Cinnamon Tiger: How To: Get Bella's Twilight Beauty

3.29.2010

How To: Get Bella's Twilight Beauty

Confession: I'm no Twihard.

Even though I actually understand what that term means now, I've never read the books (but I will, once I have the time) and I haven't exactly picked a "side" (but if I did it would be Team Jacob).
...wait, this looks misleading...I'm not admitting to anything!
What I really love about Twilight is Bella Swan. I'm obsessed with her hair; and her choice of sexy-yet-earthy make-up colours are something I share.

How to pull off the Bella look? It's pretty simple. (Unless you ask me how to get her luminous porcelian skin, that is.) Here are some of the best tips and backstage secrets to 'vamp up' your routine!

Part 1
*Make-up*

"Bella’s description in the novel is very pale and extremely beautiful with large chocolate brown eyes, so she wore colored lenses every day," says Jeanne Van Phue, the movie's head makeup artist. "I also pictured her as a natural beauty, which is exactly what Kristen is. I used a light hand while applying all neutral colors to make her look as though she had no makeup on."

Skincare: It rains a lot in Forks, but that doesn't mean that sun protection is any less important. To protect Bella's skin from all that sun exposure during filiming, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 was used on set. Sound pricey? No worries. Just look for a lightweight moisturizing cream with antioxidants and an SPF of at least 30. Olay, Clarins, and Neutrogena all have excellent SPF creams for a fraction of the price.

Foundation: While her look is natural, I wouldn't say it looked as if 'she had no makeup on'. On the set SKII Air Touch foundation in OP-3 was sprayed on for a natural finish. (bonus! It's waterproof!) At home, try a tinted moisturizer or sheer-medium coverage foundation to even out tone and conceal any redness, yet let your natural skin show through. Make sure that your foundation matches your skin exactly, no make-up lines with this look!

Concealer: Flawless Face Foundation/Concealer was "a must have in Van Phue's make-up kit." The product was made for burn victim,so it works well on sensitive/dry skins. "Once the skin is cleaned, apply to blemishes, discoloration or any imperfections. It must be powdered for it to set; this makes it water resistant." Van Phue uses Flawless Face Finishing Powder to set the concealer.

To keep it simple, use a concealor the exact same shade as your skin. If you have dark circles stick with a richly-pigmented pink-based formula (NW shades) to counteract any blue/purple undertones. Only spot coverage is necessarily. Be sure to blend and set! Others to try- MAC Studio Tech, , NYX concealer in a jar, Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Liner.

Powder: Van Phue kept shine at bay by using MAC Blot Powder/Pressed in Light on Bella as well as on Edward.

While nothing is as good as the original, if you can't get this one, look for a shine-control/oil-control pressed powder, like Urban Decay's new De-Slick mattifying powder. or the Almay shine/oil-control pressed powders.

Basically, not a lot of base with this look, just something to even out the color and keep shine at bay. One last thing, skip the bronzer. Bella's natural look only calls for a little bit of blush to contour and bring color to the face.

Blush: Bella wears Visiora compact powder in PC 103.

This is a pale pink peachy color, sometimes described as orange-y. Van Phue loved this blush because, despite being pale, if you apply it heavier “It will make the cheeks pop more, but not make you look clownish.” She blended it slightly up into the temples and a little into the hairline.

Basically, apply a sheer wash of blush (be sure to get rid of excess on your brush) to contour your face and keep yourskin from looking washed out. Apply blush with a square-shaped blush brush or fan brush in the hollows of your cheeks (suck your cheeks in to find) and blend back towards your jawbone, ending a little into the hairline.Other ones to try-Benefit Dandelion, E.L.F. Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Sheer Highlighting Blush in Healthy 26.

Eyes: Bella has a very minimal, yet smokey look to her eyes. There isn't really a lot of products at work here, both liner and third eyeshadow color are optional. The specific makeup used in the movie is shown below, but any earth-tone (greens, coppers, golds, beiges, etc) will work. The best thing about this routine is that it's low-fuss and still feminine, like Bella.

Shadow: After preparing eyelids with Smashbox Lip and Lid Primer, Van Phue swept on three neutral shades of MAC eye shadow:

MAC in: Blanc Type (creamy beige), Girlie (Flute was used on set, but was a limited release color(rosey-pink)) and Wedge (muted beige).

Don't worry if you don't have these MAC colors in stock; you can just grab all three in Almay's Intense i-Color Shadow Trio For Hazels. Individually, L'oreal HIP duo in Shady is the dupe of Wedge.

Basically, to get Bella's eye makeup use two neutral/earth toned eye shadows. Apply nude or vanilla right to the middle of the mobile lid and under the brows. Work taupe or light brown into the crease and the outer eyes in a soft V shape and blend colors together. I threw this chart together on Paint to try and explain it better.

Eyeliner: Although I prefer the pencil-smudged inner-eye lined look, both options are pretty and flattering on just about any skin tone thanks to the neutral palette. Black might be a little intense, so brown, copper, plum, or charcoal shades may work better for this look. Pencils to try: Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero, Bourbon, Gunmetal, Lucky, Stash, Rockstar, or Underground; Revlon Colorstay in Charcoal, Black-Brown, Brown, or Blackberry.

Mascara: Lashes need to be black for this look. On set Bella wore Smashbox Limitless Lash Mascara in black (waterproof). For the cheapie version, try Maybelline XXL Extend (waterproof) or L'oreal Double Extend Lash Fortifier & Extender.

For a breakdown on the Prom palette; there's a fanastic tutorial here.

Lips: Nothing too dark or vibrant here, just a pretty pink lip to balance the eyes. Look for a brownish plum lipstick with a creamy finish; Benefit Silky-Finish lipstick in Good-to-Go was used on the set, Smashbox Lid and Lip Primer was first applied.

If your looking for a dupe, the exact drug-store match is Revlon Super Lustrous Cream Lipstick in Cocoa Bronze. If you'd rather use something more sheer, try Neutrogena Moisture Shine LipSheers in Mocha Chill (which appears darker and a bit more plum than Good to Go but, don't worry, it matches on your lips).

Part 2

*Hair*

Color: Bella's hair color is Chestnut Brown. (try natural instincts hazelnut + spiced cider for top “highlights”). Semi-permanant haircolors work better when dying hair brown, because it adds more dimension and shine and safeguards against "flat" or unnatural colours.

If you're going more than 2 shades darker (or from blonde to brown) go to a salon and get a "dye-back" done. This is basically a process where they add red/orange tint back into your hair before adding brown dye.

I'm not certain, but I think Bella's haircolor may be two-toned (lighter on top than on bottom) as shown in the pictures on the right and below.

Cut: The cut calls for long, soft layers; no "choppy" layering. Be sure to ask for softly angled, face framing layers starting at the chin in front. Bella's shiny hair is in great condition. Deep condition at least once a week (try Garnier Fructis Sleek 'n Smooth Deep Conditioner) at least once a week and use a leave in conditioning cream or spray daily.

Bring this in to your stylist; this is a great pic. of how to cut the layers!

Style: Bella isn't really much for fancy up-dos, her hair is almost always down. While it's usually curled; she also wears it straight. For accessories she wears either beanie/knit-hats or thin headbands to pull her hair away from her eyes.

How to achieve Bella's soft, bouncy, curls:

Use a curling iron with a 1"-1 1/2" inch barrel*.
Separate one section of hair at a time (Don't bother clamping hair into sections) to be curled into about a 2-3"(medium sized) section and wrap it around the iron, starting at the top so that ends hang loose (don’t use the clamp).
Hold the section around the wrapped area for about a minute and and then let go. It should be a nice loose curl.
Continue doing this around the rest of your head (you don’t have to do all of it– it looks more natural to leave a few strands straight), set your hair with a tiny bit of hairspray, and run your fingers through to make it look slightly more soft/natural.

*Alternatively, large hot rollers could be used, but I haven't tested this myself.

Brunette not your thing? Don't worry, because although Bella herself may not be blond, Kristen looks beautiful either way. The key is to keep it natural looking with subtle highlights for dimension in either case.

Part 3

*Style*

Image created by me @polyvore.com

Bella has that girl-next-door, American/Western look to her style. Her style is tomboyish; but still feminine. She isn't dressing for fashion, she's dressing for comfort. The trick is to keep the layers sheer and well-fitting so it looks pulled-together.

Shirts and Jeans: Layering is key to Bella's style. While her wardrobe isn't very colorful, it's also

not baggy or disheveled. One thing to make sure is that your tops are always well-fitted; save the bulk for the jacket/coat. Bella often sticks to neutrals and cool colors such as blues, greens and whites, but mix whatever colors you like and look best on you. She wears a lot of henleys, thermal shirts, bootleg cut jeans, and also also occasionally the typical Washington button-down plaid shirt. For information on movie specific outfits please check out esmesisland.com

Jewelry: Accesories are silver-toned, and feature usually one gem or stone a piece. Her jewelry shows the influence of Arizona, where she grew up. Some of her jewelry, like the pretty moonstone ring, her engagement ring, and this turqouise bracelet can be purchased online.

Outerwear: It's cold in Forks, so jackets and coats are a must. Bella chooses mainly zip-up or parka style coats which end up being the most colorful part of her wardrobe. Most of her jackets end at the hip; creating a long, lean leg-line. You can find plenty of 'Bella jackets' online; including the now famous blue jacket; available for purchase here.

Shoes: Bella is a sneakers girl. For Bella, high heels are reserved for 'have to' occasions, and even with a dress she's usually rockin' her trusty pair of converses. The shoes worn in the movie were: black Jack Purcell converse (for the prom), black Simple Shoes Retires (during most forest scenes), black Nike's (when she goes to the movies with Jacob and Mike in New Moon). In New Moon she a lso wears Keds in both brown and navy blue.

Here's some more images of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)