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Can’t read my poker face: How to Create a Lady Gaga Makeup
Look
By: Anna Muzio
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garage Glamorous
Bursting on the scene in 2009, Lady Gaga has infiltrated
popular culture with each zany makeup and fashion risk
she takes. From her extreme use of glitter and opaque
gothic eyeliner, Lady Gaga has morphed into an artist’s
muse, inspiring replication and imitation.
Recreating a Lady Gaga makeup trend adds pizzazz to any
bland outfit. As a college student, utilizing the Lady Gaga
look during Halloween serves as a classy way to exude
confidence and sexiness without wearing a trite nurse or
racecar driver costume. Completing this is inexpensive
and requires several basic parts, analogous to applying
normal, daily makeup. You can transform yourself in three
simple steps: priming the area, accentuating the eyes, and
polishing the look. Generating the look takes only fifteen
minutes and picking colors for eye shadow is easy with the
Custom Color Palette feature found in the Design Help
section on page 10.
Caution: Love the look of luscious lashes? Always apply
mascara after curling eyelashes. Mascara before curling
can rip out your eyelashes!
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Glamour Arsenal
-
Concealer
Foundation
Loose Powder and brush
Blush
Highlighting Pencil
Eyeliner Pencil
Liquid Eyeliner
Mascara
Eyelash Curler
Eye shadow
Glitter Gel
Lip Gloss
Makeup Sponge
Eyelash Curler
Makeup Brushes**
1: Tools Tools of the Trade: eyebrow comb,
loose powder brush, highlighter brush,
powder brush, shadow brush, concealer
brush, liner brush, eye lash curler,
sponge
2: Too
Fresh Faced: loose powder, blush,
foundation, highlighting pencil,
concealer
3: Too
Glitz and Glam: mascara, liquid eyeliner,
glitter gel, eye shadow palette, eyeliner
** Not necessary, but extremely helpful! I suggest a set of eye shadow brushes, concealer brush, blush
brush, and eyebrow brush to help blend the look together.
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Walk Walk Fashioning the Look, Baby
1. Prime the Area
 Start with a clean, dry face.
 Apply a thin layer of concealer to the under eyes, or
any blemishes.
 Add four pea sized dollops of foundation to the
forehead, cheeks, and chin.
 Gently blend makeup utilizing the makeup sponge.
Mix the colors thoroughly to prevent the dreaded jaw
line of visible makeup.
HINT: Don’t have a concealer brush? Blend under eye
concealer using your middle finger. It applies the least
amount of pressure to the delicate area.
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Applying concealer with a brush
 Apply loose powder over the whole face using a
circular motion, analogous to the “wax on wax off” method. Pay attention to blend.
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 Swirl blush onto the cheeks. To accentuate
the apples of the cheeks, smile and apply in a
circular motion.
 Use the highlighting pencil to add light on the
brow bone, inner corner of the eye, and under
eye area. Simply draw a line on the desired
area and blend with fingers.
Smille and buff on blush
Adding highlighter to accentuate the eyes
HINT: Remember, keep blending
makeup so no visible borders mark the
jaw line.
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Finished face
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2. Accentuate the Eyes
 Begin by adding the highlighting
shade, or palest shade, of eye
shadow over the entire lid. Use
the highlighter brush or pointer
finger to apply.
 Next, add the middle tone of eye
shadow just under the brow
bone. Apply color from the
outside of the lid, moving
inward. This deposits the more
intense strokes on the outer
corners of the eye, giving the
illusion of a wide eyed look.
Use the shadow brush.
Not satisfied with your color? Always
start with lighter tones and build up!
Creating shadows comes from careful
layering.
 Add the darkest tone to
only the outer corners of
the eye using the liner
brush. Blend all three
tones together to create
the smoky effect.
 Line the top and bottom of
the eyes with pencil
eyeliner; stay close to the
lash line to prevent a harsh
effect. Connect the bottom
line to the top line in the
outer and corner of the
eye.
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 Trace the pencil liner with
liquid eyeliner; make sure
the liner dries before
proceeding. This takes
roughly twenty seconds.
HINT: When applying
liners, opening your mouth
prevents blinking and
smudging.
Did all of that eye defining deposit color
residue on your under eyes? Gently
sweep a tissue over the residue to
remove it.
3. Polishing the Look
 Take the highlighting pencil and trace the
desired shape. Shaky hands? Rulers give
a crisp edge. Remember, this can be wild
or traditional; experiment and have fun.
See Design Help for some advanced
ideas.
HINT: If you despise your design, simply
take a pea sized drop of foundation on
either a finger or sponge and blend the
highlighter back into the base of the
makeup. Let the new layer dry, and try
again.
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 With the glitter gel, begin to fill in the
shape. Take your time to completely cover
the designated area. To make a bolder,
opaque shape, apply 2 coats. Allow for
roughly one minute for the design to dry.
HINT: If you desire more glitter and punch,
dust loose glitter over the design before it
dries. This will give your design even more
of a disco ball Lady Gaga effect.
For even more drama, add more colors
of glitter gel to the design. See Design
Help on page 10 for inspiration.
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 Take the eyelash curler and place the prongs
between your pointer finger and thumb.
 Open your eyes and look forward
 Place the curler along your lash line and gently
squeeze with your fingers
 Remove the tension and release the curler from
your lashes
HINT: Never pump the eyelash curler. The
repetitive squeezing and releasing motion makes a
poor curl. One swift squeeze suffices.
 Apply three coats of mascara to the
upper and lower lashline. If you crave
more drama, add a fourth coat.
HINT: If clumping ensues, use the
eyebrow brush to comb out the excess
mascara.
 Slick on pale pink lip gloss
Congratulations, you completed the
Lady Gaga look! Go out, look fierce,
and remember, you were born this way,
baby!
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Design Help
Here are some design tips and templates to encourage more originality!
Look for Less: Intimidated by the high price of MAC and Urban Decay makeup? Wal-Mart carries a line of
Hard Candy cosmetics, analogous to a more affordable Urban Decay. Each product costs under ten
dollars and you can find a massive array of glitter, shimmer, and sheen to add to your look! NYC, Wet and
Wild, ELF, and Covergirl also give glamour without the designer price tag.
Custom Color Palette
Brown Eyes
Pinks, golds,
blacks
Blue Eyes
Blacks, browns,
greys
Green Eyes
Plums, purples,
blacks
Hazel Eyes
Blues, greys,
blacks
Get Wild
 Make a blue smoky eye and accentuate the design with orange and yellow glitter.
 Keep the black smoky eye and use variegated colors on the design: start with pink and
blend to red and gold.
 Utilize any of the below shapes for a twist on the Lady Gaga classic look.
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