She’s confident, cheeky, playful, and violent! The pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has once again demonstrated her formidable pop prowess, capturing the top two spots on the Billboard Global 200 with her candy-sweet singles Espresso and Please, Please, Please. With her signature wordplay and theatrical music videos, Carpenter continues to build her alluring world of innocent, almost confectionary-like demeanour, camouflaging a cut-throat ferocity and twisted humour.
Beyond her hits, Carpenter has been making waves for her doll-like style, often featuring fitted dresses with flowy hemlines, retro corset ensembles, and pleated miniskirts. Of course, her look wouldn’t be complete without her fluffy curtain bangs and retro feminine soft glam, characterised by her full blushed cheeks, glowy base, and bright eyes. Celebrity makeup artist Nikki Wolff has captured the empowered femininity at the heart of Espresso, dubbing the popular look The Barbie Effect. Here is how to recreate the look:
Glowy, Natural Base
A good base starts with hydrated, and sun-protected skin. Since this look is very fresh and youthful, go for products that leave a dewy, glowy finish.
Given the layered nature of this look, applying a primer is crucial to prevent your base from slipping or appearing patchy, ensuring your meticulous efforts don’t go to waste.
Opt for a full-coverage foundation with a natural finish to create a flawless base, allowing the layers of blush and bronzer that follow to blend seamlessly for an airbrushed, perfected glam:
Barbie Inspired Blush
To capture the quintessential Barbie-esque flush, the standout step is applying blush more heavily, concentrating the vivid colour on the apples of the cheeks and sweeping it upwards along the cheekbones. This layered application of deeper-toned cream or liquid blush beneath a lighter shade of pink powder blush is what give the look its signature fuller, doll-like cheek effect.
For the cream or liquid blush, opt for a warm, fuschia-toned hue with subtle purple undertones. This vibrant, depth-enhancing shade is vital to achieving that glamorous doll look.
Then, set the cream blush base by applying a bright baby pink powder blush on top, blending upwards towards the undereye area. This two-toned blush application gives the cheeks more depth and dimension, making them appear more sculpted. Find a shade for your skin tone that achieves a soft, pastel shade of pink with hints of lavender. The slightly cool lilac undertone will lend a delicate, airy quality to the overall flush, creating a seamless, natural-looking transition from the warmer cream base underneath.
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Shadows
To balance the heavy, vibrant blush, strategic bronzer placement is crucial. Blend a few layers of a medium-deep bronzer shade with warm, reddish-golden undertones along the cheekbones, temples, and natural shadows of the nose. This creates an earthy, sunkissed glow that complements the Barbie-pink flush.
For the classic Sabrina-inspired fuller pout, use contour as a lip liner. Lightly apply the contour shade along the lower lip line and accentuate the natural shadows on the cupid’s bow. This subtle shading draws attention to the lips, making them appear plumper and more defined.
Highlight
The hallmark of this Barbie Effect look is a radiant, sunkissed glow. Dab a champagne shimmer highlight on the high points of the face – the apples of the cheeks, inner corners of the eyes, and down the centre of the nose. Choose a soft, butter-yellow highlighter with warm undertones and a pearlescent shimmer finish to achieve an ethereal, glowing complexion.
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Eyeshadow
The eye makeup in this look is subtle but key, utilising a rounded colour placement to create an innocent, doll-like eye. The eyeshadow colour palette is kept simple and warm-toned to flatter all eye shapes. The first essential step is to apply a warm contour shade along the nose bridge and blending it upwards towards the brow. This shading adds definition to the eyelid, enhancing the rounded and youthful appearance.
Next, sweep a light, shimmery cream shade across the inner half of the lid and into the inner corners. This brings a soft, feminine highlight to the eyes. On the outer half of the lid and under the lash line, blend in a warm peach shimmer to add a touch of allure. Finally, set the entire lid with a glistening champagne gold shade. This last layer of shimmer imbues the overall eye look with an ethereal, doll-like luminosity.
Eyeliner
Tightline with a black or brown eyeliner pencil to make the eyes stand out, and to balance the weight of the rest of the makeup look. Then, use a matte black liquid liner to match the rest of the diffused soft glam. Focusing on the outer half of the eye, draw a softer wing that emphasises a rounder, doll-like eye.
Lashes
The finishing touch to achieve the wide-eyed, doe-like effect is a bold black lash. Using a dramatic, volumising black mascara focus on building volume and length in the centre of the lashes, leaving the inner and outer corners slightly shorter. Top it off with a classic rounded lash style – similarly elongated in the centre and shorter on the ends. This style frames the eyes and enhances the youthful, innocent aura of the overall look.
Lips
The look wouldn’t be complete without a full pouty lip. To achieve this, use a deep, muted reddish-brown shade with burgundy undertones to overline the lip and emphasise a soft cupid’s bow. Then fill in the lip with a shade slightly lighter and more muted than the liner – dab it on to keep the soft application. Finally, grab a gloss or glossy lipstick and dab it on the centre of the lip and on the cupid’s bow to make the lips appear fuller.
Editor
Zi Ying OngCredit
Lead Image: @nikki_makeup via Instagram
