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How did you develop your signature makeup look?
How did you develop your signature makeup look? How did it come about? Share!
I don’t know that I really have a signature look (maybe teal eyeliner?), but there is little I repeat over and over again… nevertheless, I think that some of the combinations I repeat are just because they flatter my coloring. It’s more like you do a look, love it, and repeat–and you keep repeating, but it wasn’t an active hunt for a signature look for me.
Thanks to reader Jung-Jung for today’s question idea Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
Ooh I like this topic… well my signature makeup look is flawless skin with simple eye makeup and full lips. I think my focus on flawless skin is because I suffered a bout of severe cystic acne in Senior year of high school ( and occasionally during the years beforehand ) so I was obsessed with having smooth, perfect skin. And eyes.. well, too much eye makeup just makes me look awful. I always compensated by having bold, moisturized lips.
Excruciatingly and over the course of 6-7 years. The great/horrible thing about makeup is that there’s always room for improvement, new techniques and use of color. Right now, I’m content but I still haven’t nailed my “a-ha! THIS IS ME” look.
Strong brow and lips are my look. I’m always running late in the morning, so this is the fastest and easiest look, plus it’s very flattering. I love playing with eyeshadows, but I usually don’t bother with any eye makeup, which is tricky and time-consuming for me. I have small eyes and oily lids, so if I just slap it on, everything will just crease and slide off, so I don’t bother unless I have time to do it right.
My make up complements my style. I tend to go for a kind of punk rock-ish with hints of architectural clothing (Helmut Lang/Alexander Wang). My clothes in honesty tend to be the basic with a twist type, but I accessorize a lot and I think make up is a part of that.
So my go to make up tends to be a pretty imprecise (but well blended) sooty and dark smoky eye. Dark colors like burgundy, dark browns, greens, khakis, greys and navys all over the lid and dark eyeliners on the waterline. I also go for either mauvy-rose or vampy lips and plum or neutral blush.
I sometimes tone it down and wear a neutral lid with dark eyeliner, but I tend to think eyeliner is a total must for me.
I don’t think I really have one! Is ‘laziness’ a signature look? 😛 Perhaps I’ll just say my signature look is in stealth 😉
I think my signature makeup look came about when I was discovering what looked good with my eye color (brown) as well as my eye shape. It was very difficult for me at first to find what looked good since I had a very small crease and barely any lid space. But as I played around with blending and different colors, I got hooked on the light to dark brown smoke eye with a light color in the inner corner. I wear that look nearly every day, sometimes lighter, sometimes darker depending on the event or time of day, and I love it! I pretty much search for those same few colors- orangey transition, light beige, medium brown, dark brown and darkest brown for crease/outer V. 🙂
I don’t think I truly have a signature look, but I’ve grown into using multiple eyeshadow colors together but in the deeper smokier end. Dark eyes and neutral lips, that’s quite me amongst the crowd.
I don’t really have a signature makeup look, I don’t think. I can’t say, for example, that I always wear winged eyeliner and pinup red lipstick. I change things up a lot. I get bored easily. I guess I tend to play up my eyes and lips because they are my best features. I tend to use color a lot because I just love colors, and I love to be creative and artistic.
I feel like I didn’t answer that question very well. :/
I think teal eyeliner on the lower lash line is definitely your thing!
I don’t think I have a signature look myself, as I tend to go very “natural” (as I am a wimp), but I do have some go to products that I often use together.
I do like green eye makeup though, maybe that could be my “thing”.
Hmmm I’m not sure HOW it happened, but my signature look is smokey eyes 🙂 I guess that I just noticed that it was working for me and so I stuck with it.
Ive been a little metal head since my teen years. later in life got married and had 2 kids. during the earlier days of my new life as a wife and mom i lost who i was inside. i mean i love being a wife and mom but i always felt i needed to change my exterior to be that… the typical housewife-mom. jeans, bright clothes and cute sandals. just 2 years ago i realized i wasnt myself. so i started slowly buying (more fashionable) darker clothes. Vampier makeup an here i am now. a modern mommy version of Bettie Page with Tory Burch purses haha. ive never felt better about myself. =)
I always have admired the bronze/coral makeup that Megan Fox sports when she is dressed up , so I developed my going out with the girls signature look based on hers, needed to adjust it to my NC10 skin, but wow, it looks good on my steel grey eyes.
I just try lots of stuff and if something works I’ll probably do it again. But I don’t think I really have a signature look. I’m terribly inconsistent!
I think it mostly comes down to learning what accentuates my features, combined with what’s been in fashion for a while. I think the biggest issue for me has been working out what colours really don’t flatter me, how much blush to use for my skin tone, and also how to make eyeshadow looks suit my protruding eye shape.
I don’t really have a signature look, more like a style? I don’t usually do the same thing everyday but there are a few looks and combinations that I do when in a rut or pressed for time and I know they work with my face and colouring. It’s been mostly trial and error to find what really works for me and application to suit my facial structure has been key. Same as you Christine, try a look and like it, or sometimes it was try a look and think, oh, this doesn’t work for me at all!! LOL
Do I have one?
I do not have a signature look. I use colors that look good on my warm skin tone.
My signature look would be quite a neutral/brown eye with a strong winged out black eyeliner, fluttery eyelashes, porcelain skin and peachy pink lips/cheeks. These are just colours that I personally think flatter me. Winged eyeliner is my obsession and since my eyes are my favourite feature I like to draw attention to them. Because I do this look so often I don’t even need to think about it, I just kinda go into autopilot!
I think my look is just eyeliner (and mascara). I’m usually too lazy for much else, but I always wear my black eyeliner. That started in 7th grade. I noticed I looked much better with eyeliner on because my eyes are small and my eyelashes blonde. Man, 15 years ago!
My signature makeup look is pretty simple. Its mostly about enhancing my own eye shape and making them look bigger! A neutral lip and a peachy cheek with a glittery highlight!
I use All Urban Decay products.
Eden eyeprimer all over lid lash to brow
Zephyr eyeshadow under the brow (white gold undertone)
Tyranny in the crease (matte chocolate brown from the Pulp Fiction pallet)
Space cowboy Moondust on lid (shimmery champagne with a hint of peach shadow w/micro glitter)
Lush 24/7 Velvet Pencil Upper and lower water line and smudge underneath ( matte dark brown )
Polyester Bride eyeshadow inner corner (shimmery glittery neutral white shadow)
TONS TONS TONS of Perversion mascara!
Naked 2 Lipstick (tawny beige satin finish)
Streak Flush pallet! (peachy matte blush, gold satin highlight, and warm bronzer)
Naked illuminated in Aura!
This is my go too i have it mastered. The only thing that takes me a while is brows and complexion!
But the fun part which is adding color is a no brainer!
We all day you love Deep End liner Christine!
My everyday is pretty simple and basic no-makeup makeup. I don’t wear any eye makeup other than mascara (and filled in brows). And usually no lips either. Just skin stuff/foundation/blush, etc.
Evenings tend to be a smokey eye – bronze or grey or taupe (or sometimes green or navy) all over. I have slightly hooded eyes so I don’t get too complicated with multiple colors. I really like one color all over (over and under eye), maybe blended out with a brown but that’s about it. And sometimes with a deeper color just slightly in the corner.
But lately I’ve felt like I ALWAYS do that when I go out, so I’m trying to experiment with more. My lips are not my best feature and I have generally shied away from bold lips for that reason, but I’ve learned more how to cheat the shape so they look better, and also my boyfriend seems to actually really like bold lips. So I’m doing it a little more now 🙂
I still don’t have a “signature” look, but I do have a few “go-to” looks, which typically include a neutral eye & MLBB lip shades. As a mom, time is often a luxury I took for granted in the past, so I just grab a random palette, and go from there. That said, I always place emphasis on the eyes, since they are what stand out on their own.
On the rare occasion I have more time, I like to play with different colors/techniques I don’t get a chance to do anymore, so it definitely varies!
I really don’t have a signature look. There are things I always use, like eyeliner along the upper lashline, if I don’t I don’t think my eyes are noticeable. The eyeliner is always dark. I always use mascara. And I fill in my brows.
Sometimes I wing out the eyeliner a bit, I can’t do a real cat eye anylonger as my hooded eyes are even more hooded, but a small little wing I can do. I use all colours when it comes to eyeshadow, except blue, no that’s not quite true, I sometimes add some blue, but very rarely.
So no signature look, no, but quite often a bold lip, I love classic reds and very often sunglasses.
I haven’t drastically changed my signature makeup in the past years… And it’s not very special either. I remember wearing eyeliner in 6th grade even, that and mascara has been an everyday thing since I was 15 maybe. Then I added some concealer, then BB Cream, then powder, changed BB Cream for foundation, then added contour & highlight, and last but not least brows! And there’s where I am now 🙂 It’s pretty simple and quick so I can do it for school everyday, and I don’t want very dramatic makeup then anyway. My thin winged liner is a must!! If I want to amp it up, I add lipstick!
I developed a love of eyeshadow at an early age. I like to do a slightly winged out shadow shape just because I think it flatters my eye shape, but I compensate for the drama by sticking to neutral colours. I like fresh skin a lot too – not too much foundation, but just enough of it and concealer to get my skin looking all one colour. In terms of skin, I discovered what I liked by looking at my reflection in public bathrooms! They always have the worst light, and can make cakey makeup look even cakier and a shiny face even shinier. If my skin looks good in a public bathroom, I’m good to go! And for lips, 90% of the time I can’t be bothered with anything beyond a lip balm.
My signature look developed over time as I learned different techniques and about what flattered me. I always feel awesome when I wear bright hot pink lip sticks so that’s become my trademark and my eye shadow has become more neutral in response. I like the retro look of strong top eyeliner with very little on the lower lid but black is too harsh for me so I use a copper colored gel liner that matches my hair.
I’m not sure if I’ve got a signature look. The one in my picture is close but it’s not my everyday look. For everyday it’s more shimmery eye and bold lip with semi-dewy skin.
I was going to write that I don’t have a signature look but I suppose I kind of do. After travelling back and forth a lot this year I’ve had to be quite strict with the amount of makeup I carry with me, as much as I’d like to have my entire collection with me at all times ‘just in case’! I had to find products that just worked for me whatever the occasion and I ended up with only a handful of looks. I’d always sort of gravitated towards certain looks but it’s only recently that I’ve stumbled upon my look as it were.
My look is all about natural skin so I tend to use a light foundation with strategic concealing if necessary.
For cheeks I prefer a blush with a radiant finish such as a cream blush or a powder blush with subtle, fine shimmer.
I’m a highlighter fiend but have gone off anything too shimmery so like to use a satin finish powder or something with shimmer but applying it with a light hand.
Brows are darkened and defined only a bit since I dye my hair black but my brows are dark blonde.
For eyes I like a wash of a light, shimmery eyeshadow, cream or powder, with a matte medium brown in the crease. On the lower lashline like to use something with a bit of colour, 99% of the time it’s purple, and smudge it for a soft look. Then I apply plenty of mascara to top and bottom lashes.
Lip wise it has to be bold. Red, fuchsia, coral – anything obnoxiously bright and in your face! Lip colour is really the only thing that changes day-to-day.
Products that made it:
Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation in 001.
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Fair.
Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Porcelain Peach.
Guerlain Meterorites in 02 Clair.
Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color in WT905 High Beam White.
Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara Waterproofing Seal Lashes & Eyebrows.
Guerlain lipsticks (couldn’t pick just one!).
Everything else changes a little due to either not yet finding the one or because I’ve been routinely using a product that isn’t necessarily a stand out but I’m just trying to use it up before moving on.
Sorry for the really long post. Can you tell I was bored? 😀
I usually default to a bold matte lip, because I’ve got these gigantic lab goggle-esque glasses that kind of steal the thunder from my eye makeup!
I don’t have a signature look. The thing that I like about makeup is that it allows me to be creative, so I definitely don’t want to do the same look every day. I would get so bored it would become a chore.
I tend to change it up a lot, but for the last quarter of a century my semi-regular fallback has been some sort of dark lip (black, red, purple) and some incarnation of winged liner or a smoky eye.
I think my signature look includes wearing lipstick – I always wear lipstick as it protects my lips and gives colour to my face. When I don’t wear lipstick it makes me look too pale.
I also realised (from reading this blog) that cool toned colours on my face suit me best – greys/greens/blues. I have always worn grey and blue eyeshadow without realising why it suited me.
And, like you Christine, I am a total teal fan. Thank you so much for your blog, it has really educated me on makeup.
Hahaha…Out of laziness?? XD
If I had time I’d do more eyeshadow work but alas I can’t bring myself to wake up early enough most days. But I like my go-to look just fine because I love bold lipstick! My signature look is as follows:
Subtle pink-champagne eyeshadow all over the lid underneath a champagne cream eyeshadow with matte eyeshadow on the brow bone, lightly filled in eyebrows, lots of mascara, sometimes winged eyeliner if I have time or just on the lash line for definition, some blush and **always, always a bold lipstick colour!**
Usually my bold lipcolour choices are seasonal – so for the fall, I’ve got MAC Living Legend, Rebel, Violetta & Dubonnet + NARS Scarlet Empress – probably add some red too like Nars Red Lizard.
I don’t have a signature look but I do have my go-to look so as to speak. One that works for me pretty well no matter what I wear and whether I’m in a good mood or not. My look includes very defined and filled eyebrows, a bold lacquer finish slightly-winged black eyeliner, 2 coats of mascara, perfect skin with light-medium coverage of foundation (Armani Maestro foundation), a light sweep of cool-tone pink blush, and bright lipstick. (orange or fuchsia, mattified down if i’m will be in a more professional occasion).
I’m a fan of vintage glamour, so my signature look is black cat eyeliner and red lips (it’s also the most flattering make up on me for photographs, as I’m super pale and I tend to look washed out). I don’t wear much make up in my eyes daily, however, and I favor flawless foundation, red blusher, a shimmery gold eyeshadow (my favorite is MAC Nylon), and a reddish lipbalm.
My signature makeup is Red lips, with brown Red undertones crease and Gold in the eyelid. That KONTOUR with ‘K’ from Kim Kardashian hahahahah and sometimes I change Red for vampy lips…It’s the way I feel is my confort zone, when I’m effortlessly sexy.
I’ve always been told that I look like a young Sarah Michelle Geller, and i was watching cruel intentions and i loved her characters kinda grungy 90’s make up, and that’s become my go to.
Can be considered no makeup-makeup a signature look?
I think my “signature” would be cheeks+brows, because they are the two things which make the most difference to my face. I will skip mascara before I skip doing my brows.
My Signature look it a bold lip and neutral and flawless skin. I just really goy into lipstick for the past 3 years and I think it getting more obsessive. And it’s funny because people actually notice. They would describe me a the girl who wear the bright lipsticks lol.
It sort of happened.. I tried that one makeup one time, and I was just like WHOA that’s the best version of me I’ve seen yet! And I haven’t found an equally good alternative to that one makeup yet – although I do switch flattering looks, that one was some ind of an epiphany, and I stick to it everytime I need something that just works, and that I don’t have to worry about throughout the day.
Said look is natural dewy skin with pale pink cheeks, a satin grey based brown lipstick (I do sometimes blot or add gloss if I want to change finish), and a simple steel grey shadow on the eys, again usually a satin, smoked from the lash line to the browbone – I highlight the browbone and inner corners with the same highlighter I use on my face. No liner, just mascara on the top lashes.
I don’t think I have any single signature look, but the closest thing I’d call “signature” that I do is my brows. I almost always do them the same way, but I still periodically will change my technique. Nothing seems to stick for that long with me. :p I also almost always do my lips with a really pronounced cupid’s bow if I’m not wearing a nude color.
i feel like my signature would be winged liner. i definitely have tried a ton of products but my holy grail is kat von d tattoo liner!
I feel like I figured out what I wanted out of my makeup pretty fast? There are just certain things, aesthetically, that I was drawn to and re-created in my own makeup. I change things up a lot but well-defined brows, full coverage foundation, and big lashes are my staples.
(Which would be easier if I weren’t allergic to the latex in 90% of lash glues. Alas, alack.)
Laziness lol. I never feel like putting on much makeup these days so my signature look is very simple. Even complexion, cat eye, lots of lashes and mascara, smudged eyeliner on the bottom lid, a little highlight and contour. Then I top it off with a bold lip. Quick and simple!
Mostly by trying a lot of different products, techniques and combinations. I’m sure my “signature” look now is not going to be the same in ten years time.
I don’t have just one set of colors I go to…I love color, I have tons of different colors and shades and brands of eyeshadows and bases and eyeliners. I have a decent range of blushes and possibly too many lipsticks. With that said, I think the fact that I wear bold colors and am known for that amongst my friends and family is in itself my ‘signature look’. I have few matte shadows as my favorite is shimmer and pearl finishes with the occasional addition of glitter.
When I’m going out and dressing up, I like to do a clean but matte looking foundation by Revlon, I contour and add blush -generally MAC’s “Petticoat”, and then highlight with either Revlon’s “Brightening” or NARS “Albatross”.
-When I’m in a hurry or not going out anywhere special, I tend to just stick to my eyes:
I stick mostly to shimmery jewel tones but I adore purples as they make the green in my hazel eyes really pop. I do a color wash from my lid to just under my brow bone, and the bottom lid, and usually add a deeper shade of that same lid color (or black) to my crease and the outer 1/4 of my upper and bottom lids.
Blues, Greens, and Purples are my main selections, but I also like deep red and pink tones, dark browns and coppers, greys/silvers, with black, teals… not much, so far, can’t be made to look good on me in some combination. I’m rather pale with darkening strawberry blonde hair.
My eyeliner depends on how much time or interest I have and the eyeshadow. I love to do a medium but bold line on the top lid with a gel liner and a very thin matching line on the bottom lid that stops at the end of the lashes. Or I’ll press a dark shadow into my lash line for a smoky effect.
I like a nice bright skin-toned highlight on my brow bone which can be either a matte like MAC’s “Vanilla” or something more like a champagne finish -which I like to also pop onto the inner corners of my eyes to brighten up my eyes. Or I’ll add a really light shimmery shadow with a pearly or iridescent sheen which matches the predominant lid color.
-Depends on my mood.
Deep black mascara, of course… and depending on the time of day or the event, either a dark colored eyeliner or a white/skin toned liner on my waterline, tho’ periodically I like to use MAC’s “Blacktrack” fluidliner. And sometimes I’ll add a fun glitter liner to the top, in addition to the bolder gel liner, either a candy glitter liner from NYX or one of MUFE’s.
For lips I often go with just a clear lipbalm as my boyfriend hates getting my lip product on him when kissing me (tho’ he loves how they look on me, especially glossy lip products). Otherwise, I love a pink-mauvey lip color like Maybelline’s “Pink Quartz”, or a shimmery/glittery lip gloss like the various ones MAC produces.
Lol, sorry for the novel -just a bit in-depth. 😀 Never really thought of my makeup looks’ as a ‘signature’, but I guess they are since I’m known for lots of bold colors and glitters. 🙂