Hey everybody!
Last Saturday, I was casually scrolling through my Instagram feed when I found this STUNNING makeup look posted on Smashbox Cosmetics’ UK account.
Every element of the look just spoke to me and I had to stop and admire how gorgeously fresh and bright it is for Spring. I’m not sure if its the combination of colors, the mix of tones, or the perfect balance between bold and soft glam that just really makes the perfect statement for me.
I just LOVE this look and it inspired me to look through my collection to see if I could pull something similar together. I’ll chat about the key products used to create my look:
All products linked in each product description section!
Here’s what I ended up using:
Foundation:
1-to-1 Mixture of NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Liquid Foundation & NARS Sheer Glow Foundation
- I wanted a full-coverage base to look hydrated but not overly glowy [these two are my HG combination for a perfect makeup day!]
Setting Powder:
To create that bright and fresh under eye the model has, I pulled out my Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. I LOVE this powder to visibly brighten dark areas, with a smooth/semi-matte finish. It NEVER gets cakey or overly dry on me!
Blush/Bronze/Highlight:
Blush: In order to keep the emphasis on the eyes and lips, I decided to reach for a more subtle blush that still looks great in photos, so for this I decided to use the shade “Dallas” from Benefit Cosmetics. This is such an interesting product to me— it looks pretty unassuming in the pan, but takes on such a gorgeous and unique color once applied. LOVE!
Bronze: I don’t really see where they applied a very heavy, defined contour on her. It looks more like they used a matte bronzer to give the cheekbones a little bit more of a “pop”. For this, I used the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in the hollows of my cheek, along my hairline, and my neck/jawline. This is probably my favorite bronzer of life…….its just so freakin good.
Highlight: You can really tell where they focused her highlight, mainly on the high points of the face. It looks like a more glow-from-within type of product was used for this, so I decided to use my beloved Dandelion Twinkle Powder Highlighter from Benefit Cosmetics (this one from Essence Cosmetics would also give a similar effect!).
Eyeshadow:
This was the most fun group of products to get together! The combination of her hazel eye color and the shades the artist used just mesmerize me. This look would be especially gorgeous on brown/green eyes.Her crease is pretty defined with a warm reddish-brown tone, so I knew right away what the perfect product for this was: The ABH Modern Renaissance Palette .
This is the photo of the palette looking shiny and new from Amazon.com.
- It is definitely a better representation than my photo of the boldness and beauty this palette has!
Shades Used:
- Mix of “Raw Sienna” and “Burnt Orange” shades in the crease with a fluffy brush–this creates the perfect “not too warm, not too cool” transition shade
- I took the same shades on a more defined, dense eyeshadow brush to deepen and darken the crease area for further definition.
- Next (with a light hand), I took the shade “Red Ochre” with a defined crease brush for the slight pop of red she has.
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- Take your time to slowly build the color up, this shade is VERY pigmented.
- Then, I went back to “Raw Sienna” on a fluffy blush and softly blended away any harsh lines.
- For the brow bone highlight, I used “Tempera” for the perfect addition of brightness — this is one of my favorite shades of all time to lift and brighten the eye!
As you can see in this photo, my palette is VERY well loved. (It has been dreary and cloudy outside, so the lighting in all my photos is pretty terrible–sorry about that!)
*For that GORGEOUS purple shade she has on the lid, I used my Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeshadow Stick in “Plum”. For more control, I applied with my fingertip and patted it on my lids until I reached the desired color intensity.
Finally, To sheer out any harsh lines between the lid and crease area, I then went back in with a fluffy blush with “Raw Sienna” from ABH to complete the shadow!
Eye-Liner:
It looks like she has her top eyelid tightlined with a matte black liner, and possibly a very thin line just above her lash line. To achieve this look, I used this pencil liner from Sephora in “black lace”.
Her bottom inner eye area looks very open and bright, so I decided to add in this Wet n Wild Brow Highlighter to mimic her a wide-eyed look. (This is basically an 8-hour night of sleep in a pencil!)
Mascara:
I don’t think the model has any false lashes on, and mascara appears to have only been applied to her top lashes. I used THIS mascara (my FAV of all time) to give my lashes volume and length.
Lips
This was the trickiest part of the look to re-create. I’m still not 100% happy with how the lip combo turned out, but my lipstick collection is mostly neutral. I would consider her lip color shade to be a true fuchsia, so I had to pull out my pharmacist hat to do some mixing and investigating to DIY it! It was difficult to find a combo that wasn’t too purplish/vampy, or too soft of a pink.
I’m sure a single lip product similar to the one in the photo already exists–please send me suggestions if you know of something closer! I think it might be Smashbox Cosmetics Always on Matte Lipstick in “Throwback Jam”?
Here’s the products I ended up using:
The Kaja Cushy Vibe High Pigment Lip Stain in “Cashmere” .
This is such a COOL product-it has a soft whipped consistency and the pigmentation is unreal!
Next…..I topped it off with this NARS Velvet Lipglide in “Rapture”. If you’ve never tried this line of lippies from NARS, you should! The formula is like an ultra-pigmented lip gloss that is SO comfortable to wear. It’s a very unique consistency!
Here’s the swatches separately and then mixed together— I really sheered out the Kaja product and applied it in thin layers to lighten it.
Here’s the final look I came up with!
I’m definitely not a pro MUA or model like in the photo, but this was SO FUN!
I think that’s the beauty of makeup and the entire creative process; you can find something that excites you and sparks inspiration, then add in personal touches to make something of your very own.
**I have to give credit to the makeup artist’s Instagram account that came up with the look —@heatherjacksonbeauty posted on @smashboxcosmeticsuk
The model in the photo on Instagram: @che1seaelizabeth
Also, follow ME on Instagram 🙂 @jj_beautyblog
I hope y’all can all take some time this week to find a source of inspiration and create something! I know that’s what sparks the most JOY in my life!
What are y’all’s sources for drawing inspiration in your makeup, beauty, or just life in general? Please share in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
xo
Jena
FTC: This post is not sponsored and all products were purchased by me. Opinions are honest and my own. Some links are affiliate.
Source photo from Amazon.com and @Smashboxcosmeticsuk Instagram
Jena J Beauty 