The Norma Desmond Beauty Routine

Getting ready for the big reveal.

In 1950, director Billy Wilder made a film called Sunset Boulevard. You've probably heard of it. It's a familiar story: an ageing film star from the silent movie era lives a dreamlike existence in a crumbling mansion, shielded from reality, with only her butler for company. Her name? Norma Desmond.

When Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter, stumbles into her home, the film's premise comes into focus as Norma famously declares, "I am big; it's the pictures that got small."

Cast aside, nearly forgotten, and edging towards the horror of turning 50, Norma's life becomes an obsessive dream of reclaiming her past, teetering on the brink of madness. For Wilder, it was a biting commentary on Hollywood's treatment of ageing stars.

Midway through the film, Norma prepares for her "return" to the silver screen. What follows is nothing short of beauty torture: an array of treatments to smooth out every crack, wrinkle, and sag.

We might look at it now and think, "Oh, look what they did back then..." Except wait. We're still doing it.