It’s possible to make vibrant, saturated Pride makeup look easy, but executing it is an obstacle in itself. Somehow, every June (or all-year-round, if you’re a glam girl like me), queers and allies seem to know how to paint perfectly blended rainbows on their eyes and walk out the door. Meanwhile, I’m in my bedroom watching my sixth YouTube tutorial by a guru who condensed years of practice into a quick 10 minutes and I’m forced to face the truth: There’s just no way that blue eyeshadow and my makeup brush could make the trans flag appear on my face.
So I opted for other techniques that, even if they felt wrong, were worth a shot, from using my fingers to switching brushes to wiping off my look and starting again, and letting my mind wander. One peek at my makeup wipe showed the stains of the previous three attempts that helped me complete one eye to my satisfaction. But practice makes perfect, right?
Below are five Pride-inspired makeup looks that take 20 minutes or less. Trust me.
Rainbow Graphic Eyeliner
Step 1: Start with a basic cat-eye: Apply your favorite eyeshadow base all over the lid. Then, apply a neutral-toned brown into the crease and a black winged liner that ends where your crease begins.
Step 2: Dip an angled brush into the red shade from Avani’s palette.
Step 3: Spray brush with setting spray.
Step: 4: Follow your natural crease.
Step 5: Repeat for all colors of the rainbow and layer your colors for intensity.
Galaxy-Inspired Trans Flag
Step 1: Place the blue shade “Anfony” from MORPHE X AVANI eyeshadow palette, onto the inner half of your eyelid.
Step 2: Follow with a bright pink shade, “Lilpapivoni,” on the outer half of your eyelid.
Step 3: Blend the edges and later the shadows for intensity
Step 4: After the blue and pink shade become vividly saturated, apply freehand dots around your eyes using NYX white liquid liner.
Step 5: At focal points of your choosing, draw two intersecting lines for a star-like effect.
Intersex Flag
Step 1: Start by applying the yellow shade “Beep Boop” from MORPHE X AVANI on your eyelid.
Step 2: Work your way toward the crease of your eye. When blending the crease, mix in a white eyeshadow shade, “Inaudible Noise.” This step helps avoid orange or dull hues that can disrupt the brightness of the yellow shade–yes, yellow eyeshadow can be intimidating, but trust the process.
Step 3: Use angled brush and create winger liner using “Gretals” shade from the palette.
Step 4: Smudge and smoke out the liner using a pencil brush.
Queer Family: MattXIV Recreation
If you do not have an FX cream palette, no worries, you can use liquid lipsticks for this look.
Step 1: Start by drawing a triangle, using the NYX white liquid liner, on your temple.
Step 2: Outline the triangle with thin lines of Colorpop’s “Ducky” liquid liner, NYX Creme Lipstick “Little Denim Dress,” a brown liquid eyeliner, then a black eyeliner.
Step 3: Next draw horizontal lines by mapping out lines using a white pencil eyeliner for a fool-proof application.
Step 4: Then use red lipstick (or eyeliner) and work your way down to pink.
Step 5: For eyebrow art, draw a precise line underneath the eyebrow using the pink, purple, and blue from the MORPHE X AVANI palette.
Step 6: Then, feather the colors into your eyebrow for a blended appearance.
Makeup Is My Armor
For this look, use the Morphe x Madison Beer palette or your go-to neutral-toned eyeshadows for this look.
Step 1: Place a mid-toned, warm brown eyeshadow shade in your crease.
Step 2: Use eyeshadow shades “Devil in a Dress” and “Life Support” on your outer corner and start to blend.
Step 3: Then, slowly build a black eyeshadow in your outer corner.
Step 4: Place cranberry shimmers shadows “Cosmos” and “Bambi” onto your lid.
Step 5: Tie it all together with the black liquid eyeliner.
Step 6: Use a blue tone red lipstick to complete the look.
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