Video Makeup Tutorial: The Brigitte Bardot Cat-Eye

Love the classic ’60s makeup looks of bombshells like Brigitte Bardot? Don’t we all! I’ve created a video makeup tutorial for you guys on a Brigitte Bardot-inspired makeup look, complete with her iconic cat-eye eyeliner. Check it out! Step-by-step text instructions on how to get the look after the jump.

Here’s the run-down if you’re too lazy to click play:

PART I: SKIN PREP & FACE MAKEUP

1. Pull your hair back and apply foundation (we used MAC High-Def). Match the foundation to your skin tone by dabbing a bit on the inside of your wrist.
2. Apply concealer to blemishes and undereye circles.
3. Prime your eyelids to make sure your eyeshadow lasts. We used Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer.

PART II: EYE MAKEUP

1. Apply eyeshadow in a lilac grey shade all over the lid and all the way up the browbone, leaving only a small strip below the eyebrow bare to highlight.
2. Highlight with a light creme shadow like the one in L’Oreal’s Color of Hope quad eyeshadow palette #215 Bouquet of Strength. Make sure to hit the inner corners of the eyes!
3. Next, fill in your brows (we used Anastasia’s Brow Pen) and shape them (we used the brow razor from Redpoint’s Brow Lifting Set). Bombshell brows have a rounded shape with a very high arch, so keep that in mind as you fill and shape them.  Finish with clear brow gel (ours is the new one from Victoria’s Secret).
4. Apply a coat — actually, make that two coats — of black mascara. (We used L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen and our model couldn’t believe how long and fluttery her lashes looked!)

PART III: CAT-EYE EYELINER

1. Now for eyeliner! Pull the top lid taut and apply a thin line of black liquid liner (ours is by Make Up For Ever) all the way across, scooping upward at the outer corners to create the classic cat-eye shape.
2. Correct any smudges with my all-time favorite beauty tool.
3. Line the lower lids almost all the way across (leave about a quarter-inch on the inner corners unlined) with a dark brown pencil eyeliner. (Why dark brown? A: It contrasts with almost every eye color and makes them pop, and B: when it smudges, you don’t look tired like with black or grey liner; you just look more like a bedheaded sexpot.) Draw the liner upward from the outer corner to accentuate the cat-eye scoop.
4. Then, use a white pencil eyeliner like NARS Eye Pencil in Iceberg to line the lower waterlines (that’s the inner rims of eyelids for you makeup newbies). This was a staple move of the ’50s and ’60s used to make eyes appear larger, and it’s one of my favorite makeup tricks ever!

PART IV: LIP MAKEUP & FINISHING TOUCHES

1. Apply a nude lipstick like MAC Lipstick Lustre in Close to Real to the lips.
2. Finish skin with powder (we used MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural).
3. Dab a bronzer like MAC Solar Riche Bronzing Powder into the base of your cheekbones, then blend forward. (We do this after powder to make sure the makeup’s contouring effect stays prominent since it’s so important for this look. And no, it won’t look too harsh — if it does, you’re not blending well enough.)

This look is very similar to the mod makeup look, but it’s less youthful and more sensual. Big thanks go out to our model Hope (names have been changed to protect the fashionable). Let me know what you think of this guide!