Marilyn Monroe Makeup

You might have noticed that I am a massive Marilyn Monroe fan. I held a murder mystery party for my birthday last year and I was Marilyn. Putting together my costume was one of the most enjoyable parts of the preparation for that party. Marilyn’s look is so sexy and was great fun to copy. Marilyn’s style is also so iconic and recognizable. From her tight, sexy gowns to her glossy, platinum curls, Marilyn is the epitome of silver screen glamour. So many of us long for a little glamour, but it’s hard to translate Marilyn’s bombshell style into everyday life. Her makeup on the other hand, is very wearable and will give a classically sultry edge to any modern outfit.

Marilyn wore makeup everywhere she went, and refused to leave the house without being fully made up. Her makeup artist would drive to her house every morning, assemble his tools while Marilyn took her bath (infused with a cup of baby oil and a shot-glass of Chanel No. 5) and meticulously apply her makeup before she ventured out for the day. Each day it took over an hour to make Marilyn up, and her makeup artist used watercolour brushes to carefully apply the powders to contours of Marilyn’s delicate face.

My version of Marilyn’s makeup is much faster. It takes some practice, but the key to this look is careful blending and precise application.

Step 1. Cleanse and Moisturize your skin. Apply a pore-refining primer, which will help your makeup to go on smoothly and will make it last longer. I love That Gal primer from Benefit.

Step 2. Apply a full coverage foundation to your entire face with a foundation brush. Blend the foundation down over your jaw line and right up to the hairline.

Step 3. Dab concealer into the inner corner of your eyes. Use your ring finger to blend the concealer outwards to cover any dark circles and brighten your eye area. Don’t blend the concealer all the way to the outer corners of your eyes, as it can settle into any creases or fine lines and accentuate them.

Step 4. Dab concealer into the ridges on either side of your nose. Carefully blend it in with your ring finger.

Step 5. Use your concealer to hide any blemishes. Dab a tiny bit of concealer onto the blemish and use your ring finger to blend it, concentrating on the edges.

Step 6. Using a large powder brush, apply a light translucent powder to your entire face, concentrating on your nose, forehead and chin. This will set your foundation and give you a smooth finish.

Step 7. Using a black liquid eyeliner, carefully line your top lid. To do this, close your eye and pull the eyelid taut. Draw the line as close to your lashes as possible, keeping the line thin and even.

Step 8. Once your eyeliner has dried, take a pale pink eye shadow and apply it to your entire eyelid, using a rounded brush.

Step 9. Using an angled eye shadow brush, apply a beige eye shadow to the crease of your eye. Keep your touch light and don’t make the shadow too dark.

Step 10. Use your rounded eye shadow brush to apply a pearly white shadow to your brow bone.

Step 11. Apply two coats of thickening mascara in black.

Step 12. Apply a soft pink blusher to the apples of your cheeks (the part that sticks out when you smile). Use a round brush and gently swirl it onto your cheek. Don’t overdo it.

Step 13. Carefully line your lips with a waxy red lip liner. Keep the line on your natural lip line. When you line your lower lip, don’t take the liner all the way to the corners of your lips, or you will resemble the Joker when you apply your lipstick. Instead, taper the line to about 2mm before the corner of your mouth.

Step 14. Fill in your lip line with a flaming red lipstick. Blot your lips with a tissue and apply a second coat of lipstick.

Step 15. The final step is drawing on Marilyn’s iconic beauty spot. Use a black or dark brown eyeliner pencil to draw a tiny beauty spot halfway between the flare of your nostril and the curl of your lip.

Now throw on a billowy white dress and go find a subway grate! Alternatively, you could flirt with a cowboy at a bus stop or grab a ukulele and join an all-girl band.