BEAUTY IS BORING’S ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, REGINA YAZDI AND I CHAT ABOUT HER BEAUTY INFLUENCES, WHEN SHE FIRST DISCOVERED ANNA KARINA AND EXACTLY WHAT PRODUCTS SHE USES TO CREATE BRIGITTE BARDOT’S ICONIC SMOKY EYE. By Robin Black
Regina and I met on social media, she was my second Instagram “date” (the first was brilliant art director @queenruba). We stalked each other’s images for several months before discovering that we lived about a mile apart. We decided to meet for coffee and although I wouldn’t refer to myself as a romantic person, it was creative love at first sight. Since then, Regina has been a fixture in the Beauty Is Boring Studio where she not only illustrates many of our looks but also acts as my sounding board, occasional hands on stylist/art director (see our recent Marie Antionette looks) and all around beauty partner. Read on for Regina’s thoughts on her beauty influences and her product recommendations for creating their iconic looks.
BEAUTY ICON: BRIGITTE BARDOT
Illustration by Regina Yazdi
Robin: What do you find inspiring about Brigitte Bardot’s signature beauty look?
Regina: The casual sultriness of it all – she’s the ultimate French bombshell but there’s something quite effortless and accessible about her look.
Robin: Is there a particular film or photoshoot of Bardot’s that made you fall in love with her look?
Regina: My favorite photographs of Bardot were shot by Guislain Dessert after her career ended – especially the series with her wearing sheer tights in 1975. For me they’re her most iconic images and capture the ‘femme fatale’ allure she exuded throughout her film career.
Robin: What modern products do you use to capture her look?
Regina: Bardot’s signature look is all about tousled hair and heavily kohled eyes. For eyes, I love to use Charlotte Tilbury’s Bedroom Black Rock N’ Kohl eyeliner to rim the lashline and waterline, I’ll also rub the liner on my finger and smear a dark creamy base onto the lids as a primer. I have 3 matte eyeshadow singles from Kevyn Aucoin that I mix to create the look – 110 Black, 105 Taupey Grey and 108 Faded Heather. I’ll diffuse the 3 shadows from dark to light with black at the base of the lids. For parties I love using these pigments wet for more depth and lasting power – it’s my watercolor smoky eye. To finish the eyes I use a slick of Sisley Paris So Intense Mascara in Deep Black. This brush is ideal for me, I can get the cleanest root to dip application and build up the volume to my liking. It gives you pinpoint flexibility and control!
For cheeks I use Boudoir Rouge from Besame Cosmetics in 703 Sun Kissed. It’s a neutral blusher suited for contour with a shimmer-less satin finish which gives your cheeks that retro 60’s look.
My favorite thing is to wear nude liner all over my lips as lipstick, it lasts forever and you can give your lips its most beautiful shape. And it’s ideal for Bardot’s look because her lips were quite matte and a bit overdrawn in those days. My current obsessions are Sienna by Smashbox and Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury. I always have these two handy in my purse.
To get the tousled hair I use L’Oreal’s Elnette hairspray and a Denman hairbrush to blow out the ends. My natural hair texture is like copper wire and can hold shape pretty well. It’s very coarse, dry and frizzy and it’ll basically do whatever heat styling wants it to do. The only downside is that it takes ages because I have too much of it!
BEAUTY ICON: ANNA KARINA
Illustration by Regina Yazdi
Robin: When did you first discover Anna Karina?
Regina: After watching Jean-Luc Godard’s Une femme est une femme.
Robin: Is there a particular film of Anna Karina’s that made you fall in love with her look?
Regina: Probably the 60’s Godard films she did – so many of her iconic looks came out of that era and have been copied and reinterpreted in fashion for generations. The sailor blouse, the red jumpers and tights, the ribbons in the hair, the boater hats, the coquettish lingerie and of course the signature blue eye makeup!
Robin: What inspires you about her beauty look?
Regina: I always find elements of opposition interesting in fashion – and her look is a bit of a paradox: sophisticated yet playful and fresh. I find her so beautiful and there’s a real timelessness to her style – I think Chanel gave her the blessing to be a fashion icon when she renamed her “Anna Karina” .
Robin: I have often seen you wear that iconic shade of blue eyeshadow. What products do you use to create her look?
Regina: To get her signature blue shadow I love Ellis Faas Cream Eyes E118 – which is the most beautiful robin’s egg blue. To set the cream I follow up with MAKE matte eyeshadow in Celeste on top. I love that these blues have a muted cast to them they really capture how her blue shadow looked on screen.
For the cat liner L’Oreal Paris Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black always does the job. It’s my favorite gel liner, the formula is forgiving and easy to manipulate and doesn’t budge once it sets. I apply it with a long handle liner brush to get the perfect wing. To finish the eyes I use Charlotte Tilbury’s Legendary Lashes Mascara in Black and Velour’s The Extra ‘Oomph’ demi lashes to play up the graphic shape of the kitten eye.
For lips Kevyn Aucoin’s Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in Peche is the perfect 60’s color and pairs beautifully with the pale blue shadow. I always think of Anna Karina’s makeup as the 60’s evolution of Dovima’s makeup.
