I Tried a Pink Barbiecore Eyeshadow Look That's Perfect for Summer

Thanks to the new Barbie movie coming out July 21, everything is Barbie-coded right now. The movie stars Margot Robbie as the titular, iconic doll and while all-pink-everything might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Barbie fever has gotten the best of us. And that’s okay, because who doesn’t love something that reminds them of their childhood? Barbies, dolls, playing with your sisters in your room, fighting over who gets to be the newest Barbie doll in your bin.

Kind of like how people are going above and beyond with their makeup looks and outfits for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, people are definitely thinking about how to stunt at their local Barbie showing. And once we learned about Too Faced’s newest Pop-Tart-inspired palette, we knew we had to try creating a pink look that Barbie would be proud of.

Let the nostalgia overtake you with this Barbie-inspired makeup look using the pink Too Faced x Pop-Tart palette.

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Related: OK, Wait a Minute—How Old Is Barbie, Exactly?

Too Faced is now selling Pop-Tarts-inspired palettes

First off, let’s address the elephant in the room: Yes, Too Faced is now selling Pop-Tarts palettes. They have two “flavors,” the Brown Sugar Cinnamon and the Frosted Strawberry palette. Both hold eight eyeshadow colors, with the Brown Sugar Cinnamon having a brown and gold color palette and the Frosted Strawberry having a pink and berry color palette.

Too Faced x Pop-Tarts Brown Sugar Cinnamon Eyeshadow Palette, $27 at Too Faced, Ulta Beauty, Target

Both palettes dropped in July 2023, just in time for the Frosted Strawberry to be the best palette to create our Barbie look for the new movie’s premiere.

Too Faced x Pop-Tart Frosted Strawberry Eyeshadow Palette, $27 at Too Faced, Ulta Beauty, Target

A simple, Barbie-inspired eyeshadow look is the way to go

In most of the Barbie promo shots and trailers we’ve gotten, Robbie’s character is in a perfectly done-up face and hairdo, but there isn’t much color involved in her eye look. Just like regular Barbie dolls, Robbie’s Barbie has a fresh, blemish-free face, but unless it’s a special edition or occasion, regular Barbies don’t have bold eyeshadow.

So, instead of trying to “recreate” a look from the movie or from an iconic doll, I chose to just go with a classic pink gradient eyeshadow look.

To create this, start at the outside of your eyelids with the darkest color in your look to create depth. In this case, that’s the color Berry Juicy from the Frosted Strawberry palette. Then, to create that gradient, I am going to go in with the next darkest pink, which is Sugar Coated. Lastly, I got to play with the glitter colors in the Too Faced x Pop-Tarts palette: Frosted Strawberry (the light pink glitter color) and Strawberry Lava (a purple-pink glitter color).

With the glitter colors, use the light glitter in your inner corners to give them an excellent highlight (and finish out our pink gradient). The Strawberry Lava is just a lovely topper that can go on top of Berry Juicy since it’s a similar color (but blends nicely on top).

Eyeshadow tips Barbie would approve of

It’s usually advised to use an eyelid primer when using a vibrant or colorful eyeshadow. I didn’t have primer for this video and look, but concealer works just as well. The primer is used to create a tacky, even-colored canvas to put your eyeshadow on. So as long as you have something like primer (i.e. concealer) that’ll give a bit of texture for your eyeshadow to stick to and that is a bit lighter than your eyelid so the vibrant colors pop, you’re good to go.

Using different sizes of eyeshadow brushes helps with keeping your gradient clean and also making sure you can get into the smaller areas of your eyelid—like your inner corners and on your bottom lid—easier.

Speaking of your bottom lid, I like to put the darkest color in my eyeshadow look on my lower lash line (underneath my eyelashes, so that I don’t get powder in my eye). This creates a nice, dynamic eye look, replacing a liner in your lash line. If you want a more doll-like look with your eyes, use the white eyeliner method, where you put white eyeliner on that lower lash line to extend the whites of your eyes, making them look bigger and more round.

Wear your Barbiecore look to a 'Barbie' movie screening or event

It should go without saying, but you can use any palette or any selection of pink eyeshadows you’d like! Once you’re done with your pink gradient eyeshadow look, you can use your go-to liner (for me it’s a liquid eyeliner) to create whatever look you want. You can go with a dramatic cat eye or a simple winged eyeliner that would look great on a Barbie.

If you’re going for a simpler look, use your favorite mascara. And if you want a more dramatic eye, reach for those false eyelashes. This Barbie-inspired look can truly be as complex or as simple as you’d like.

Once you’re finished, top it off with your favorite setting spray and you’re good to go! This is easy enough that you can wear it to your local Barbie screening or you can make it bolder for a Barbie pop-up (since those are happening everywhere right now). Whatever you choose, this pink look will surely make you feel confident enough to take on any job or problem Barbie has ever had (except maybe an astronaut).

Next up, check out the time I tried out Taylor Swift's alleged Eras Tour eyeliner (and chose to stick with my go-to drug store brand instead).