Makeup Look of the Day: The Biba

The Biba was Britain's answer to the Sixties It Girl.  She was undeniably fashionable, bold, yet still somehow mysterious.  With the use of very rich makeup, all features are highlighted in a daring but ethereal way. As a modern British It Girl herself, Kate Moss was wisely chosen as the Biba muse.

To achieve this look, I used black eye pencil for upper and lower rims, black eyeshadow around the entire eye, in a slightly downturned angle, and a thin coat of black mascara on (uncurled) top and bottom lashes.  Light pink blush was swept over the cheeks and a dark-toned lip pencil was used to outline and fill in the lips. It's essential to this look for the lips to be outlined in a "Cupid's bow" shape (see Kate Moss).  You want to slightly overdraw both lips and round the corners of the upper lip.  The last step is to apply a dark plum lip color. 

The Biba was named for this women's boutique in London

  PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

It's not easy to pull off black eyeshadow.  And it might be even more difficult to apply.  A helpful tip is to first use translucent face powder on your lids and below the eyes if you are going to apply it to the under eye area.  Not only does powder help to eliminate shine, but it also works great to set powder eyeshadows so they won't get greasy or streaky.  Today I used Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent.  I especially like this powder because it contains natural minerals which are good (and gentle) for your skin.