The world of pin-up is full of diverse beauty; in these posts, we will be creating a classic fifties look on two very different faces. Flo will post her routine next week, so I will be sharing my make-up routine first. Hopefully, this will give you some idea of products you can use to help you achieve the pin-up look.

Cacao Papow
Skin Type: Very oily, medium tan, prone to scarring and hyper-pigmentation.

Before I go through my step-by-step, I must state that I’m definitely not a make-up expert! This is what works for me  and I know it’s not perfect. I don’t wear make-up on a day to day basis – I really only wear it when I’m not at work.

Face
Step 1: On a clean face, I start with Bare Minerals primer. I just use a small amount on my fingers and spread it lightly all over my face. This really helps my make-up stay on – even with my oily skin.

Step 2: If, I need to, I’ll use a small amount of Bare Minerals concealer for my scars. Using a soft brush, I use the Bare Minerals matte foundation powder. Usually I start at the T-zone, then spread out and blend the powder from there. I can use a lot of powder or a little, depending on the coverage I’m after. Powder is definitely my preference over liquid foundations; I feel it works well with oilier skin types.

Step 3: Using a very light touch, I apply blusher to my cheeks – this one is a HD Brows powder. Overly bright blushers tend to stand out too much on my skin, so I usually stick to a dusty rose colour.

Eyes
Step 4: Before I put any make-up on my eyes, I warm up my eyelash curlers with a hair-dryer and curls my lashes (make sure the curlers aren’t too hot before you put them near your face!). When I do this, I feel the curl is more dramatic and lasts a lot longer. After that, I tight-line my lash line using any black kohl eyeliner I have to hand.

Step 5: I do my winged eyeliner using Collection 2000 felt tip liner. For me, this liner is the easiest for drawing fine lines with control. More often than not, one eye is perfect first time and the other needs a bit more time and attention. Patience is key! Finally I apply a couple of coats of mascara (usually a tester from the bottom of my make-up box).

Lips
Step 6: Sometimes your natural lip colour can be quite dark; this can change  the lip colour you want to wear. One way to get the best colour from your lipstick is to prime and line your lips first. I use a primer from Bite then I line with a colour similar to the lipstick I want to use.

Step 7: To begin with, I carefully line around the lip the fill in the rest. Using a highly pigmented product will also help keep your lip colour vibrant. For the classic pin-up look, I use MAC’s Lady Danger. Normally, I apply a layer, blot with tissue and then apply a final layer.

Helpful Tips
. Even if you use mattifying products, your skin will still shine – blotting papers are a godsend
. It doesn’t matter what price range of foundation you use, take time to find the right colour for you and make sure you BLEND!