Celebrity Makeup How-To: Marilyn Monroe

The makeup how-to you’ve all been waiting for! Marilyn Monroe pioneered the blonde bombshell look, and her makeup defines classic glamour. Here’s a step-by-step guide on the face that even a man married to Jackie-O couldn’t resist:

Step I: Face Makeup

1. To keep skin looking smooth and flawless, start with a makeup primer like MAC Prep + Prime applied all over.
2. Use liquid or cream foundation in the lightest tone your skin can take. Since this look is matte, try a film-finish base like Max Factor Pan-Stick.
3. Apply a foundation-matching concealer to undereye circles, blemishes & discoloration.
4. Lightly dust loose translucent powder over your face to set the foundation.
5. Dab a dusty rose blush into the base of cheekbones and blend forward onto the apples of your cheeks.

Step II: Eye Makeup

1. Apply MAC Prep + Prime as a base to prep eyelids for shadow.
2. With your favorite brow pencil (I actually like Anastasia’s Brow Pen), make short, feathered strokes through your brow mimicking Marilyn’s high arch. Keep both sections of the brow line fairly straight and emphasize the section that bends down after the arch to copy her brow shape. Blend with an eyebrow brush.
3. Dab a dewy highlighter like Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer onto the center of the lid, browbone, above the brow, and at eyes’ inner corners. Top with white eyeshadow.
4. Apply a light brown shadow to the crease and blend slightly upward toward the ends of your eyebrows. Line the inner rims of eyes with a white kohl pencil to make eyes look larger.
5. Apply a liquid or cream dark brown eyeliner to the top lid, starting with a narrow line at the inner corners of eyes and swooping up and outward at the outer edge. Then, apply a very thin line of gold eyeliner above the dark brown liner — but keep it subtle, or it’ll look tacky.
6. Curl lashes and apply a black mascara like Diorshow.
7. Apply false eyelashes to outer corners of eyes only. For a true glamour girl look, make sure to add a couple to the lower lash rim’s outer edge too.

Step III: Lips and Finishing Touches

1. First, line the top lip and the Cupid’s bow with the white pencil you used for your eyes to make lips appear fuller. Then, line with a red lipliner and blend the two, slightly overdrawing the line at the top lips’ outer edges.
2. Apply your favorite red lipstick. Top with a clear or shiny red lip gloss, with a thicker dollop in the center of the bottom lip.
3. Dab Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer onto the Cupid’s bow, apples of cheeks and the tip of your nose as a highlighter.
4. Apply a beauty mark using a dark brown eyeliner pencil just above your lip on the left side. Happy birthday, Mr. President! You’re all done.