Cleopatra-Inspired Makeup Look

Cleopatra is an ancient Greek goddess that was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Although at first, Cleopatra knew Greek fluently, she was a little reluctant to learn the Egyptian language, in the early days. As time proceeded, Cleopatra knew that she was destined to be a reincarnation of Isis (or Aset), so she decided to learn Egyptian because she knew and understood she her rule in Egypt.

It is an illustrious truth in history that Cleopatra is known for being a powerful woman, as she was outspoken, intelligent, and blinkered. This historical goddess was also rather candid and had a sensitive nature, that was rarely seen. Although many people had mixed messages about her beauty, it was well known throughout Greece and Egypt that despite being powerful, she possessed an obscene amount of sex appeal. Like most Greek women, she had a Greek nose, but she also had gorgeous eyes, full lips, and amazing skin.

One of the most prominent factors Cleopatra was known for was her makeup. She was one of the first women in history to wear makeup. In fact, it is a well known verity that Cleopatra was the first woman to wear lipstick. She had her slaves simultaneously, create her makeup using highly venomous rudiments. Because I appreciate Cleopatra so much, I have decided to create my own interpretation of her makeup. Ready to get started?

This makeup look is going to be dramatic and because of this, you priming your face with a foundation primer is not optional, it is required. You want to first and foremost, begin priming your face with a foundation primer. If you are looking for a good foundation primer, I highly recommend Stila's Hydrating Primer. Not only is it oil free, it also contains SPF 15. This is one of the few foundation primers in the market that actually caters to just about every skin type.

As soon as the primer is applied, you want to let it set for about a minute or two before applying your foundation and concealer. Everyone has their unique way of applying foundation and concealer. Some people choose to apply concealer before the foundation, as some people choose to apply it after the foundation, and some choose to apply it before and after.

Your foundation should be visible because when it comes to the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, Cleopatra wore her makeup noticeably to the point it was powerful, like her place in the Egyptian government during that era. Whether it is with a foundation brush, a sponge, or even your fingers, it is important to apply enough foundation to get the coverage you want. Concealer is optional, however; I do recommend it for this look because Cleopatra was known for her intense makeup.

For today's inspired makeup look, I am going to start by applying my concealer. Using my fingertips, I am going to apply it in certain areas of my skin. Using a beauty blender, I am going to blend it into my skin. The concealer I am going to use today is Mac's Select Cover Concealer in NC42. I am, then, going to use Sephora Collection's foundation brush #47 (and keep in mind, you don't have to use this particular brush, you can use any) to apply my foundation. The foundation I am going to use today is Mac's Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid Foundation with SPF 15 in NC42. Once applied, I am going to use my beauty blender to smooth out any lines.

Setting your foundation is key and highly important, especially when creating any dramatic look. If you feel that you need heavy coverage, I truly recommend using a thicker powder rather than a translucent powder. Today for the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, I am going to set my foundation with a translucent powder. I am going to use Tarte's Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder with PM20. Using a general powder brush, I am going to apply this generously all over my face.

Cleopatra was of Greek decent, so she possessed a darker skin tone rather than a lighter skin tone. For this inspired look, I am going to use a bronzer. Whether the bronzer is matte or shiny, is clearly up to you, however; with this look, I am going to use a powder bronzer that is more semi-matte. I am going to use Urban Decay's Baked Bronzer in "Toasted" which is a nice matte bronze.

One of the many reasons why Cleopatra is so iconic when it comes to makeup is her ability to use gold with any other color and/or shade. Because of this factor, for the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, I am going to use a luminizer. There are so many luminizers in the market today, however; I am going to use a liquid luminizer and for today's inspired look, I am going to use NARS Orgasm Illuminator. The shade is also called "Orgasm Illuminator" which is a gorgeous pink with peach undertone that has an intense gold shimmer. Using a cosmetic sponge, I am going to apply this product all over my face.

Cleopatra never limited herself when it came to makeup. Actually, I think she found that the heavier, the better. For the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, I am going to use two different blushes to create this inspired look. The first blush I am going to use is a gold shimmer in a cream formula. I am going to use NARS Blush in "Gold Member" which is a exquisite gold shimmer. I am going to use apply this product all over my cheeks, building color so the color is extremely visible on my cheeks.

You want to make sure that you haven't over applied this product, as it will create an oily effect more so than a dewy effect. The main goal you want to create is the dewy effect over anything else. As you continue, you want to take a peach colored pink blush that possesses gold shimmer. Any will do, conversely; I am going to use Chanel's Blush in "In Love" which is a stunning peachy pink blush with gold shimmer. It is a great dupe to NARS Orgasm, but it's more peach rather than pink. You want to apply this product to the apples of your cheeks and slowly blend out.

Cleopatra's known for intense eye makeup, so if you haven't already applied the heavy amount of powder under your eyes, you may want to do that right now. Depending on the quality of eye shadow that you use, the fallout tends to be more obvious with the less high end eye shadows. Also, for this look, if you decide to use a pigment, powdering underneath your eye area is a must, before doing the eyes. Let's begin!

You want to start by priming your eye with an eye shadow primer. One of the best ways to prevent makeup from fading, is using a primer. There are many on the market, however; today I am going to use Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer Potion XL in "Greed", which is a magnificent gold. I am going to apply this all over the lid, going passed the crease, and up to the brow bone.

Once the eye shadow primer sets, you want to begin applying your eye shadows. For this inspired look, I am going to use six different eye shadows. I am going to use two different shades of turquoise. One will be in powder form, as it will be a matte, as one will be in a cream based, semi-matte turquoise shade. I am also going to be using a black matte in powder form, followed by two different gold shades. The first gold shade will be a cream-based, semi-matte and the other will be a shimmery gold in a powder formula. Then for the highlight, I am going to use a pale gold frost eye shadow.

It is a well known fact that Cleopatra used a lot of gold, as well as, turquoise. She also managed to collaborate these shades with a matte black. We are going to start by applying the cream based turquoise shade first. Using an eye shadow brush, you want to apply this all over the lid. You do not want to go into the crease. For this inspired look, I am going to use Make Up For Ever's Aqua Cream Shadow in "21 Turquoise" which is an incredibly dazzling turquoise shimmer. Once you have applied this, you want to apply the powder turquoise eye shadow. I am going to use Make Up For Ever eye shadow in "Turquoise Matte 72" which is a bright turquoise matte.

Once you have applied the turquoise eye shadows, you want to apply the cream based, semi matte gold shadow. For the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, I am going to use Make Up For Ever's Aqua Cream Shadow in "11 Gold" which is a very brilliant, yet bright gold. You can use any cream based gold eye shadow, so you don't have to use the same shadow that I am going to use. There are several dupes for this product.

Using an angled eye shadow brush, you want to apply begin applying your darkest shade, which is the nice black matte. Although I love Mac's Cosmetics eye shadow in "Carbon", for this look, I am going to use Tarina Tarantino's Eye Dream Hypershadow in "Butterfly Black" which is a heavy pigmented black matte shadow. You want to apply this eye shadow in the outer corner of the eye, going slightly above the crease.

As you continue, you want to start blending that black shade into the turquoise shadow, going into the gold shade that is already applied. Then, you want to take a crease brush and begin applying the black shade in between the gold and turquoise. Once you have accomplished this, you want to apply the powder gold shade. This powder gold that I am going to use is more of a tarnished gold shimmer. Cleopatra lived in an era that was ancient, so you want this look to come to life. For this inspired look, I am going to Mac Cosmetics pigment in "Old Gold" which is a wonderful tarnished gold frost.

Using a regular eye shadow brush, you want to apply the gold from the crease all of the way up to the brow bone. Do not be afraid to apply this shade generously. As you go on, you plan on adding the last shadow shade. You want to use something that is a light gold frost. One of my favorites that I absolutely love to use is Mac Cosmetics eye shadow in "Nylon" which is not only a dazzling light gold frost, it is one of my favorite eye shadows by Mac.

Cleopatra loved liner. It is an eminent verity that she would demand her slaves to make her liner, which was created by toxic substances and elements, back in that era. For the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, I am going to use three different types of liner. I am going to use one gel liner in black, one kajal liner in black, and one jumbo pencil in white.

Using a liner brush, you want to apply your gel liner. You want to line a semi-thick line across the top of your lid. This look is dramatic, so you want to line all of the way across to the eyebrow. Then you want to apply the gel liner on the bottom and draw it out. The ends should not connect, as there should be an open area in between the two lines that are lined. For today's look, I am going to use Mac Cosmetics Fluidline in "Blactrack" which is an astonishing, rich black.

The next liner we are going to use is the Kajal liner. You want to begin by lining the waterlines of the eyes. This includes not only the bottom, but the top, as well. I have decided to use Afshar Beauty's Kajal eyeliner in "Paradise Siyah", however; because this is with my own cosmetic line and my line is not finished yet, I definitely recommend Guerlain's Terracotta Khol Kajal Intense Indian Kohl in "01 Black Fakfir" which is a ravishing, resonant black. This lovely addition to Guerlain is exclusively available at Sephora and is limited edition.

As you continue, you want to take the jumbo pencil in your white shade and line it underneath the bottom of your eye. For today's look, I am going to use Sephora's Jumbo Eye Pencil in "White 500Y" which is a nice matte white shade. You do not want to blend it into the black. Then you want to apply the same shade on the outer part of your eye, where you drew the line with the gel liner. You do not want to blend, but simply shade in that area.

The lashes are fun to do because they are the least complex in this entire makeup inspired look. I am going to prime my lashes with a lash primer. One of my favorite lash primers is definitely Diorshow's Maximizer. It is clearly one of the greatest lash priming products in the beauty market today and that is what I am going to use before applying my mascara. For my mascara, I am going to apply a new one that I recently purchased by Giorgio Armani. It is the Eyes To Kill Mascara and I am going to use this one in "Steel Black" which is a very intense black shade.

False eyelashes are completely optional. I never use them, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't. Just keep in mind, if and when you use them, to apply mascara on top of them, so give your lashes a natural look.

The lips are easier to do than the eyes, so this should not be too tricky for you. Are you having fun yet? You want to line the lips with a nude liner. I am going to use Make Up For Ever's Aqua Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in "Nude Beige 1C". Please note (and I know that I stated this previously) you do not have to use the exact product, as there are numerous makeup dupes.

For the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look, the goal is to use tarnished gold on the lips. Although I have found several gold lipsticks that I like, when applied, it just doesn't complete the finished product. You know what I mean? So, for today, I am going to use a nude matte lipstick. You can use anything and for today's look, I am going to use "Naked" by Maybelline. I am going to apply a gold gloss on top and finish it off with the Old Gold Pigment by Mac Cosmetics that I used previously.

You have just completed the Cleopatra Inspired Makeup look. Did you have fun? I hope so, because I know that I did.