They say fashion never dies, and beauty is the same: it is a constant cycle of renewal. So when someone shows up on the scene who takes a look, reinvents it a little and makes it her own, she is remembered. I can’t think of a woman more widely respected in this regard than Audrey Hepburn. She had all the makings of a beauty icon: stunning bone structure, unique facial features and a trademark makeup routine. Doe eyes with winged liner and a thick brow? You immediately think Audrey. What make her eyes some of the most famous – right up there with Cleopatra and Sophia Loren – is the fact that she had such petite features, yet shockingly large eyes, and uncommonly strong eyebrows. It’s an unbeatable combination.

What’s surprising is how simple her makeup is. Here’s how to recreate the timeless look:

Start with a concealed and primed eye. The skin around the eye is so thin that it is absolutely essential to use a base cover.

Cover the entire eye area – from lash line to brow bone – in a neutral, skin-tone shadow. This will add more uniformity to the color of your lid, and provide a nice texture for the rest of the products to attach to.

Push a medium taupe shadow into your crease. If you don’t have a crease, add this color where the eye socket opens up. If you have hooded eyes, you can skip this step.

One of the most essential steps of this look: the eyeliner. You want to start in the inner corner of your eye, and draw an even line to the outer corner. Then smoothly curve the line upward. Unlike many winged liners, this line should NOT be straight. Audrey’s liner really followed the natural curve of her eye and then swooped upward. After you’ve finished the wing, return to the center of your eye, where you’ll want to add a little height to the liner just above your iris. Audrey’s line was pretty thick here. (You can feel free to use liquid or gel liner for this step. I used liquid initially, and then went over it with a gel to amp up the intensity.)

Now the other important part of Audrey’s look: her brows. She had a fairly unique brow shape: boxy and thick, with a distinct point where most people’s brows arch. If you want to make this look your own, feel free to fill in your natural brow shape. Otherwise, use a taupe shadow to outline the general shape, most likely thickening and adding the top point. When you’re happy with the shape, use a darker shadow to match the color to the rest of your brow. Instead of pulling the brush along your brow, though, tap it so the color applies in a pattern more similar to brow hair.

With the same taupe shadow you’ve been using to shade your lid and brows, add a light line to the area underneath your lower lash line. By applying it below your natural line, you are making your eyes look rounder.

Apply a white pencil or cream liner to your bottom waterline. This opens your eyes up to make them look doe-like.

To get the full Audrey effect, you should then apply fake lashes If, however, you prefer a more casual/daytime look, just add mascara and voilà! Instant chic.

 

 

Products used in this tutorial:

  • Crown brushes
  • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
  • Covergirl & Olay SimplyAgeless Concealer in 210
  • Tarte Eyeshadow from The Jewelry Box Palette (unnamed)
  • Lorac Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Black
  • MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in Blacktrack
  • Ben Nye Cream Foundation in P-1 White (used for waterline)
  • L’Oréal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara in Blackest Black