After the Fetes Galantes ball at Versailles was cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic, I wanted to put my red robe à la française to good use for DragonCon in Atlanta. And my friends Jessi and Paige from Cosplay and Cocktails inspired me to make my own Rococo costume(s) with a geeky twist, so I decided Georgian/Rococo/18th century Thor and Loki would happen! I’d lend my red gown to my friend Katy for Thor, and I’d made a new black gown for myself for Loki. Since this is a cosplay/costume, I felt I could color outside the historically accurate lines as much as I wanted.
For my wig, I was heavily inspired by Marie Antoinette (2006). And since my makeup skills are limited, I called on my fabulous makeup artist friend Melissa, who coincidently designed the makeup for the Houston Ballet’s production of Marie Antoinette (2010-2011), to collaborate on our makeup design and this blog post. I’m going to let Melissa take over from here…
[Related: Sewing My First Robe à la Française]
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18th century inspired makeup tutorial, written by Melissa:
First we started with a fresh, clean, well hydrated face. Hydration is important when using a stark white foundation. No one wants to see dry patchy places. I started the actual make up process with a dual action concealer from my own make up line, Sorelle Atelier. The concealer should be applied all around the eyes and orbital area (eyelid, under eye, inner eye where we get a bit dark). Following concealer, I used Kat Von D Lock-it tattoo foundation in Light 41 Neutral. I applied a couple pumps on the back of the hand and use a foundation brush to smooth the product on the skin. I’m not a fan of using fingers or a sponge to apply foundation. While applying the foundation, remember to smooth all over the face bringing the product onto the ears and down the neck and chest area too. Then I took a big powder brush with the Kat Von D Lock-it blotting powder in Fair (white!) and lightly stippled all over the face. We want it to be light and airy looking, none of that dry, chalky look for my gals.
The eyes have it! I wanted to go for a clean, classic, very feminine look for this costume. To start the look with the eyebrows, I used a mixture of a taupe and black eyeshadow to gently apply brow powder. I was keeping in mind eighteenth century women would use the fur of small animals to apply “hairlike” brows. Yuck, but creative. Eyeshadows were kept light and natural with soft pinks and browns. First, I applied a brilliant white all over the eyelid making sure to get the inner corner of the eyes. Then used shadow 2 (above) pressed and wiggled on the eyelid (from eyes natural crease to the lashline) until the desired tone was achieved. I used shadow 5 and a pointed crease brush and swept it in the eye’s natural crease like a windsheild wiper’s back and forth motion. I like to sweep the outer eye and connect the shadow, completing the look. I ended up needing to deepen the crease a bit so I added shadow 7 for an oh so slight depth. For eyeliner, I used a thin flat brush to press and wiggle black eyeshadow in the lashline from corner to corner. Keep it simple; no wings or cat eye for this look.
Let the lash shenanigans begin! We used Ardell 110 lashes and being oh so careful, pulled the lash off the package. I like to paint the glue thinly on the lash band and make the lash more pliable by bending it back and forth like a rocking horse so it gets a nice curve going. It also gives the glue a bit of time to dry and become a bit tacky before application. Using a tweezer, grab the lash in the center and line it up on the lashline pressing the lashes down.
Lashes: Ardell Natural Multipack 110 Black, 4 Pairs x 1 Pack
For blush, I went back to my Sorelle Atelier makeup line and used Teaberry blush. I applyed the blush in circular motions towards the front of the cheeks staying on the apples, blending it out as it is applied. No contouring here; it wasn’t a thing in the 18th century.
For the finishing, a fun trick to making lashes look fuller is to bounce the mascara wand off the tips of the lashes and not apply mascara in the tradiotional sense. And liplining was so fun to do. The low pointy peak of the top lip and a more voluminous bottom lip is the style we went for. As I went down the lipline, I kept the top lip smaller by drawing inside the lines, per se.
For the lip color, I wanted it to be more pink, however, we ended up putting a touch of a velvety red on top. Both colors are a matte formula. No gloss here, folks. THE MOLES!! I worked with Bic (yes, the pen company), believe it or not, and used their tattoo ink for temorary tatts. I worked with where Sheila has natural freckles. The mole by the eye I kept small so it woudn’t distract from how pretty her eyes are, and the cheek mole is somwhat larger, for sure. I used circular motions to apply the moles and the ultra fine tip of the tattoo pen certainly helped.
– Melissa
Tattoo pen: Bic BodyMark Temporary Tattoo Markers, black, 0.07 Fl Oz
Back to me, Sheila
And that’s a wrap! I tried on the wig and feather/flower fascinators, realizing some adjustments need to be made, and we added a little bit more foundation to the hairline. I’ll do a blog post on styling the wig, and on designing and building the rest of the costumes for Loki and Thor after I get back from DragonCon. But for now, I think we’re ready! My sincerest thanks to Melissa for collaborating on this project, I’d look like a clown without her! Her information is below for anyone in the Houston area that wants to get in touch with her. She microbladed my brows, which were life-changing (seriously!), and she’s just a stellar friend and human being, all around. Love you, Mel!
– Sheila
Melissa is a makeup, microblading, and permanent makeup artist. She also provides lash lifts, lash/brow tints, makeup lessons, and special occasion makeup. Sorelle Atelier is her new cosmetics line. Follow Melissa on Instagram @thesorelleatelier and on Facebook. For appointments, book at Sorelle Atelier.
Melissa McKinney, Makeup/Permanent Makeup Artist at Sorelle Atelier
Houston, Texas
Image: Douglas Voisin 
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