But for the new movie stars, with their Cecil B DeMille close-ups, something more refined was needed. Max Factor engineered lightweight and light-reflecting potions that made screen icons look their best. He created the "bee-stung" lip by applying lipstick with his thumbs; Joan Crawford's signature smeared lip was his idea, too.
"The thing about inventing is that it usually comes from a reason," Davis Factor says. "What my great-grandfather did was invent makeup you could wear on Broadway or in silent movies or motion pictures, because what they were using wasn't right. He invented makeup out of the need for makeup that would look better, and we did the same thing, too."
Factor was something of a club kid in his youth, one of many young socialites who populate LA's affluent surrounding hills, and he enjoyed a brief career as a professional skier. But photography was always a passion and he set up Smashbox Studios, with Dean ("He's the brains," Factor tells me over dinner. "I was the photographer.") in 1990, where he has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz. Initially a shoot-space for commercial and editorial work, the studio soon became one of the main venues for shows at the fledgling LA Fashion Week, too.
"We have the weight of Hollywood behind us," Factor says. "We have the knowledge of the photography and motion-picture business, too, and we like educating, we don't have a lot of attitude, we're friendly."
All this combines in a cosmetics line that has taken the world by storm since its launch in 1996. Previously known mainly in the United States, Smashbox has had a successful global creep since it was bought by beauty titan Estee Lauder last year. "Our brand is LA, it's never leaving LA," Factor says firmly, when the sale comes up. "It's what we are."
It's also where much of the beauty industry is focused right now, of course, with more attention being paid to the grooming rituals of celebrities and red-carpet regimens. Since the Oscars were first broadcast in HD back in 2003, stars have been more and more conscious of the need to conceal all possible flaws.
"We were the first brand to come out with HD makeup," Factor says. "And a lot of people said 'oh, they're just making it up', but our products also test better than any other HD makeup. You see makeup more now, so we had to come out with a foundation that was lighter and with good coverage, but that didn't show up at all."
Smashbox's products are impeccably targeted not only at models on set or celebs at a junket but also at the woman in the street. We might not be appearing on telly any time soon, but that's not to say we're not looking for the same sort of hard-wearing durability, coverage and steadfastness in our slap. Smashbox has successfully brought several niche products out of the professional sphere and into the makeup bags of the masses. The Photo-Finish Primer, for example, which goes on before foundation so that it will "cling" to your skin and eliminate shine; or the Eye-Beam Liner, a double-ended pencil that lightens the corner of the eye, as well as the lower rim. These may sound like products for obsessive compulsives, but it's surprising what a difference they make. In fact, they're eminently practical - quick, easy and versatile.
"The cosmetics come from the studio," Factor says. "It's where I test everything, so I'm able to come up with problem-solving solutions as we're making them. It's the perfect place to create makeup - we create everything from super-natural to super-edgy.
"We try to create a lot of different looks because, as a woman, you want to create a lot of different looks yourself."
It chimes well with the more professional feel to makeup right now, with customers wanting well-considered products that will enhance what they have, rather than redrawing their visage. Despite its HD USP, Smashbox makeup can be dressed up and down; it works just as well for nude and naturally flawless styles as it does for full-on glamour. Factor has it right when he speaks of "solutions" - Smashbox has done all the fiddly work, so that you don't have to.
Another signature product is the Halo Hydrating Powder - a lightweight mineral powder that boosts radiance and reduces fine lines. It contains pure gold and goji berries which provide antioxidants, and glides perfectly on to bare skin for those who want a little help, rather than a lot of foundation. It also comes in a bright yellow colour, initially off-putting but perfect for evening out skin tone .
My final question to Factor is whether he's concerned that flawlessness can be bland, whether perfect people are boring. "I'm jealous of those people!" he says. "Sometimes you see someone who looks so flawless and you're like, 'man, I have to get a facial once a month'.
"We'll help someone look flawless though - and when you make a claim, it has to be real. If it's not real, women know and they complain, and that's the end of that."
* Smashbox is stocked in New Zealand at selected Life pharmacies, and a concept store at 342 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, ph (09) 847 9217.
- INDEPENDENT
