A makeup look that's classic yet unexpected, summery yet adaptable for fall and easily toned down for day yet easily vamped up for night. Sound impossible? It's actually easier than you think.
To bring your beauty dreams to life, we tapped makeup guru Karen Gonzalez to help us reconstruct Kat Graham's seductive Comic-Con look using only drugstore beauty brands. Oh, yeah, and we set ourselves a budget of 30 bucks too (you can thank us later).
Keep in mind that there are three main components to this contemporary, sultry look: the cat-eye, the red lip and the champagne highlighter. Alone these three techniques feel pretty classic and tried and true, but with Karen on set, we learned her back-pocket tricks for a modern-day spin on the textbook femme fatale face.
To start, make sure that skin is prepped with foundation, concealer and powder for a clean base—that's key.
First order of business is the eyes. Karen utilized Maybelline's The Nudes Eye Shadow Palette to dust the entire lid with the champagne color. "Champagne is a universal color, so it's an excellent choice for just about anyone," said Karen.
Once the lid is swiped with champagne shimmer, powder the crease with the chocolate bronze swatch to complement the lid color and define the crease line. Pro tip: You can use a fluffier brush for a softer look or a flat brush to get the color a little more vibrant.
For double-duty usage and for a fresh update, you can also employ that same champagne color for a strobing effect on the high points of your face (that's the top of the cheek bones, the tip of the nose and bow of your lip).
Next up, get the perfect cat-eye with the e.l.f. Essential Expert Liquid Liner, an absolute favorite bargain product of Karen's (she praised the ultra-fine brush tip for its precise application). Plump lashes with a heavy hand of mascara, and (as an optional step) kick it up a notch with Salon Perfect Lashes (for flirty, come-hither winks).
Lips are the final puzzle piece. "The pop of glossy red updates the otherwise classic color, keeping it playful and flirty for summer," said Karen. To achieve it, she lined the lips with Italia Hot Red Lip Liner. You can apply liner to the whole lip for a fuller, deeper look, but Karen recommended just lining the lips to prevent bleeding, since Jesse's Girl Liquid Glass in Mellow Drama is so pigmented on its own.
Pro tip: You can effortlessly transition this look from day to night "without having to redo your whole face come nightfall by nixing the cat-eye during office hours and simply adding it on later for an intensified effect in the evening," said Karen.
To get the full tutorial, click above!