Chicago Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist - Ann Marie
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Creating the Look: Pinup

Danielle has that All-American Pinup look, so I figured I'd use her to demonstrate how to create this happy-go-lucky retro style.

I started, as I always do, by priming the skin for makeup application. I generally use several primers to prepare the skin. In Danielle's case, I used a spray fixative that would hold the makeup in firmly in place. The Pinup Look is very crisp and clean, so there's no room for makeup smudges or movement.

Using a cosmetic sponge, I applied a light coat of cream foundation to her entire face. Danielle is blessed with really excellent skin, but in order to create a nice foundation for the additional makeup I'd be applying, I wanted a very smooth, finished surface.

I applied just enough high-pigment hot pink blush to add color to her cheeks, then I turned my attention to her eyebrows. Pinups almost always have very dark, manicured eyebrows. They are arched just-so. Of course, Danielle has blonde eyebrows! So I slowly added a taupe-brown eyeshadow to the eyebrows to darken them until they were dark enough to frame the look without pulling attention.

Eyebrows can be tricky to do. If you aren't used to significantly darkening your eyebrows, try layering just a little on at a time. A lot of time it will look very dark to you, but it will look just right to everyone else. Experiment!

I used just a little peachy-pink on the lids of her eyes, then I lined the top lid only in blackest black eyeliner, using an eyeliner pencil. I sprayed additional fixative on the eyeliner powder to create a liquid-like liner. This allowed me to create a very dark, very controlled line above her upper lashes. I dusted her lower lashes with just a bit of brown-shimmer eyeliner.

I covered her upper lashes in a double coat of blackest-black mascara to really pull attention to her upper eyelids. I also wanted to create a good base for the fake eyelashes I'd be applying shortly.

I began applying the false eyelashes by adding black glue to the edge of the eyelashes and letting it dry slightly before placing it on the ledge of her upper eyelid. Once applied, I asked her to blink her eyes several times to avoid eyelashes sticking to each other.

While her eyelashes dried, I applied lipliner and color. I wanted something that really popped. Many Pinup Looks involve bright red lips, so I decided to try something a little different, but still fitting with the look. A bright pink! I started by lining her lips in a dark-neutral liner, then followed with a hot pink lipstick and hot pink lipgloss.

We wanted a complete look, so I then brought my attention to her hair. We had pull the top part up to create volume and pinned it in place, adding rollers at the ends of her long hair. Danielle warned me that her hair doesn't hold curl very well, so when I pulled the rollers out, I coated her hair with a heavy layer of hairspray. I let it dry while I removed the pins from the upper part of her hair.

Using a stiff bristle brush, I gentled brushed the top layer of her hair to create a very smooth, soft appearance over all.

Once Danielle changed into her pinup costume and started posing in front of the camera, she started to really capture that happy-go-lucky Pinup Look. What do you think?

You can see more of Danielle's work here:
Danielle Peterson

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