WORDS Meg Bowles
Okay TikTok, enough – I’ve got the message. For months, our comments section has been convinced that I’m Euphoria actress Barbie Ferreira’s secret twin (which is the biggest compliment ever, by the way), so this week I’ve decided to recreate some of my favourite beauty looks from Barbie, and in some cases, her infamous bullied-teen-turned-cam-girl character Kat.
A PSA TO ALL MUAS: do not continue reading this article, for your own sanity. As I am certainly no professional, I’m using this new column as an opportunity to try some new looks and break away from my (very) tried and tested makeup routine. And who better to do it with than Euphoria’s own make-up maven?
Monday, we start off tame
The look: A minimal base and eye draws all the attention onto the bright matte red lip.
The products: To maintain the simplicity of the lip-focused look, I thought it was best just to keep it to concealer, eyebrow pencil, a little orangey eyeshadow (or bronzer) and baking powder to keep the whole face matte.
The application: As it was a Monday morning, I wanted to ease myself in. However, I’ve conveniently lost my favourite matte red lipstick that is in the exact shade that Barbie’s wearing a week prior to starting this challenge. To adapt, I remembered an old beauty blogger trick to make a glossy lip into a matte instantly, which was using your finger to dab on a layer of baking powder every time you applied a layer of lipstick.
How it was throughout the day: My newly-remembered trick not only mattifies but makes your lipstick unbudgeable – it stays on all day without the constant need for reapplication that a bright red lip usually brings.
Takeaways: As I consider a red lip to be my signature makeup look, I thought I was set in my ways as to my routine. However, this week introduced me to the bright under eye – I’ve previously avoided putting any concealer under my eyes as I’ve always heard it looks very unnatural, and with my makeup style, I prefer natural-looking skin so I’ve always avoided covering up my eye bags). However, throughout this week I’ve been 100% converted to the bright under eye as I feel as though it ‘opens up’ my face and really does work in making you look more awake – I appreciate I may be the last to try it, but just a new addition to my routine for me.
Tuesday, we keep it classy
The look: a full 90s supermodel glam, with the low contour, smokey browns and nude lip liner.
The products: A cream contour and baking powder here is essential, as well as a darker nude for the lipliner, combined with a slightly pinker nude lipstick.
How it was doing the makeup (applying): I think it’s best to tell this story in pictures…
I started with the base and lips, both of which had gone very well. This was the point at which I was ready to change my whole makeup style altogether. Here’s me grinning because I was very proud of myself thus-far (above left).
I began, with the guidance of our Digital Editor (and ex-beauty blog obsessor) Maddy, to do the masking-tape-under-the-eye technique to produce an eyeshadow liner effect. Fate, however, had other plans. I stuck the masking tape in my eye and then had a bad reaction to one of the eyeliners I had in my waterline. The result was a lot of crying (both as a reaction to the eyeliner and out of sheer frustration). What we thought was going to be a satisfying unveiling of the crisp line under the masking tape revealed to the layers of foundation, bronzer and blush beneath now melted down my left cheek like a bad spray tan in the rain.
Stage 3 was acceptance – this wasn’t going to work.
My right eye wouldn’t stop watering and I gave in. I took all of the makeup off, waited for my eye to stop streaming (hint, it never did) and reserved the rest of the time that I was going to spend on the look to complain to the team.
How it was throughout the day: Instead of trying a full re-do of the look, I attempted the same style without the super dark eye makeup. I aimed for a less smokey look, using burnt orange and light brown shades to produce a wearable, every day version of the 90s glam look that stayed the whole day perfectly due to its matte base.
Takeaways: Since I’ve been interested in makeup, the advice I’d been given around blush and contour was the higher the better, with an emphasis on placing all product on the top of the cheek bone and making sure to blend upwards to produce a lifted effect. However, this look focused on the apples of the cheeks and following the natural contours of the face, which I found to suit me better as I think it gives a healthy glow and fullness to the face. The simplified version of this look is definitely my new every-day routine.
Wednesday, we let loose a little
The look: A glossy red lip, a slicked-back middle part and an angular, extended straight brow.
The products: For the lips, I started with a red lipstick, overlined by a black pencil eyeliner, blended and coated with a clear gloss. To give the lifted brow effect, I used strong hold hairspray on a spoolie to keep the hairs in an upward hold, drawing a higher and extended brow around them.
The application: Everything was great until we reached the eye makeup. As I have accepted, due to Tuesday’s disaster, that I am no MUA, I chose to do a simplified version of this double winged eyeliner, shadowed eye and instead opted for an all-over orangey shadow to give a similar effect.
How it was throughout the day: You genuinely can’t do anything in this red lip. Though gorgeous, it’s completely impractical in our mask-wearing climate and eating without smearing the red gloss absolutely everywhere is impossible.
Takeaways: this makeup is great for an Instagram picture, but needs to be taken off after 10 minutes if you want to do anything other than just be really sexy (not that I’m complaining).
Thursday, we start to get restless
The look: An iconic Euphoria moment! The graphic eyeliner, the colour pop and the wet look fringe all scream Kat.
The products: a super voluminous mascara, felt tip black eyeliner and just a lip balm are the key products here.
The application: Trying a graphic liner was new for me and surprisingly was much harder than it seems. How bad can it be? It’s just a black line after all. Whilst this is true, getting the eyes to appear somewhat symmetrical is the hard bit. I found that I just needed a lot of patience and a makeup wipe on hand to correct any stray eyeliner.
How it was throughout the day: Perfect! As there is no eyeliner in the waterline to smudge and fall down across the day, all that this look requires maintenance-wise is to try not to touch or rub your eyes, and give a wide berth around your brow bone so as not to smudge your lines.
Takeaways: This is probably a look where practice makes perfect. If you’re good at applying the graphic liner quickly and without too many retakes, you have the best tools to make a basic base, lipgloss and mascara look interesting within minutes.
Friday, it’s time to get nasty
The look: a slightly elongated brow, bronzed base, nude gloss and a holographic blue eyeshadow.
The products: I used my fingers to pack on multiple different blues to my lid, before dabbing a little bit of lip gloss to give a semi-wet look to the eye and also to ensure that the final layer of glitter dust was kept firmly in place. DIY Euphoria from home in no more than 10 minutes.
The application: The process for this look was straightforward in terms of the skin/base, though it felt very strange not to add any blush as this has been a staple in my everyday makeup for years.
How it was throughout the day: Not the best… the shadow was so packed on that the fallout gave me blue under-eye bags. In future, I’d hope my next challenge would be working out how to set an eye look like this to make it daytime wearable.
Takeaways: Great for evenings and parties where people can’t really see the eye makeup in too much detail, or are too drunk to care. Either works.
Takeaways from the week: This week turned into a great opportunity to be more creative with my makeup, and remember that it’s meant to be fun! I don’t always have to stick to what I’ve been told for years from countless magazines and Pinterest face-shape infographics what best suits my face as it may turn out other makeup styles are better for my features, I just hadn’t tried them yet. I’m going to be using more colour on my eyes, maybe some graphic liner if I’m feeling adventurous, concealing to make a bright under eye, baking for the 90s glam and focusing on the apples of my cheeks with my blush and bronzer. Safe to say I’ll not be attempting a smokey eye anytime soon, but I think you may have already guessed that.
Want to see more like this? Follow us on TikTok @bricksmagazine for all the Euphoria content and more, and let me know what I should try next.
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