Vintage Beauty Inspiration

This is the first of what I am sure will be many Beauty Inspiration posts to come . . .

Two of my true loves in life are: any and all thing French, and messy hair.  So it seems natural to start this series with Brigitte Bardot. Mussy sultry goodness. With her perpetually full and tousled hair and smokey bedroom eyes this girl can do no wrong!!  Her look is a cinch to create at home and is perfect for a night on the town, or tone it down a notch for everyday fabulousness!!



This look will always be "in"!

The Goods:

*Black Eyeliner (liquid or gel)

*Mink (neutral dark grey) Eyeshadow

*Volumizing Mascara

*Nude Lipstick and Lipliner

*Peach Lip Gloss

*Pinky-peach Blush

*Volumizing Mousse

*Backcombing Brush or Comb

* 1 1/4" Curling Iron

*Hairspray

Girly and Gorgeous.

Makeup

*Feather your eyeshadow in a thick line along the lashline.  Brigitte Bardot was all about the smokey eye, so the darker the better.

*Soften the shadow by blending with a shadow brush as many times as it takes to see the edges start to soften up.

*Line your upper lash-line and slightly taper the outward edge.

*Smudge shadow on lower lash line. 

*Give yourself a MAJOR mascara-ing. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara does the trick for me. Give each coat a chance to dry before applying the next to keep lashes soft and feathery.

*Apply blush to apples of cheeks and blend outward.  I love Benefit's "Coralista" for this.

*Apply nude lipliner, starting at the outer corners and work inward, giving the lips a more oval, luscious shape.

*Using a lip brush, apply a nude lipstick.  Press lipstick "into"  your lips with your ring finger. This helps your color stay on, and softens it as well.

*Lightly apply a peach hued gloss to the outer edges of the lip, and blend towards the center.  Shine on the outer edges = fuller looking lips!

Hair

*"Second day" (a.k.a. unwashed) hair is perfect for achieving the Bardot look, but if you must wash, use a volumizing shampoo and mousse!

*Blow dry with a round brush for volume, but don't worry about perfectly straightening. 

*Curl random 2" sections by wrapping hair around the barrel. This technique gives a more natural wave instead of a contrived looking curl. 

*Section the crown, and back comb in 1" sections.

*Spray. A. Lot.

*Finger comb your artfully mussed-up locks into your desired style. Use bobby pins for a half updo if desired!

Skinny black pants - check.  Cropped sweater - check. Oversized shades - check.  Speak with a french accent if you like. . . : )  Presto! You are oozing the fabulousness of Brigitte herself.   Do you feel Bardot-tastic yet?!?!

Have a Beautiful Day!!