Ava Gardner, The Killers, 1946
“A lot of people have told me through the years that it was The Killers that set me on the road to stardom, that defined my image as the slinky sexpot in the low cut dress, leaning against a piano and setting the world on fire,” Ava wrote in her biography. She said the director Robert Siodmak coached her to create her seductive character with cat-like movements and expression.
Ava also wore almost no make-up at all in the film. When she came on the set with her face covered in regulation MGM make-up (she had a contract with MGM and she was borrowed by the Universal studio for The Killers), Siodmak ordered her to wash it off. She wore no make-up, except for Vaseline on her skin to create a soft sheen, and probably lipstick.
The natural lighting used created shadows on the characters’ faces and gave Kitty “a soft glow, making her appear even more sensuous”. Ava Gardner’s biographer, Lee Server, wrote that “the smooth ivory tone of her skin produced such a pure white image that the cinematographer Elwood Bredell based his whole lighting treatment around it”. (Source)
Noir By Night 