Lena Dunham’s Twiggy Makeup

My last on blog on Sixties makeup really hit the pulse of the Next New Thing. Not only are Twiggy references popping up here and there, but I am now on my fourth shoot with that very theme. Looks like the fashion in Spring 2013 is rich in vivid colors, geometric shapes, fun materials and crazy plastic accessories. What makeup would work best to complement these clothes? A graphic, black Sixties inspired eye! I’m thrilled that my blog has come in so handy in the studio powwow sessions lately.

So here is my advice to you all:

a) You really MUST master the art of eyeliner. It’s so fun! There’s a tapered line to be drawn by the upper lash line, perhaps under as well. Then comes the tricky part: the crease line and the little painted lashes on the bottom lid.

Look at this picture of the brilliant writer and actress Lena Dunham shot by Ruven Afanador that we did less than a month ago. It’s all there. {Lena’s Twiggy look got a great write-up at gloss.com by Amanda Chatal…)

Lena Dunham in Twiggy-inspired makeup!

b) This makeup is hard to do with “precision” liners (they look like a pen with a small,thin brush at the end) or the type that looks like a thin felt pen. They work well for an everyday, smokey eye style makeup. But there’s not enough control over the brush, and they also tend to get too wet for this sort of operation. All this precision demands the tools of a calligraphist. I have found that Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Gel eyeliner applied with a fine brush like Nars liquid Eyeliner brush #9 are my best friends at the moment.

And lastly, here is my own little story about Twiggy. In 1968, she came to Stockholm, Sweden where I grew up to introduce her own clothing line to the press. I read about it in the paper, and since I was a precocious fashion addict already at the tender age of eleven, I announced to my best friend that we were getting Twiggy’s autograph. We skipped school and went to the hotel where she was staying, dropped off a thoroughly sentimental love letter that also begged for an autographed picture. My BFF didn’t believe for a second that we were actually going to get one. But guess what? Two weeks later, there it was. This miraculous event probably gave me the idea that in fashion, anything is possible. And I still believe it!

What a thrill for a young fashion victim!

I had the great pleasure of working with Twiggy about ten years ago for on an editorial magazine shoot.
I told her the story and we had a good laugh. She’s a wonderful lady who is the epitome of someone who’s aging gracefully. She reminded me that she actually only modeled for a grand total of four years — talk about a maximum impact in minimum time!

Isn’t it wonderful that we’re doing the Twiggy in 2012-13?

Tags: Lena Dunham, sixties makeup, the sixties, Twiggy