This Is Lana Del Rey's Signature Lip Combo

Her go-to makeup artist breaks down the singer's most iconic beauty look.

As a longtime fan I'm certainly biased, but it's safe to say that Lana Del Rey is one of the most singular, influential artists of our generation. She paved the way for the moody, introspective pop that has defined the last decade, and her lyrics are unparalleled. But perhaps what her fans love most is her world-building, created from her unique combination of cinematic visuals, symbols of Americana, and a commitment to retro glamour.

Key to the character of Lana Del Rey is her signature beauty look, which, for as long as we've known her, includes voluminous, teased hair and dramatic eyeliner. While she's had a few distinct makeup eras—like bold lips during Born to Die and smudgy liner for Ultraviolence—the most classic Lana look is a crisp winged liner and cool-toned, overlined lips. It's a compelling mix of Old Hollywood glamour and '90s edge that's perfectly Lana, and, in tandem with her music, has recently experienced a surge of popularity on TikTok.

I've often wondered exactly what lip liner Lana wears, and I'm not alone. Whenever her makeup artist, Etienne Ortega, posts a photo of the singer, his comments are flooded with countless requests for the exact lip combo. So, I went straight to the source and asked him to break down Lana Del Rey's signature look from top to bottom.

The Look

"Lana has such a timeless look. She's just a classic beauty," says Ortega, who adds that he was a fan before the duo started working together. "We started collaborating on looks, but I feel like it's important for me to keep everyone's personal style true to themselves. But, the mix between her style and the way I do makeup has been a really fun combination. I feel like I've made her look a little more glam and a little more refined."

That being said, Ortega mentions that he likes to stick to the classic Lana looks we all know and love. "I think if you do too much, it won't feel like Lana. [With her] we think the lip and the liner." Most importantly, he likes to let her natural beauty shine. "She's beautiful inside and out, she just has such a beautiful soul about her."

The Skin

Despite the glamorous vibes of Lana's entire look, Ortega keeps things pretty low-key when it comes to complexion. "Lana has amazing skin, so we actually keep the skin very light," he says. "I like to use a very sheer foundation. I've been loving Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation ($56). It's a very sheer coverage. I don't do a lot of contouring because she has such a beautiful bone structure [and a] stunning nose."

After foundation, he applies Make Up For Ever's HD Concealer ($29) and sets with Laura Mercier's Translucent Powder ($47). "Everything's kind of like a light veil—light foundation, light concealer, light powder." Then, he adds a little dimension with bronzer or contour. "Anastasia Beverly Hills has this beautiful grayish contour shade that I can't live without. I just put a little bit around [the cheekbones,] the temples, and on the forehead. And then lately something new for us has been blush, I love using a little pop of color." He likes to use a pinky peach shade like Patrick Ta's blush duo in She's Blushing.

The Eyes

While Lana often goes makeup-free on her off-duty days, she's almost always wearing a classic winged liner when she's on stage or at an event. "Some days we do a really fine line, and some days we do a Priscilla Presley kind of vibe," says Ortega. But no matter what look the pair is going for, he always relies on the Givenchy Liner Disturbia pen ($29). "They have the best eyeliner pen." If he uses a pencil, he likes Make Up For Ever's Artist Color Pencils ($24) in a brown or black shade.

Just like he switches up the thickness of the liner, Ortega will also change the placement of her wing depending on the situation. "If she's performing, I always look at the camera angles and the lighting," he says. He adds that if she's singing, she's often looking down, so he thinks about how the shape will look with her eyes closed. "I know that if it's like a red carpet or somewhere where it's much less of a controlled setting, I definitely like to [make the wing] go straight up."

His best tip to getting Lana-worthy liner? Don't try to do it all in one swoop, especially if you have hooded eyes. Instead, he suggests looking straight ahead in the mirror and drawing from the center of your eye to the outer edge where the crease forms. Stop, check that line in the mirror, and then get to work on your wing. Finish by combining the two sections.

The Lips

After hundreds of Instagram comments asking Ortega about what lip combo he uses on the singer, the secret is finally out: It's his own line, Ortega, which just dropped in March. Though he mixes up the shades, it's usually some variation of cool-toned nudes and browns. Ortega often starts with his Soft Contour Lip Liner ($16) in Cinnamon Girl, a deep brown with ash tones that he named for Lana. Or, he'll use LA Chic, a mauve-y brown with cool undertones. If he's doing something bold, he'll take Xola to deepen the edges as a contour shade "to give it that 3D look."

For lipstick, he uses Agave Glowsticks ($22). His go-to shade for Lana is Nubes, "an almost concealer-y" cool nude that is very '90s and just a slick of his Blu Nectar lip oil ($21) for moisture.

Read the original article on Byrdie.