Makeup

The Italian film, The Driver’s Seat, from 1974 stars Elizabeth Taylor and in one scene she artfully and efficiently does her makeup in just a couple of minutes. The scene shows her applying thick eyeliner powder using a brush to create bold look cut-crease smokey eye look. This is followed by a pair of oversize O-shaped sunglasses with amber, ombre lenses. In reality her favorite eyeliner was very much like what was shown in the film: a gray Clinique powder eyeliner applied with a brush.

It was not uncommon for actresses of the era to do their own makeup as they knew just how they wanted to appear on screen. Taylor had no choice but to do her own makeup for Cleopatra (1963) since the makeup artist, Alberto De Rossi, was laid up due to a back injury that required surgery. She copied his sketches and what she’d seen him do, but the truth is that she was fond of doing her makeup herself and would spend hours on her makeup when there was no time crunch.

With her pale eyes and dark, arched eyebrows Taylor really played up her eye makeup. Even though a decade had passed between Cleopatra and The Driver’s Seat the eye looks were not entirely different, in part owing to the popularity of Cleopatra and the film’s effect on culture and style.

Have a look at Elizabeth Taylor doing her makeup from The Driver’s Seat in the clip below.