Guiltless Goodies: Leona Lewis glitters in InStyle

Hi all!

InStyle magazine’s December issue featured one of my favourite singers – British vocal powerhouse Leona Lewis – in the season’s sparkliest make-up. As if you couldn’t tell from my recent posts, glitter and sparkle is super in this season, and it certainly makes it easy to feel festive.

See below for the three different colour-themed looks that Leona sported and my ‘kind’ versions of the products the magazine recommended to create each look (I sourced totally different products that still would create the same make-up effect because, to be frank, at least three out of the four products listed for each look were tested on animals).

You don't have to be cruel to be kind,

GiGi

Ultra-Violet Femme

How to do it: Makeup artist Mariel Barrera blended silver shadow over Lewis’ lids and creases and purple on her brow bones and near the tear ducts. “The purple balances out the intensity of the silver and creates a subtle highlight,” Berrera explains. Next, she applied black eyeliner inside the lower rims of eyes before swiping lashes with three coats of mascara. She finished with bronze blush and frosty pink lipstick.

1. Black eyeliner – mark Eyemarker Color On Line in Jet, $5.50, meetmark.com

2. Eyeshadow – Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Wild Orchids, $6.50, drugstores

3. Black mascara – Too Faced Lashlight Mascara, $25, toofaced.com

4. Frosty pink lipstick – Make Up For Ever Glossy Full Pastel Mauve #9, $19, makeupforever.com

5. Bronze blush – Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin 2-in-1 Bronzer & Blush, $14, drugstores

Golden Girl

How to do it: To give skin a high-watt glow, Barrera swirled a dime-size amount of liquid highlighter onto Lewis’s temples, cheeks and jawline. “Always avoid the T-zone when using shimmer,” says Barrera. “It will keep you from looking too shiny.” Next, Barrera brushed a light-reflecting powder over Lewis’ entire face “to set the highlighter and even out her skin tone.” Then she used a gold face highlighter as an eye shadow, blending it over Lewis’ lids, with extra emphasis under brow bones and at the inner corners of eyes. To complete the look, Barrera used her fingers to apply a dab of shimmery bronze gloss on lips.

1. Highlighter – Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose highlighter, $36, chantecaille.com (InStyle’s original pick)

2. Light-reflecting powder – BeneFit box o’ powder in dallas, $28, benefitcosmetics.com

3. Gold highlighter – e.l.f. Brightening Eye Color in Butternut, $1.50, drugstores

4. Bronze lip gloss – Almay Ideal lipgloss in Coffee Shimmer, $6, drugstores

Berry Pretty

How to do it: Because lips were the focus, Barrera used neutral shadows to subtly accent Lewis’ eyes. She blended gold over lids, champagne under brow bones, and bronze under lower lash lines. “I didn’t want the lips to beg for attention, so I chose a semi-sheer brick colour instead of a true red,” says Barrera, who used a small stiff brush to apply. To make lips a bit more festive, she added a touch of silver-flecked gloss to the middle of Lewis’ lips. “When you keep the gloss in the middle, it makes lips look fuller,” says Barrera. She finished the look with a light dusting of apricot blush.

1. Neutral eye colours – Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaEyes Eyeshadow Trios in Egyptian Sands, $3, drugstores

2. Berry lipstick – N.Y.C. ultra last lipwear in Red Flame, $1.99, newyorkcolor.com

3. Blush - Rockstar Cosmetics Camera Ready Blush in Fantasia, $14 from myrockstarcosmetics.com

4. Silver-flecked gloss – Smashbox Lip Enhancing gloss in Radiant, $18, sephora.com (InStyle’s original pick)