By Bailey Katler
I’ve always been super passionate about makeup. To me, it’s an art and a way of expression that you get to wear on your face! For this project, I wanted to put my makeup skills to the test and create several looks inspired by different fairy tales. This definitely presented some challenges as I don’t have much practice with this style of makeup, but I had a lot of fun doing it!
I was first inspired to take on this project after learning that Ursula of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” was actually inspired by a drag queen. I have always been impressed with drag makeup and fascinated by drag culture. After doing some research on the history and importance of drag, I decided to pay homage to Ursula and Divine, her inspiration, through a drag-inspired makeup look.
To create the purple base, I used my Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in the shade “Lavender” (which was sadly discontinued). I then set it and contoured with my Juvia’s Place Zulu palette (a high-quality, black-owned company I am obsessed with). I had never done a drag look, but I had so much fun creating this. It took 2-3 hours from beginning to end due to the precision (and having to make my entire face purple). This was by far my favorite look of this project, and easily one of my favorites of all time.
The next look I did was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl.” I don’t have a very steady hand, so creating this much detail on such a small area was extremely difficult for me. My goal was to depict the girl looking at the flame from her match in front of a snowy brick wall. Overall I’m fairly satisfied with how this one turned out given that it does not play to my strengths.
For this look, I created the brick background using my Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette (discontinued). I created the snow and the base for the girl using my NYX White Liquid Liner. Lastly, I filled in the details with shades from my Violet Voss Bright Vibes palette. I think the concept I was going for comes through alright, although there is certainly room for improvement.
The next look I created was inspired by Angela Carter’s “The Tiger’s Bride.” I was inspired by her description of the mask that the tiger wore and the way that he removes it and reveals himself. I wanted to create a split look that showed both sides of the tiger’s persona. Carter described the mask as looking too perfect to be human, so I tried to create a completely smooth and blank slate.
To create the orange base, I used the Lime Crime Venus Neon palette (discontinued) and did the stripes with my Pat McGrath Labs Double-Sided Eyeliner (discontinued, but another wonderful black-owned brand worth checking out). To create the peeling effect, I used Ben Nye Liquid Latex, which I have only used a handful of times. It is definitely a little tricky to work with due to the irregular peeling and the knowledge that if it gets on your eyebrows/eyelashes it will rip them off. Fortunately, I did not run into any issues with this look. I was very happy with the finished product and felt like it demonstrated the duality of the tiger.
This next look was an absolute failure, but I felt like I had to include it with the others. I wanted to create a nature scene inspired by “Hansel and Gretel” and the candy house, but the look was not as cohesive and detailed as I hoped. I think I definitely bit off more than I could chew with this concept, but I tried not to get too discouraged.
The base of this look was done with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in the color “Green.” I then added detail primarily using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette Vol. 1 (discontinued) and the Smashbox Cover Shot palette in “Bold.” Although I tried to create a solid base, the colors (especially the blue for the sky) went on very grey and patchy. I also didn’t have the best supplies to create something as detailed as I would have liked. I couldn’t wait to take this look off, especially since my face was covered in lipstick!
Following the catastrophe of the “Hansel and Gretel” look, I wanted to do something a little less detailed. For this look, I was inspired by the dress in Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella,” which is described as being made of the finest silver and gold, paired with beautiful jewels. Inspired by the shine of this dress, I created a glittery, glossy, glamorous look that reflects the colors and essence of Cinderella’s dress.
For this look, I did my regular face routine, but I added some extra highlighter from my Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in the shade “Sun Dipped.” For the gold eye, I used a pressed glitter from the Pinky Rose Cosmetics Hypnotize II palette and, for the silver eye, I used an Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics loose glitter (discontinued). To add extra shine, I tried something new and applied Milk Makeup Eye Vinyl (discontinued) over the glitter. I then placed rhinestones of the opposite color (I buy mine at Party City, I wouldn’t suggest that as they probably aren’t eye-safe) under my eyes. For a little extra glow I finished the look with my Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in the shade “Fenty Glow” (this is the most universally flattering lip gloss, also a luxurious black-owned brand with the most inclusive shade range on the market). I absolutely loved this look and I would probably wear it out for another occasion. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the eye gloss and I thought the effect was super cool.
More than anything, this project taught me patience. These looks took anywhere from 1-3 hours to complete and they forced me to put my makeup skills to the test. I loved being able to take concepts from the tales and bring them to life through cosmetics. This project allowed me to break out of my comfort zone and get creative during an otherwise stressful time, and I’m proud of the results.
