Rosie’s ‘90s Makeup Look is Date Night Perfection

Images courtesy of Nikki DeRoest

The key to any great date night — besides, of course, a good companion — is a scene-stealing makeup look. Unlike an everyday makeup routine, date nights allow us to get more adventurous with those bold eyeshadows and kiss-proof lip formulas. And when it comes to finding inspiration, there’s perhaps no one who has perfected date-night makeup like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Whenever we’re looking for a fresh lip color or new eye makeup idea, we pull up her Instagram and scroll through the feed. There’s one look, though, that we keep coming back to: the metallic smoky eye, retro pink lip, and radiant glow that Rosie wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar party. So we caught up with bareMinerals Global Makeup Artist Nikki DeRoest, the master behind Rosie’s after-party glam, to see just how she did it. Read on to get inspired for your next night out, from priming skin with two primers to swiping on an on-trend ‘90s-inspired lip.

Step 1: Prepping The Skin

First, Nikki moisturized with her go-to bareMinerals SKINLONGEVITY Vital Power Infusion Serum. “It is the perfect moisture burst and drink of water for the skin pre-makeup,” she says. “I like to take the time to massage it in.”  To further prep the skin (and to prevent eyeshadow creasing), she tapped bareMinerals AGELESS GENIUS Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream both on the eyelids and below the eyes.

Step 2: Creating A Flawless Base

To ensure Rosie’s face lasted all night (an important factor for any night-out look), Nikki used multiple primers. Targeting separate areas of the face, she first went in with Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer on the high points of the face and under the eyes. She followed it with Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer through the T-zone. For lasting, good-for-skin coverage, she chose bareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation SPF 20 in Sandalwood, starting at the center of Rosie’s face and using a foundation brush to softly blend out. To add even more coverage, she applied NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.

Step 3: Warming Up The Face

For added dimension, Nikki used bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE Hydrating Foundation Stick SPF 25 in Cedar (a few shades darker than Rosie’s natural skin tone) to sculpt out the cheekbones, jawline and edges of her forehead. For a lit-from-within glow, she doubled up on both liquid and powder highlighter, first with bareMinerals BAREPRO GLOW Highlighter in Free and then with Laura Mercier Face Illuminator in Indiscretion. Finally, for a natural-looking peach blush, she chose a cream formula: Clé de Peau Cream Blush in Shade 4.

Step 4: Applying The Finishing Touches

To play up Rosie’s eyes, Nikki opted for sultry eyeshadow with two Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colours: Tuxedo, a matte black smudged at the lash line and outer corner, and Khaki, a chocolate pearlescent brown, blended from the lid to the crease. For a pop of iridescence in the inner corner, she dabbed on Roen Beauty Eye Shadow in Bask, a soft rose gold.  To frame the eyes, she used NARS Brow Perfector to mimic hair-like strokes on the brows.

For the perfect glamorous cat eye, Nikki went in with bareMinerals ONE FINE LINE Micro Defining Eyeliner in Exact Onyx, first tight lining the upper lash line and then flicking it out into a wing. To create lust-worthy lashes, she applied a few coats of bareMinerals LASHTOPIA Mega Volume Mineral-Based Mascara and Ardell Knot-Free Individual Lashes. 

Finally, the look wouldn’t be complete without a moody pink lip. Nikki first used bareMinerals GEN NUDE Under Over Lip Liner in Freestyle. “This was the major winner to give that full ‘90s inspired pout we were after,” she notes. To finish, she topped the liner with bareMinerals BAREPRO Longwear Lipstick in Cinnamon right at the center of Rosie’s famous lips.

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