Simple Pinup Beauty for the Everyday

For quite some time I’ve been asked to share my pinup makeup routine which has honestly made me a little nervous. I am, in no way shape or form, a makeup artist and my skills are far from those of a professional. I only got into makeup once I was well into college and most of what I learnt came from old YouTube tutorials and loads of practice. Over the years, I have developed a simple makeup look which I can adjust for daily wear, pageants/fancy events and photoshoots; I am very excited and also nervous to share it with you today.

To prep my skin, I always make sure I have cleansed, toned and moisturised my face. I like to give my moisturiser a few minutes to fully sink in and my go to product is the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (it’s a little pricey but I can’t find anything else that works as well for less).

I first reach for my primer; at the moment I am using the Tarte Double Duty Beauty Hydrating Primer which really feels lovely on the skin. I apply the primer with either my fingers or a clean brush (used in this example) and wipe it all over my skin. I then use my fingertips to gently pat the primer into my pores and I let it set for a few minutes.

If needed, and it normally is, I add a little concealer to hide a few spots which normally appear on my chin (thanks Endo!). I gently blend the cream out with my fingers and then just let it sit for a minute. Once it’s dried a bit, I continue with my foundation. My current concealer is from Tarte.

When it comes to foundation, I have a few which I use for certain occasions (whether it be just a day out, a photoshoot or a performance). As this is just a daily makeup tutorial, I will using the Clio Kill Cover The New Founwear Cushion foundation and I use colour 3-BY Linen. I apply my foundation with the cushion puff the compact provides and I just dab it all over my face making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. At the current moment, I’m a little more tanned after going on holiday so I will be blending my foundation down my neck.

Once blended, I apply a layer of translucent powder over the top with a brush and at the moment I am using the Coty’s AirSpun Powder (full review here). I don’t like to look dewy or shiny at all and try to stay as matte as possible throughout the day, so the powder really helps. It’s also worth noting that this powder lasts ages and is very affordable.

To contour, I use the Too Cool For School Artclass by Rodin contour compact. With an angled brush, I apply it just on my cheekbones to create a slight shadow. I then apply it to the sides of my nose, under my jawline and on the top corners of my face near the hairline. To blend, I use the same brush as the translucent powder and blend until it looks natural.

Now I’ve only recently started using blush a few months ago so I don’t really have the widest selection. At the moment I have the Etude House Heart Pop blush in the colour ‘Born to be chic’ and just apply it to the apples on my cheeks really gently. I promise I will learn to not be afraid of blush.

I then like to start on my eyes. Let’s begin with my eyebrows. I’ve already got pretty thick eyebrows so I just like to fluff them out and give them a light fill in using Etude House Drawing Eye Brown wind up pencil in the colour 01 Dark Brown. This tool also has a spoolie on the end which I use to comb and shape my brows.

When it comes to eyeshadow, I’m pretty boring and simple and have stuck to the same shades for years. At the moment I am using the ColorPop Going Coconuts palette as it’s got a great range of cream and brown tone shadows.

I start by sweeping a cream coloured base shadow over my entire lid. Using a fluffy brush, I add a soft brown to the end corner of my eye focusing on the crease. I like to sweep the colour gently across my lid crease and make sure it’s blended well.

Using another fluffy brush, I add some darker brown shadow to the very edge of my lid right into the crease. I spend a fair amount of time blending making sure both browns are merged together.

Once I’m happy with the shadow, I add winged eyeliner. I normally use the KVD Tattoo liner as I love a felt tip liner which is a deep, dark black shade. To get my liner as sharp as possible, I tend to get really close to a big mirror and if I need to hold my face to keep steady, I’ll use a tissue or cotton pad to prevent smudging my face makeup. To create a sharp wing, I prefer to start from the outer edge of my eye and draw a line aiming for my brows about a centimetre or so long on both sides. I then go from the top of that line to about the middle of my eye in a straight sharp line. I then finish lining my eyes along the lash line and fill in the wing to be thick and dark.

If I decide to add false lashes, I am currently using magnetic lashes from Moxie lash and my favourite is the Baby Lash. If I don’t want lashes, I will just apply my mascara to my top and bottom lashes and wait for it to fully dry. I am in the midst of finding a new mascara but am about to finish the Dior DiorShow Iconic mascara.

It’s finally time to paint my lips. For a simple day look, I will just grab a liquid lipstick as I find they dry down well and don’t smudge for several hours (unless I’m eating a lot). At the moment I am trying to use up some lipsticks I already have so for this instance I used a MAC liquid lipstick.

To finish off my look, I grab a small thin brush, dip into my brown eyeshadow and reapply my beauty spot on my cheek. For those wondering, yes it is real and I just like to darken it after my foundation goes on.

And that’s it; my simple makeup routine. I can normally get it all done in around 25 minutes but some days I just like to take my time. As with most things, practice makes perfect and although I constantly get asked how I do my eyeliner, I still have heaps of bad days where they both look ridiculous. There’s nothing special or unique about my makeup and I constantly try new products. I have been thinking about trying a few true vintage makeup routines in the future but I thought it’s best to share my normal routine before trying something new.

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