Where There's Smoke...
Hellin Kay Simultaneously elegant and badass, the smoky eye has been an inky emblem of ELLE's own- your-sex-appeal ethos since model Yasmin Le Bon (née Parvaneh) graced our first-ever issue in September 1985—her skin bare but her eyes dusted with smoldering black shadow. "This full- on glossy metallic eye is a nod to the courageous attitude of the '80s," says Pat McGrath, P&G global creative director. "It takes inspiration from an oil slick, modernized with a rich, molten, burgundy finish."
The Shining
Hellin Kay "It's the perfect example of taking a classic look and playing with texture to make it new," says McGrath of her futuristically sleek update on the bold red lip. The magic, she says, is contrast: The glassy, pigment- drenched ruby set against bare skin is striking without being overdone. McGrath traced the mouth with lip liner—"making any corrections in symmetry where needed"—then smoothed on lipstick, adding tons of purple iridescent- flecked gloss "for that super high-shine finish," she says.
Blue Steel
Hellin Kay "The strong color and bold shape push the limit of what eye shadow can be," says McGrath of this graphic, teal-blue eye. The effect evokes ELLE's famous June 1986 cover, which showcased Elle Macpherson's face streaked with neon-yellow zinc sunblock. Glenn Marziali, the makeup artist behind Macpherson's look, created what would become an ELLE motif: an Amazonian model emblazoned with a strategic dash of color that was, as McGrath puts it, "simultaneously powerful and youthful." To keep this geometric wing from feeling too eccentric, McGrath decided on a neutral lip and polished brow to ground it.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Fresh Direct
Hellin Kay The burst of lilac is the first thing you see, but it's the fresh, clear skin that defines this look. In the more-is- more '80s, when makeup (particularly foundation) was swathed on impasto, ELLE always emphasized skin that looked like skin—and the feel here, with what McGrath calls a "fearless lip," is unexpectedly minimalist. "Seamless blending is the key," she says of making a complexion look this unadorned yet this flawless. She mixed two foundations, smoothing on a lighter one to highlight the center of the face and a deeper shade around the perimeter to create depth. McGrath also left the eyes mostly bare and accentuated the cheeks with a dab of blush to enhance the skin's natural flush.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below