If I had a dollar for every time I hear a girl say she can’t pull off Barbie inspired make-up… Quite frankly it makes me sick with worry because there is no girl out there and no skin tone or differing facial features that cannot pull off a bit of glitter, dramatic lash extensions and of course pink! pink! pink! eyes, lips, cheeks… You name it! There are FOUR basic and may I add simple steps to perfecting Barbie inspired make-up to suit you.

STEP ONE

The first step pays particular attention to brows and skin, make sure brows are shaped and primed as desired. It’s important to get the right foundation or concealer for your skin tone, in some cases and if you have dark circles around your eyes like myself then it is essential you use both a foundation and a concealer to perfectly even out skin tone and give it an air brush finish. The best foundations and concealer are made by Yves Saint Laurent, MAC, the new Topshop make-up range and Maybeline.

STEP TWO

Carefully apply a cream based eyeshadow primer to keep the eyeshadow in place, then apply a shade of pink over the top of eyelids. Pink shades vary according to skin tone, the darker your skin tone the richer the pink should be. In essence fuschia pink shades work best with dark skin and here’s the fun part you shouldn’t just stop at one particular colour. Other colours such as purple may be added as a contour to the pink or green beneath the eyes to add a personal touch.

The lighter the skintone, the lighter and more delicate the shade of pink should be.

Highlight your brow bones with a lighter shade of pink or gold to make eyes pop, after this apply a translucent highlighter that matches your skintone over your brow bones and your nose, all this while using a good eyeshadow brush to blend in any stray edges to your make-up. Right now, the best highlighters on the market are the one brought out by the Topshop range. If you feel overwhelmed by bright pink make up, then it’s best to use a good black liquid eyeliner such as Barry M’s liquid eyeliner and apply it directly over the line before your eyelashes.  It gives your eyes an edge without overwhelming you.

STEP THREE

It’s important to stick to pink shades alone when paying attention to lips and cheeks. For cheeks, pick a bright pink coloured blush and steer clear of bronzers when choosing your blush. Apply blush such as MAC sheertone shimmer blush over your cheek bones and extend application to just below the sides of your brow bone. It gives a slimming effect for your pretty face. Whilst applying blush to your cheeks, make an effort to buff the colour into your skin pigments as this allows it to last longer. However, make sure you don’t apply heavy layers of blush its best to keep it rosy and natural. No need to look like an aspiring clown. The same applies to lips, the only option available to pull off that Barbie look is to stick to pink shades. First use a lip liner to line lips so that gloss doesn’t stray and smears your face. There is nothing more annoying that having to constantly retouch your lipgloss so it’s important that you use a highly pigmented lipgloss such as Victoria Secret’s Beauty Rush lipgloss.

STEP FOUR

The step is all about the final touches, I’m talking lash minute primers, highlighters and deciding whether you want heavy layers of mascara or lash extensions. I vote for lash extensions! You are afterall channelling your inner Barbie and who needs mascara? BORING! Eyelash extensions vary from barely there looking lashes to full blown dramatic lashes. It’s important to move out of your comfort zone and go for dramatic lashes, as dramatic as you may dare.  Glue on a strip of extensions to each eye, making sure they add emphasis to the edges of your eyes. Add a finishing touch by applying more liquid eyeliner to polish up areas in which glue might appear. The best and long lasting lash extensions are from the MAC make-up range, which is what our model is wearing below. In a final bid to polish up your look, apply a final layer of highlighter over your brow bones a little bit above your eyebrows and roll it over your nose.

Barbie would be proud!