I often find my makeup inspirations in fictional characters, whether they are movie actresses or even characters in a book where I rely on my imagination to conjur up their appearance. I find that portraying a makeup look within a context or story such as in a movie, it elevates the makeup look into more than just makeup and extends it into an entire aesthetic and world that revolves around the makeup. So, I thought it would be nice to showcase one of my favourite looks in cinema history, i.e. French actress and beauty icon Anna Karina. So, as I've been thinking of creating a "beauty icon inspiration" series on the blog, we might as well start off with one of my favourite muses.
If you're not familiar with Anna Karina, she's basically the epitome of '60s French "new wave" cinema and has starred in those cliché French romances. To describe her makeup looks, they're pretty much consistence across her films: large doe eyes with winged liner (more kitten than cat-eye), peachy cheeks, and subtle peachy or pinky lips. It's basically a balance between looking seductive and innocent which she so masterfully exudes. So, as I will be doing in this series, I will be suggesting modern products that I have in my collection that can be used to recreate her look!
First off: the eyes. Anna Karina's signature is definitely that '60s style eye look, particularly her eyeliner that seems to consist off both kohl liner and liquid liner. For the wing, something like the Sephora Colorful Wink-It Felt Liner is perfect as it really ticks off all the boxes: pigmented, smudge- and water-proof, and long-lasting. For the pencil liner that she seems to smudge on her lower lash line, the Essence Long-Lasting Eye Pencil is super rich in pigment and easy to smudge with a pencil brush. Pair this with a white liner in the lower lash line such as the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" for the special ingredient to the doe-eyed recipe. You can then apply your mascara of choice or subtle falsies.
Finally, to emulate her look from "Une femme est une femme", I like to use just a hint of mint eyeshadow on the lids such as the Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow Palette or NYX Ultimate Brights Eyeshadow Palette.
Anna Karina often pairs the eyes with a peachy blush which is great as it is flattering on all skin tones, plus compliments the pastel blue shadow perfectly. I like to use the peach shade in the e.l.f. Blush Palette as it's not too orange, but balances peach and nude perfectly.
Finally, for the lips, Karina often seems to sport a natural, subtle peach or at other times, a soft bubblegum pink. For the former, Glossier Generation G Lipstick in "Cake" is perfect; for the latter, the Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss in "102" or the Maybelline Color Sensational Powder Matte Lisptick in "Nocturnal Rose" are excellent contenders.
There you have it - a modern recreation of the classic Anna Karina makeup look. Stay tuned for many more of these beauty icon inspirations that I plan on doing in this series! Who's your favourite classic beauty icon?
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I love this idea for a series! Anna Karina is SO stunning and stylish. But I'd especially love to see your interpretation of the look on yo' face too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Her look is indeed stunning which I can at least attempt to recreate on my self. Maybe I’ll post with a pic of my face one day haha!
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