Creating glamour for over a century

Above  Max Factor cosmetics at Watsons stores.

Last year's launch of Max Factor cosmetics in Thailand coincided with the centenary of the Color Harmony principal and the 60th anniversary of the mascara wand, which are among the brand's inventions, not to mention how the eponymous founder coined the word make-up.

The Russian-born entrepreneur fulfilled the American dream by opening a cosmetics and wig store dubbed as the "House Of Make-Up" in Los Angeles.

Max Factor Sr in his lab.

He became an in-demand make-up artist, who created signature looks for the likes of Ava Gardner, Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich, during Hollywood's Golden Age.

Factor actually began pioneering cosmetics for the silver screen after watching a motion picture and seeing actors' faces masked by heavy stage greasepaint that he described "terrifying".

Hence, complexion products have long been Max Factor's area of expertise since 1914 when he created Flexible Greasepaint that gave a more on-screen natural look.

In 1935, Technicolor film led to his invention of the pan-cake make-up, which became a beauty staple among Hollywood stars and later other women.

"You are not born glamorous, glamour is created," said Factor, who helped women emulate the looks of movie stars through his make-up collection.

Women also adopted his Color Harmony principle, introduced in 1918, by co-ordinating make-up shades to complement their natural complexion, eye and hair colouring.

He even devised a Beauty Calibrator to measure dimensions of a person's facial structure to within 1/100th of an inch. This would help determine the use of shading to create "the perfect face".

Left  The House of Make-Up on Hill Street, Los Angeles.

Hailed as the "Father of Make-up", he passed away in 1938. His son Francis took on the name Max Factor, Jr, as well as the family business, which continued to develop various beauty innovations.

Complexion products introduced in the 1940s and 50s included Pan-Stik, a cream-based make-up in a stick form; Creme Puff, a creamy make-up base and powder; and Erace, the first concealer offered to the retail trade.

Retailed at Watsons stores, the modern-day collection include Facefinity All Day Flawless 3-In-1 Foundation that functions as a primer, concealer and foundation while ranging in 19 shades to match different skin tone.

Lip products have also been a part of the heritage since a pomade, introduced in 1928, gave actresses glossy lips on film.

Launched in 1940, Tru-Colour lipstick developed by second-generation Factor was tested by the Kissing Machine, which applied pressure to artificially kissing lips covered with lipstick, to measure its staying power.

Today's longlasting formulas include Lipfinity Lip Colour, which combines a matte undercoat with a sheen top coat for a lustrous finish.

Facefinity primer, 3-in-1 foundation and compact.

Creme Puff Powder Compact. Photos courtesy of Max Factor

Lipfinity Lip Colour.