Fashion

Steal Lily Collins' Gorgeous Film Fest Beauty Look

by Alexa Tucker

Lilly Collins was absolutely divine in her violet ombr é Elie Saab dress at the premier of her movie Love, Rosie at the Rome Film Festival, but the gown wasn't the only thing that shined in the look: her beauty choices were on point, too. She opted for a wavy retro-esque bob, dark berry-hued lips and a mauve eyeshadow (all paired with her incredibly envy-inducing brows, of course) to complement the dress. And though it did work perfectly for her red carpet moment, of course, I'm thinking I need to recreate the look stat for drinks with the girls or even an upcoming holiday dinner. (Or, if someone wants to take me out on a date, that'll work, too.)

Here's how to imitate the look:

Step One: Make Your Skin ***Flawless

My number one rule in pretty much any makeup look is to focus on skin first. The steps to creating the perfect base are different for everyone, but for my combination skin, I start with primer, apply a CC cream, and then add a cream foundation focusing on the areas of my skin that tend to get red, like my nose and chin. I usually finish it off with a little translucent powder on my T-zone. Too much makeup? Feel free to stick with just the CC cream. Need to conceal a couple pesky zits? Add in concealer. To each her own.

Step Two: Add a Little Dimension

Lily's blush and contouring here are pretty subtle, but that's the — excuse the pun — beauty of this look. Recreate her minimal version by breaking out a bit of bronzer (check out this contouring technique) and dusting a light blush on the apples of your cheeks.

Step Three: Shadow Time

Before you touch a shadow brush, you should know that I am a big proponent of eyelid primer — it helps prevent creasing and gives the shadow you worked so hard to get just right some staying power. Sweep a light mauve shadow on your lids, just slightly concentrating the color near the outer corners and in the crease. The interesting thing about Lily's eyeshadow is that she also has a subtle shimmery lilac shadow above her lashes, almost acting as a second, thicker liner. Sweep a similar shade just above your lashline, adding a little to the inner corners of your eyes, then blend the two shades together where they meet.

Step Four: Make Your Eyes Pop

I'll be honest: false eyelashes will be the death of me. Really — I'm so bad at applying them. If you're falsies-impaired like me, consider adding lash fibers to your regular mascara to imitate the drama. Trace a thin strip of liquid liner along your lashline (before if you're using regular mascara, after if you're going the false eyelash route.)

Step Five: Perfect Your Brows

To get Lily's famous eyebrows (or to at least get a little closer to them), trace a brow pencil along the bottom of your eyebrows, then the top, connecting them at the tail. Then fill 'em in. Seriously, put down the tweezers: I know it's tempting, but I promise that staying away from them (aside from plucking a few way-astray strands) is for the best.

Step 6: Create a Berry Bold Lip

Ah, my favorite part of this beauty look: her lips. I adore a dark berry lip color for fall, and Lily nailed it here. Start by exfoliating with a washcloth, then add a lip primer if you so desire. Then apply a coat of your favorite berry shade (I'm dying to get my hands on a Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crayon in Aubergine), blot quite a bit of it off so it's more a stain, brush a little translucent powder over your lips, and apply another coat. This may be just me, but this technique has always given my lip color some serious staying power.

Step 7: Style Your Hair Into A Wavy Retro Bob

Full disclosure: hair tutorials are not my thing. Lucky for me, this girl's pretty good at 'em — I'll be trying her technique ASAP.

And, voilà. You've got a perfect Lily Collins-inspired look to give your next night out a little added glamour.

Images: Instagram/@yamila_quinn, @fashionissta1; Giphy