Marilyn Monroe in the film The Prince and the Showgirl. (Source: Milton H Greene/Wikimedia Commons)

New York City’s Makeup Museum recently unearthed an artefact revealing Hollywood sensation Marilyn Monroe’s diet and beauty regime.

The artefact, displayed as part of the “Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America” exhibit at the Makeup Museum, is dated March 17, 1959 and addressed to the actor from dermatologist Erno Laszlo of the eponymous beauty company. In the document, Laszlo prescribes a detailed skincare routine for every step of the way.

Marilyn Monroe’s beauty regime

As per the document, Monroe was required to wash her face and neck in warm water and phelityl cleansing bar before applying an oil-free formula — for controlling surface oil and minimising pores — and immediately blotting it off. Beneath her eyes, she was to apply a skin energiser “in tiny dots, spreading it gently over the surface”, and then blot it off. In the final phase, she was to apply a loose face powder made by the company to seal in moisture and provide matte finish, and then brush it off after one minute.

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In the evening, she was to repeat the morning routine followed by a separate routine “before retiring”.

Patricia Schuffenhauer, Erno Laszlo’s chief historian and branding officer said in an Instagram video, “He (Erno) personalised every prescription for all of his clients, and Marilyn Monroe was on the drier side, so you can see as we walk through the prescription that all of the products were to help hydrate her skin. Here’s a glimpse of the prescription:

Some of the company’s products Monroe was prescribed are available even today. Monroe is also known to have treated her skin with a lot of Vaseline and long baths.

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“Marilyn told me, ‘I rub my entire body down with Vaseline and then get into a three-hour hot bath every morning. It gives my skin a shiny glow.’ So I tried that. I almost drowned,” actor Renee Taylor had earlier said at an event celebrating 50 years of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, reported New York Post.

Marilyn Monroe’s diet

As per the regime, Monroe was not to eat any kind of nuts, chocolate, olives, oysters or clams or foods high in salt. Excess salt not just leads to problems like hypertension or bloating, it also dehydrates the skin, making it patchy. It can further cause the skin to swell up by retaining water, resulting in puffy eyes.