Marilyn Monroe's Makeup Artist Pioneered This Popular Beauty Trend
Marilyn Monroe's look was iconic, there's no doubt about it—a bold lip, big lashes, defined brows, and a beauty mark on her cheek. Of course, she didn’t achieve that level of glam on her own.
Marilyn's personal makeup artist, Allan “Whitey” Snyder, was responsible for creating the starlet's look. And with the new Netflix Marilyn Monroe film Blonde blowing up right now, people have a lot of questions about Marilyn and her stunning makeup. So, who was Whitey and what happened to him? Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Allan “Whitey” Snyder?
Whitey was Marilyn’s long-time makeup artist. He was actually her makeup artist throughout her career, per the Marilyn Monroe Collection, and the two developed a “very close working relationship." While Whitey found success as a Hollywood makeup artist for various projects, he’s best known for his work with Marilyn.
Oh, and Whitey actually has a lot of current beauty trend that he can be credited for, including the fact that he made lip contouring a thing. He was also one of the first to use blush to contour the nose, per Marie Claire.
How long did Whitey work with Marilyn?
Whitey worked with Marilyn from her first screen test at Twentieth Century Fox in 1946 until her death in 1962, per the Marilyn Monroe Collection.
After her death, he went on to work on other famous shoots, like TV shows Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven.
He got two Emmys for his makeup work.
Whitey was nominated four times for Emmy Awards, including for his work on:
Marilyn: The Untold Story (1981)
Little House on the Prairie (1978)
The 1975 Fashion Awards (1976)
He did her funeral makeup.
According to the Marilyn Monroe Collection, Marilyn asked Whitey to do her makeup if she were to die in front of him. Whitey reportedly replied to the request by saying, "Sure, drop off the body while it's still warm and I'll do it,” per Today. Marilyn ended up buying Whitey a gold Tiffany money clip that was engraved with, "Dear Whitey, While I'm still warm, Marilyn."
True to his word, Whitey did end up doing Marilyn's funeral makeup after her death in 1962. He was a pall bearer at her funeral.
He took two famous photos of Marilyn.
The photos, which were taken on the set of the film The River of No Return, were part of Whitey's estate when he died.
He died in 1994.
Whitey died in 1994, and never-before seen photos from his estate were put up for auction in 2012. Many of the pictures were taken in the 1940s and 1950s and show Marilyn smiling, per Today, noting that Whitey would often take photos of Marilyn to help her calm down when she felt jittery.
Whitey kept letters, telegrams and a money clip from Marilyn, which would be auctioned off, along with a photo of the two together, in 2012, per CBS.
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