The most iconic beauty looks from films you love

We all have a movie moment from childhood that has stuck with us, and if you’re a beauty buff chances are it could be one on this list

For me, many of the below have inspired me, fascinated me and made me laugh, but The Princess Diaries is the one that sticks. If you’ve seen it (of course you have, right?) you’ll know the scene I mean.

When Anne Hathaway is transformed from a glasses-wearing, frizzy-haired ‘geek’ to a sleek, groomed Princess. We won’t go into what message these films sent us as teenagers (I’ll only be liked if I have great hair?) and instead look over some of our favourites.

Did yours make the cut?

Audrey Hepburn’s brows in Roman Holiday

They almost deserve a long form essay to themselves, but we’ll try to keep it short. They. Are. Amazing. Yes, they are overly-filled in, but they frame her elfin features so perfectly that they can’t be faulted. Audrey’s brows were her defining feature in almost all her films, but paired with her pixi crop in Roman Holiday is a winning combination.

Molly Ringwald’s lipstick in The Breakfast Club

We don’t know what’s more entertaining, Molly Ringwald able to apply her lipstick with her cleavage or the impressed reactions of Bender and Andy in detention. Either way, this scene can’t be forgotten.

The make-over scene in The Princess Diaries

As we’ve already mentioned this a favourite in the IMAGE office. It has everything you could ever want in a movie transformation; a flamboyant hairdresser, a comedic montage, painful eyebrow plucking and a big reveal. We still wince at that hairbrush snapping.

Ursula in The Little Mermaid

What would you do for that perfect shade of lipstick? Ursula in The Little Mermaid gets crafty and uses whatever is around her; jellyfish as hair-gel and crushed clams as a punchy red lip.

Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I remember watching Tim Curry parading around in suspenders as a teenager and being insanely jealous of not only his legs, but how great is eye make-up was. The make-up is as over the top and camp as the film, and the looks are now classic in movie history.

Wednesday Adams and her braids

IMAGE Beauty Editor Holly O’Neill thinks Wednesday Adams and her braids are a must on this list. Not just because they look so good, but because she championed how cool it is to have a signature hairstyle. The long black plaits have also easily spawned a thousand Halloween costumes over the years.

Sandy’s transformation in Grease

Much like The Princess Diaries, we have another film on this list that has the slightly disturbing connotation that everyone will like you more if you look good. But Sandy’s transformation is also a great example of how make-up can make you more confident.

Despite the troubling way in which Danny finds Sandy infinitely more attractive post-make-over, we are still obsessed with this look. Bigger than big curly blonde hair combined with a glossy red lip takes her from demure and girlie to sexy-Sandy. That’s before we even think about the gold hoops and spray on black trousers.

Margot in The Royal Tenenbaums

Any Wes Anderson fan in their twenties will admit they definitely went through a Margot phase at some point. Cigarette smoking, fur coat wearing Margot, played by Gwyneth Paltrow (this was pre-Goop) was the epitome of cool. We loved her short blonde bob and eyes ringed with black kohl liner. Also, she couldn’t be more on trend right now with her penchant for plastic hair clips.

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Sally’s hair in When Harry Met Sally

I came to this movie only recently and instantly fell in love with Sally’s hair. The 1980s was a time when bigger most certainly was better (hello shoulder pads, giant waist belts and earrings) and hair was definitely on this list. In one of the first few scenes, we see Meg Ryan applying more hairspray into her already huge hair, proving the point my mother always made, that everyone was highly flammable in the 1980s.

Clueless

Where to start with Clueless? The headbands paired with sleek, straight hair, anything pink or frosted and lest we forget…lipgloss. The movie every 1990s girl held in the highest regard, it’s still serving beauty and fashion inspiration to us now in 2019.

Mia Wallace’s bob in Pulp Fiction

Possibly the most iconic look on this list, mostly because of the infamous movie poster, is Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Her sleek, dark bob, with thick fringe is now synonymous with Tarintino’s film, as is her vampy lipstick.

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