RGNN Students Recreated Makeup Looks From “Emily in Paris”
Courtney is a senior at Indiana University majoring in journalism…
We recently asked our contributors to recreate a look from the popular Netflix rom-com “Emily in Paris.” The show follows Emily Cooper (played by Lily Collins), a Chicago marketing executive through her journey of being hired as the “American perspective” at a marketing firm in Paris, France.
Take a look at our contributors’ recreations below and try to guess which scene their looks are from!
Karyce O’Connell
So we all know that Netflix is the place to go when you want to get hooked on an interesting series, and 2020 was no different as Netflix released a host of great series to watch. However, one in particular stood out to me and that was “Emily in Paris”. A series that has a strong, fashionable female lead who finds herself surrounded by a new culture trying to understand a language she barely speaks to start a new job. It’s an interesting comedy drama series that leaves you hooked as our heroine deals with real life problems that are completely believable.
The one thing that stood out to me other than the plot line was the fashion shown in the series. No matter the episode, our lead actress Lily Collins managed to look effortlessly flawless. One look in particular caught my attention, and I just had to try to recreate it. It was not just the outfit that caught my attention so thoroughly, but the effortless look of her makeup. It was just the right amount of natural beauty with just a streak of boldness that was so subtle, it was almost unnoticeable until Emily tilted her head in just the right direction. Her makeup was a gorgeous light smokey eye with just a dash of bold red at the corners to enhance the look. It looked so gorgeous and elegant.
Now I am no makeup artist, but I was happy with the results of my efforts. Through the use of Sacha Cosmetics, I was able to recreate the look with a little more color as I couldn’t help myself the red was just calling my name. It was a stunning look to try on myself, and it took at most 40 minutes to do (I wanted to make it as perfect as I could). In the end, I was more than happy with the results. Now all I need is a trip to Paris and the entire fantasy will be complete!
Megan Taylor
It has come as a great privilege to add my contribution of recreating a look from the fresh and TRÈS CHIC Netflix television rollout series: “Emily in Paris.” For those of you who are not aware, “Emily in Paris,” is a series following a Midwestern, American girl, Emily Cooper, from Chicago who gets hired for a job overseas at a French Marketing Firm. The show just recently made its release earlier this month and chronicles her life as she adjusts to her foreign way of living, and the impact it has on her daily interactions and activities.
There is one scene in particular where Emily (played by Lily Collins) decides to attend the Parisian opera. During this scene she also breaks up with Thomas, her philosophy professor date for the evening. The character dons a black Christian Siriano gown, Agnelle gloves, a rhinestone vintage purse, Cosmoparis heels, and head jewels,which in the most obvious way possible is a definite twist of itself on Audrey Hepburn’s character at the Palais Garnier in the 1957 film, “Funny Face.” (P.S: Sssshhh it’s okay, no need to be embarrassed if you have never heard of the movie, go watch it. Here’s the link. Yes, Emily struts about with all of this refinery, and yet that face…that not so funny, timeless, slicked back look from the hair to makeup how do we recreate it? Well, for everyday wear, I’ve got a plan. Follow the formula and we will bring class back to your pass at beauty in no time! No animals harmed. No planet harmed. And, no people harmed in the process. Let’s get started.
Now I know I probably seem like a spokesperson for Pacifica at this point, but honestly let’s be real. RGNN caters to college students and twenty-somethings with tight budgets. The brand does a superb job at matching its price point with ethics, local production, and quality of product. Anyway, the combo I’m going to need you to follow is as follows:
- LATHER and PREP! Go grab yourself that creamy cherry whipped primer, and smother your face in it.
- CONCEAL and POWDER! Cover up those nasties lurking on your face (a.k.a “maskne,” hormonal acne, pimples, etc). Gloss over the stubborn nasties by powdering them in their place with this duo of matte foundation and liquid concealer.
- BLUSH IT UP! Give that face a pop of color, (especially if you are on the paler side like mwah xoxo)!
Next page in the storybook please! LOL
Well, well, well, I told you all I was onto something. If it isn’t our sweet, petite, lovely Lily; and with *gasp* a storybook eyeshadow palette that matches the colors at the scene of the crime. (Poor Thomas, I’m joking). Now that your face is swept up with a clean slate to work with, let’s add a swoop of the story onto our eyes.
The character Emily has a pale rose and taupe, mixed with our darker strand of lighter mocha and sand blending and overlaying the top of the eyelid base and extending out to its darkest shade on the corner of her outer lids. I love how flexible this palette is, and the practicality of it in adhering this natural, and posh look for repeated occasions.
Onto the television worthy triad…
Now T-H-I-S is what I call playing with your face. (We are skipping away from Pacifica for a moment). Cover FX, brings silkscreen to your silky smooth face my darling. I apply this highlighter in Celestial to bring out my “oh so prominent world-envied bone structure” (not!), and since I do not own that naturally (with a more youthful, plumped face), I carved one out for myself. I swapped a shimmered streak over the indent between my chin and upper cheekbones, over the bridge of my nose, under my eyes, and a dab near the center of my chin for a “photo-grafted” look.
I then add a dollop of that Pacifica waterproof mascara on both eyelashes, top and bottom (in case of waterworks at the opera of course).
And lastly, totack it all into place, my FUNNY FACE, with Cover FX’s high-performance setting spray. If you take anything from this post, please hear me out. Of all products on this shopping list, THIS ONE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. My makeup virtually never smudges with this genie in a bottle, I’m telling you. Now GO GET I-T.
I have a confession to make.
Yes, it was I who took this photo. Here I am, having painted my lips red in keeping with the look by Mademoiselle Emily Cooper. Except, probably in contrast to her lipstick I am using one of the healthiest, and softest brands so much it was named after an angel, Gabriel, and also Emily’s Angel-Boyfriend Gabriel. Coincidence!? Ha!
I used both the lipstick and the lipliner in “Pomegranate,” and “Red Cherry.” Yum. Note: No beetles were crushed in the making of this red.
Last but not least…
Um….have you forgotten your hair? If you scroll up to that striking image of Audrey-Wanna-Be, you will see her hair is perfectly slicked back in place. So what was my solution? Audrey Hepburn used Givenchy, I used Giovanni. Their anti-frizz serum works perfectly for trapping all your dead and split end fiascos by grabbing only about the size of a quarter, and working it through the hair in a backwards motion (one-way) then solidifying it with their maximum hold hair spritz. You are “Gucci, Givenchy, and Giovanni!” and that’s where I wrap up my french-braided bun with some bobby pins.
What do you think? Did I pull it off? Try it out for yourself, this look needs a comeback anyway ladies. Until later, Au Revoir!
Rebecca Milne
By now we’ve all seen the hit TV show “Emily in Paris” and are familiar with this iconic look, so here is how I tried to recreate it.
Starting with my usual base, I used Tropic’s Skin Shade Tinted Facial Sun Cream in the shade light/medium. Then, I applied their Illuma light-diffusing concealer in the shade latte on my blemishes and under my eyes before turning to my translucent eyelid primer by Morphe.
For my eyes, I used the Revolution X Soph Extra Spice eyeshadow palette. I started with the shade Cookie Dough, applying it across my eyelid and crease from the inner corner up to the end of my eyebrow. Next, I used the shade Chocolate Orange again in the crease of my eye following the same shape up towards my eyebrow, as well as applying it to my lower lash line to create a cat-eye look. While this shade is lighter than that worn in this infamous scene, the colours better match my hair and eye colour in a similar way to the shades match Lily Collins’ hair and eye colour. I used the shade Everyday across my eyelid to add some shimmer and glam to the look before turning to a smaller brush to apply the shade Brownie across my upper lash line to help create a smokey eye. To finish off my eyes, I used my usual mascara: Rebel Eyes Skinny B by Gosh.
Blush is also really important for this look, so I applied a significant amount of my Bare Minerals Rose Matte blush to my cheeks and end of my nose. I also used my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector pressed highlighter in the shade Opal on my cheekbones, tip of my nose and just under my eyebrow. To help create that thick eyebrow look that Lily Collins’ is so well known for I brushed the eyebrows up to make them bushier and more prominent.
To complete this look, I needed a bold red lipstick, of which I turned to my Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in the shade Venezia. And there you have it, a recreation of this gorgeous “Emily in Paris” makeup look.
Deanne Olivia
In this look, inspired by “Emily in Paris”, I wanted to be sure I grasped the concept of the image and represent this style in the most glamorous way possible. I incorporated different elements from the look to make sure the overall theme was met. The details include a liquorice black dress by DJ Dash Jaz. This garment was intentionally made to be worn with the sleeves on the shoulder, but I felt as though the off-the-shoulder look would give more of a recreation vibe and suit the aesthetic well. As you can see, the top half of the dress which I initially said was made to be over the shoulders, includes gold beading which I felt gave a touch of my own style to the look.
There is a black throw coat in my hand by the brand Taylor that goes along with the bright cherry red accessory purse which is designed by Bebe. This piece really helped bring out the Megalast Liquid Catsuit Red Matte lip from Wet n Wild. My earrings are large hoops that can be found at your local beauty supply store. The jewelry piece on my head is a necklace, but what better way to style this piece than to wear it as beautiful head jewelry to compliment the beading in the dress. The “Emily in Paris” look was exciting to create and I hope you had as much fun guessing the scene as I did creating it.
What show should our contributors create looks from next? Let us know over at @rooster_gnn on Instagram!
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