Beauty Breakdown: Keira Knightley’s September ELLE Covers
Keira Knightley’s four covers for the ELLE September issue. (Photo: ELLE)
For the September issue of ELLE magazine, actress and new mother Keira Knightley stuns on four different (but equally glam) covers for the hefty fall fashion issue. If you’re looking for some fall beauty inspiration, this is it. Makeup artist and Beauty.com director at large Romy Soleimani worked on the shoot in the South of France alongside ELLE stylist Samira Nasr, photographer Paola Kudacki, and hairstylist Kevin Ryan.
“You see so many covers now with no makeup and we are bored,” says Soleimani. “Women love makeup. It feels great to see it again.” It was Knightley’s new mom glow that was the heart of the inspiration behind each of the diverse cover looks. “In all of the looks, I wanted her to look strong,” Soleimani tells Yahoo Beauty. “Motherhood has totally agreed with her. She exudes health and happiness.” We got the full breakdown for each of the looks straight from the source. Read on to see how you can master them at home.
Knightley with a tough cat eye and Prada dress for September ELLE. (Photo: ELLE)
The Tough Cat Eye
For this look, Soleimani emphasized the lower lash line to add edginess to a typically feminine look. “I like the contrast between the soft chartreuse and the white flower pin,” she says. “It’s lady like but with a hard black line.” To try this yourself, start by lining your water line with a black kohl liner (try Prescriptives Softlining Pencil in Ink, $20), making sure to also dot along the lower lash line and sweep out with a brush. Next, grab a liquid liner (Kevyn Aucoin’s Precision Liquid Liner ($34) is one of Soleimani’s favorites) and go over the line. The makeup artist suggests skipping mascara and keeping the skin soft and fresh so that the liner can speak for itself.
Color Play
“I didn’t want it to look too overtly glam or obvious,” says Soleimani of the modern disco look she created here. “I wanted it to have life and to be fun and spontaneous.” If you’re ready to go bright, the key is to keep shades in the same family. “It’s very easy to play with color on the face if you do it in a subtle way,” she says. Reach for By Terry’s Colour Design Eye Palette ($96) if your ready to start experimenting. The quality of the shadows and the textures make it easy for you to play around with the look at home.
The Glossy Lid
1980s supermodel Yasmin Le Bon was the inspiration for this sexy, sporty, and fresh look that is all about a glossy lid. The key to getting this wet look at home is being mindful of the amount of product you are applying. “You have to use a brush for the application,” says Soleimani. “You want the brush to take off the excess. You want it to blend into the lid and the skin.” She recommends applying an eye balm to get the glossy look plus the added benefits of an eye cream. Look for something transparent, like Dr. Hauschka Eye Balm ($55), and avoid anything that is too white.
Sun-Kissed Glow
For the newsstand cover, Soleimani focused on giving Knightley that sun-kissed glow by applying Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint ($40) all over the face using a Beauty Blender, and highlighting cheekbones and the inner corners of the eyes using RMS Beauty Eye Polish in Lunar ($28). “For that perfect nude lip, I love Kevyn Aucoin Lip Pencil in Medium,” says Soleimani. “It’s a great universal color that is flattering on every skin tone. It’s really one of those sexy nude liners.” With cheekbones like Knightley’s, it’s pretty easy to give them definition. Soleimani used a small fluffy blush to blend a creamy bronzer up from the apple of the cheek. “If you feel like you have too much product, take a clean brush and buff it until you get the right balance,” she says. “The key is blending.”
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