7 Classic Beauty Movies To Watch During The Quarantine

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

No list of movies about beauty would be complete without a movie starring Audrey Hepburn and there simply is none more iconic than Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (Though Roman Holiday is a close second, with Audrey sporting a gorgeous pixie cut!) Within the first few minutes of the film, we get acquainted with a carefree Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), a young New York-socialite who looks effortlessly beautiful from the moment she wakes up to many moments throughout the day of her touching up her makeup. Though apprehensive to love at the start, we see her falling for Paul Varjak aka ‘Fred’ (George Peppard) and eventually realizing that what she has been chasing after, what she truly longs for, has been in front of her the entire time.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

(Cont.) Towards the end of the movie, we see Holly riding a cab with Paul. In between him asking her to marry him and her going on about her “not wanting to be put in a cage,” there was an important on-screen snippet where she turns to Paul asking: “Hand me my purse, will you, darling? A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.” She then applies a creamy, subtle shade of pink and coral. Fun fact: the actual lipstick is Revlon’s Pink in the Afternoon, and is still available today.

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Steel Magnolias (1989)

A star-studded gem of a movie full of wisdom, humor, and quotes to live by, Steel Magnolias sees the majority of its scenes taking place in the lively Truvy’s Beauty Spot. The movie begins in a small town in Louisiana in the springtime, with Annabelle Dupuy Desoto (Daryl Hannah) walking into Truvy Jones’ beauty salon fresh out of beauty school to be the salon’s newest “glamour technician.” She is hired immediately because this particular day happens to be the wedding day of Shelby Eatenton Latcherie (Julia Roberts) the daughter of M’Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) who happens to be Truvy’s best friend. Soon on the scene, too, are Ouisser (Shirley MacLaine) and Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) who provide plenty of laughs throughout the film. As the story progresses, we catch a glimpse into the daily lives of these Southern belles who know how to overcome and survive life’s many challenges with resilience and unwavering friendship, with a glass of sweet tea in hand.

Steel Magnolias (1989)

(Cont.) Beyond the tear-jerker moments that leave the heart so incredibly full, Truvy’s salon is a beauty lover’s dream, filled to the brim with everything you probably imagined your Barbie’s salon to look like. Aside from the obvious iconic beauty look on Miss Dolly Parton, beauty lovers can take note of Sally Field’s M’Lynn who was never without her perfect lipstick and perfectly coiffed do.

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Death Becomes Her (1992)

Arguably the best cult camp film from the 90’s, Death Becomes Her is a tale of two frenemies, Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) and Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), going head to head in an immortal combat. And really, what’s not to love? The movie is busy with turns and twists—and more than just lots of twisting heads and gunshots blasted through torsos! On top of the makeup, the wardrobe, and the hair, we see a magical immortality potion that leaves the one who drinks it young and beautiful, looking the absolute best they ever had, forever. The epic beauty scene not to miss is the full-body makeover that follows after Madeline takes the potion: skin smoothens, wrinkles fade, hair thickens, and breasts and butt cheeks lift and tighten within minutes. She exclaims: “I’m a girl!” Which we can all somehow relate to in various degrees.

Death Becomes Her (1992)

(Cont.) Beyond serving up vital lessons on friendship, forgiveness, and facing the fear of ageing (and ultimately, death), the movie is a lot of fun to watch for its beauty moments and extreme makeovers as we see Madeline and Helen respectively go through insane lengths to turn themselves into the type of women society adores and pays attention to: hyper-feminine, alluring, and pretty close to perfect.

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Miss Congeniality (2000)

Many often forget what a great movie makeover moment Miss Congeniality had! We see F.B.I. Agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) goes undercover in her toughest mission yet when The Citizen, a serial killer, announces that his next target will be the Miss United States beauty pageant. Hart, who is a boy’s girl and doesn’t care much for beauty or personal care, goes through one of the most hilarious yet transformative makeovers in Hollywood history.

Miss Congeniality (2000)

(Cont.) In charge of Hart’s makeover and the king of getting his girls to win the pageant, Victor Melling (Michael Cane) quips a few hilarious comments throughout the movie such as: (During the makeover scene) “Eyebrows. There should be two.” The result? Hart walks out of the hangar in a tight, blue dress and jaws just drop.

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13 Going On 30 (2004)

The storyline of the delightful and super fun romcom 13 Going on 30 starts off with Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner/Christa B. Allen), a girl who is celebrating her 13th birthday in 1987. Her best friend Matt Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo/Sean Marquette) gives her a doll house built especially for her and a packet of magic wishing dust for her birthday which the pair sprinkle over the roof of the house. Jenna makes a wild wish, to be “thirty, flirty, and thriving,” and she awakens the next day a 30-year-old woman living a swanky Fifth Avenue apartment in 2004. She has no recollection of the 17 years that have passed but learns quickly that she has lost almost all contact with the people who mattered to her and that being an adult was not all that it was cracked up to be.

13 Going On 30 (2004)

(Cont.) (She does, however, land her dream job of working as an editor at Poise, the most successful fashion magazine during her teen years, and access to all the fab things that come with the job!) As we watch Jenna discover what her life has become and makes the most out of it, we have a ton of fun beauty moments along the way. A beauty moment for the books was seeing Jenna Rink play dress up in her dreamy walk-in closet, applying makeup and trying on outfits to the tune of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’ The makeup was sparkly and bright, and she definitely had a lot fun with it.

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The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

As every beauty lover will attest, The Devil Wears Prada is the kind of move that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. The film has us following Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) as she starts to work at prestigious fashion magazine, Runway, with intimidating editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) at its helm. At the beginning, Andy wants nothing more than to just gain some experience before she can further pursue her career as a journalist. However, we then witness a pivotal moment in Andy’s own self-discovery and evolution as Nigel (Stanley Tucci), fashion director of Runway, gives Andy a makeover to end all makeovers.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

(Cont.) And who can forget that perfect montage of the “new” Andy Sachs in several, chic ensembles, that followed? A bonus beauty moment: Andy applies her mascara onto a perfectly lined eye look whilst in Paris for fashion week, when just months before, she didn’t know what a Shu Uemura eyelash curler was! (Well, at least according to Serena, played by supermodel Gisele Bundchen.)

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Burlesque (2010)

Showtunes, costumes, and dance routines meet bold stage makeup in this film about a small town girl realizing her dreams in the City of Angels. Think cat eyes and red lips paired with perfect, big hair. The story has us hooked from the start, almost guiltily, if not for its pretty stellar cast but for the musical performances. We watch young ingénue Ali (Christina Aguilera) try to find her place in The Burlesque Lounge, a burlesque club owned by Tess (Cher), a retired dancer who is struggling to keep the venue alive.

Burlesque (2010)

(Cont.) After a few bumps in their relationship initially, Tess takes Ali under her wing and teaches her many lessons, which include self-confidence and, of course, how to do a perfect onstage cat eye. As she applies the liner onto Aguilera, she gives a tip: “First of all, you have got to wet it if you’re going to get a clean line,” she says. “When you’re putting on your makeup, it’s like you’re an artist. But instead of painting on a canvas, you’re painting your face.”

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