Espresso Makeup Is Going Viral — Here’s How To Perfect The Look
January 1 | 3 minute watch
Words by Genevieve Phelan
Originally published on | April 23
‘Espresso makeup’ is the monochromatic deep-brown palette dominating the beauty circuit — best served with your long black, or an espresso martini after dark.
If you’re trading the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic for a ‘mob wife’ mode of beauty, this sultry makeup look is for you. With bold glamour fiercely making a comeback, we’ve noticed a shift towards warm-toned browns in matte finishes (with a subtle hint of sparkle).
This espresso-coded tutorial is best served dark and hot (with a nod to wispy ‘siren eyes’ made to captivate). Here’s how to master the easy but dramatised beauty look making the rounds. Hit play…
Set the eye tone
1. Reach for your M.A.C Cosmetics Connect In Colour 12 Pan Eyes palette and blend a light-hued, matte brown shade into the crease of your eyelids, plus all over the mobile lid. The fluffier the brush, the better! Create an upside-down ‘U’ shape, from the inner corner to the outer edge until sufficiently silky smooth.
2. Trace your upper and lower lash line with Stila’s Stay All Day Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in ‘Lionfish' — and don’t worry about being tidy here, a bit of smudge will give that femme fatale essence we’re looking for. This butter-soft stick should last for hours of infatuating eye contact.
Turn up the drama
3. Dip back into that M.A.C palette for a darker matte brown shade, reserved only for the outer crease of your eyelids. This will give the shadow and dimension that serves mystery.
4. To finesse the eyes, glide on more of the Stila liner by simply retracing your steps. Finish with an exaggerated ‘flick’ from the outer corner of your eye (in the direction of your eyebrow’s endpoint).
5. Lashes must be luscious for a perfected espresso look. Lovingly coat your upper (and lower) eyelashes with Kevyn Aucoin’s famous The Volume Mascara to up the ante on wide-awake, just-had-my-espresso-shot eyes.
Chisel your cheeks
Finish with a warm lip
