Le Classique: Timeless Red Lips, Black Liner Makeup Look
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Sure, it’s a party. But sometimes you just want something simple, straightforward, and FLATTERING to wear. Something that is still going to look good when you look at a picture of yourself 30 years down the road.
That, or you’re channeling a 40s/50s Pinup for Halloween this year.
Here’s a VERY simple breakdown using shades and textures that are good for all ages, skin tones (or gender - hey, go for it), though I updated the eyes just a bit so it’s softer and more modern. Otherwise, there are countless great 50’s makeup tutorials around and I don’t really need to post another…
Items you need:
- A deep satin or matte taupe (highly recommend MS17 from BH Cosmetics if you like natural-looking definition; it’s a very soft shade that looks dark in the pan but really softens out to a color that looks like shadow, so it’s perfect for defining).
- Face powder
- Black gel liner (not liquid, not pencil!)
- White, beige, pale yellow pencil (no shimmer please)
- Black mascara or natural looking false lashes
- Warm blush (I’m not going to tell you what shade since different colors suit different people; just avoid neon pink and bright orange)
- A red RED lipstick and red liner (I heart Ruby Woo by MAC for that impossibly-intense true scarlet, but if you have VERY dark skin, a luscious “noir” shade like Diva might be better.)
Step 2: With a soft blending brush, I filled in the outer half of my lids with a soft taupe brown, then used the remainder on the tip of the brush to stroke along my socket line. The color should fade as you go inwards. Don’t pull the color all the way down to the inner corners. Stop at the center or about 2/3 in.
Then do the same with the lower lash line. The brown should not be too dark and obvious. If you lower your lids and look into the mirror, it should look like contours/shadows.
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Step 2: Now the drama. I used a thin brush (use one of those with bent handles if you’re not used to brush liners) to apply a flick at the outer corners first. The angle, as you can see, is just SLIGHTLY curved up, instead of straight. This is where it differs from the usual Pinup look where the liner is thinner and angled lower.
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Step 3: To finish adding that touch of drama that’s more Sofia Loren than Marilyn Monroe, draw another line from the outer tip STRAIGHT in towards the center of your lid. You get a triangle.
Fill it in, and you get that hot-mama “Rroowwrrrr” cat-eye look.
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Step 4: Instead of going full-on glamorous, I’m smoking out the top edges of the liner with a Q-tip so it becomes a softer, smokier line instead of a harsh one. Be careful not to overdo this as you could make a mess instead.
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Step 5: Go ahead and do your blush, contouring, etc. I usually keep it simple and light when I’m doing a strong lip. I used my usual Bourjois Little Round Pot shadow #15 as a blush.
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Step 6: The LIPS! For maximum lasting power, apply lipstick, blot gently with a sheet of tissue, then apply a second coat. When you’re done, THEN tidy up the edges with your lip pencil. Applying the liner last means you get a very crisp line, but you will never end up with a “dark ring around your lips”.
If you’re going to “reshape” your lips a bit and do that at the very end with the liner because you can take a really good look then and make sure everything is balanced and looks the way you want. When you draw in an exaggerated lip with a pencil first, it could turn out really over the top when you fill in with lipstick after that.
