THIS IS HALLOWEEN: Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra

It’s the fourth look in our week of Halloween madness! This time I attempted, wisely or not, to emulate two of the most beautiful ladies the world has ever seen. Both at once. Because I’m super brave.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra is a great costume if you want to glam it up this year, and if anyone tries to suggest you’re not scary, sweetly offer to stab them through the stomach. Or star in a lot of major motion pictures while you’re still underage. Or something.

You may want to prepare by bathing in milk and/or crushing up beetles for eyeliner. If not, stick this song on, grab a kohl pencil and get cracking. Watch out for asps though. I’m done now, I swear I’m done.

YOU WILL NEED:

EYESHADOW PRIMER (I used Urban Decay but I’m also a fan of the Smashbox)

Your normal FOUNDATION and CONCEALER (I used L’Oreal Lumi Magique in Rose Pearl and Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair, respectively)

BRONZER (I used Bourjois Delice de Poudre in 51 Light/Medium)

HIGHLIGHTER (whatever kind you like, but powder is best - I used Nars in Albatross)

NUDE LIP COLOUR (I used Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in Drive Me Nude)

BLUE EYESHADOWS in light, medium and dark shades (I used shade 01 from the Bourjois Smoky Eyes trio in Bleu Jean for light, the blue shade from the Makeup Revolution Hot Smoked palette for medium and shade 03 from the same Bourjois trio for dark)

KOHL EYELINER (you want a pretty hardcore one because it’s working hard. I used Max Factor)

MASCARA (I used Max Factor Masterpiece Max)

FALSE LASHES (these are optional so you can go as mad as you like, but I think natural-looking ones are great – I used Eyelure 080s, but the new Tanya Burr range also has some that would be good).

SETTING SPRAY (I used Urban Decay’s All Nighter)

STEP ONE.

I wanted an extra flawless base (you’re a queen after all) so I used a Beauty Blender with my normal foundation, and then went in with my concealer and a brush where needed. The big part of the base is bronzer – Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra has serious cheekbones so I applied quite a lot in the classic ‘3’ shape down the face. She’s also very glowy, possibly because of the film but probably just because she’s Elizabeth Taylor, so I used powder highlighter (I think they give more of a glamorous, film-star finish) on the tops of my cheekbones and forehead.

STEP TWO.

Around this time, you may want to take a brief shower in eyeshadow primer. Failing that, you should just apply it liberally all over your eyelid, up to the eyebrows and out across the temple. Then, take your kohl pencil and line your waterline and tightline, extending the line out past your eye. I traced this line very lightly with the pencil and then went in with a liner brush to neaten it up – kohl can feel a little unwieldy but I think it gives the best finish for this look (also, historical accuracy ftw). The shape she wears a bit like a weird, wonky trapezium with a pointed edge, drawn back in to meet the start of it in the outer corner of the eye.

STEP THREE.

Fill in your eyebrows with the kohl (be brave). I mostly followed the shape of my own brows, adding in a thick, blocky start to the brow and a much more pointed arch than I am blessed with, but as you’re using black you can really go mental if you like. Then, at the outer edge of the brow, extend the line down to meet your weird shape from before (again, I did this very lightly and then fixed it with a brush). Fill your shape in – quick, light lines are easiest.

STEP FOUR.

Apply your pale eyeshadow to the inner corners of your eyes, extending just a little below the tear  duct and all the way up to the start of the eyebrow.

STEP FIVE.

Then, colouring in! Apply the mid-shade eyeshadow all over your lid and up to the edges of your eyebrows and liner. It might take a couple of goes round with a brush to get even coverage, but you will look awesome.

STEP SIX.

This step is kind of optional, but I like it to add extra definition to the eye in that lovely sea of blue colouring-in. Take the darkest shade and apply it from the outer corner to the centre of the crease. This isn’t super visible in the pictures, but it adds an extra depth to the overall look that I really like.

STEP SEVEN.

Now, line your upper and lower lashlines – you can go as thick as you like. Again, I use a brush to even the lines out and to make sure the colour extends all the way up to the lashline. I also extended the lines to little points on the inner corners of my eyes – it’s subtle, but it’s a nice continuation of the weird shape on the outer corners.

STEP EIGHT.

Mascara! I didn’t worry too much about volume for this look, as all the drama is brought by the eyeliner itself, so I went for length instead to get that flutter. We can’t be Elizabeth Taylor, very sadly, but we can damn well try.

STEP NINE.

In the spirit of trying, no one can think about Liz Taylor without also thinking about eyelashes, and so for me, false lashes are a must. If you’re not a false lash type of person, I’d suggest instead using several coats of mascara with fine layers of baby powder in between (best applied with a small eyeshadow brush so it doesn’t go all over the shop). I went for my favourite lashes, which are very natural-looking to get that blessed-with-double-lashes look, but you can go as subtle or as mad as you like.

STEP TEN.

Almost done! At the end I went back in with the liner brush just to tidy everything up, added a gentle nude lip and also doused myself in setting spray. In terms of costume, a simple black dress would work fine, although you can also think metallics if you fancy that. I’m wearing a River Island headdress thing that I got for a 1920s party a while ago (versatile!) but you can also just secure a gold necklace to your head with grips and get the same effect. If you’ve got any gladiator sandals lurking around from the summer, now would be a great time to crack them out too.

You’re Elizabeth Taylor now. You look hot. Drink some wine, hopefully not poisoned, and rule the party like a queen.