We Tried Beyoncé's Vogue Magazine Makeup — and It Was So Damn Easy
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Beyoncé's September Vogue magazine cover is iconic for multiple reasons: 1) it is the first cover in the publication's 125-year history shot by a black person (it's about damn time!), and 2) in a world where Queen Bey was once told "black people don't sell," she proudly flaunted her natural hair and very minimal makeup. If that isn't powerful, I don't know what is.
So for my weekly POPSUGAR Instagram series Desktop Beauty, naturally I picked Beyoncé's buzzy magazine cover to guide my look and tried the exact Marc Jacobs Beauty products her makeup artist Sir John used to create her glow. (I also weaved in a few of my recent favorites to take a fair shot at her look.) See how the Bey-approved products cracked up ahead, and don't forget to tune in weekly for more Desktop Beauty looks.
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Beyoncé For September 2018 Vogue
I took inspiration from this glowing, natural look from Beyoncé's September spread. Sadly, my look didn't come with an elaborate floral headpiece, but let's just pretend it's there.
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What I Used
To create a dewy glow on Beyoncé, Sir John used Marc Jacobs Beauty Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer ($44), Marc Jacobs Beauty Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Fantasy ($44), and Marc Jacobs Beauty Finish-Line Perfecting Coconut Setting Powder ($44).
I used the products used on Bey, along with a few new products I've wanted to try to replicate her look.
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Primer
Before applying any makeup to Beyoncé's face, Sir John prepped her skin with Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer. "Always apply foundation on wet, moisturized skin — it's the best way to lock in your glow," he said in a press release. Following Sir John's advice, I prepped my canvas with the liquid primer. It felt more like a moisturizer and dried down to a supple finish.
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Glow
To give Beyoncé a "lit from within" glow, Sir John applied Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Fantasy to the high points of her face. I followed these steps, applying the highlighter to my cheekbones, forehead, and nose bridge. The liquid has a rose gold shimmer that looks like skin when blended in.
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Foundation
Once my base was prepped, I applied foundation to even out the rest of my skin.
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Contour
To accentuate Queen Bey's cheekbones, Sir John blended the aforementioned highlighter drops with a darker foundation shade and applied to her skin. I mixed the drops with Maybelline Super Stay Foundation Stick ($10) to sculpt my face.
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Highlighter
Because there's no such thing as too much highlighter, I applied more along my cheekbones once I finished contouring.
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Eyes
To create some depth around my eyes, I used Coco Loco (matte brown) from Essence Cosmetics Spice Up Your Life palette ($10).
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Lips
When it came time to paint my lips, I couldn't find a color close enough to Bey's brownish-mauve, so I used J Lo x Inglot liquid lipstick in Passion, which came close enough for me.
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Final Look
Here's my final look! This is very similar to the makeup I usually wear to work minus blush and some eyeliner. I loved that Beyoncé was still able to slay a prestigious magazine cover in minimal makeup that anyone could interpret at work and beyond.