I spend almost every day surrounded by cosmetics. The back of my left hand (which I tend to use as a makeup palette) wears more lipstick / cream eyeshadow / foundation / highlighter / etc in a single studio session than a whole troupe of drag queens doing a Cher tribute. And all this exposure has me wondering about exactly what we are putting on our skin – the largest organ of the human body. So as part of my ongoing experimentation with organic and natural alternatives, I collaborated with the stunning Adrianne Ho to create the above look. Adrianne is known for her passion for fitness and a healthy lifestyle, as documented on her site Sweat the Style.

Note:  I just heard through the grapevine (i.e. by stalking her Insta) that Adrianne is currently filming a TV series called Sweat the City!

This look was inspired by Beauty Is Boring’s talented, gorgeous and totally brilliant resident artist, Regina Yazdi. Regina has a thing for the French New Wave (check out her Instagram for a taste of her personal style) and in particular, an affection for Anna Karina. Anna Karina’s signature look of pale, matte blue eyeshadow paired with a black cat eye and peachy nude lips is a classic. It’s sexy without being vulgar, innocent but a bit naughty and most of all, incredibly flattering.

I didn’t want to just copy Anna’s iconic style so the above look is a more modern version. I changed out the cat eye for a simple lashline, intensified the blue shadow up to the crease and created dewy skin by layering Tom Ford Intensive Infusion Concentrate with the Tom Ford Traceless Stick Foundation. Rather than draw in the bottom lashes, as was the trend at that time, I used a set of interesting “crossed lash” minis from Japan. I found them at a tiny Japanese market and haven’t seen them available for purchase online yet. I will update if I find a source for them.