A 90's Makeup Tutorial: Sandy Lin

This cool weather is sliding into our personal space and some of us invite it in with open arms. Other people still wish we could relax in the scorching hot weather. If you’re on the east coast, then your autumn days are really windy and hot in the morning and sometimes end in cooler weather. For the Autumn lovers out there, you’re probably already in your fall outfits even if the day ends up in hot weather. You also want your makeup to look warm and inviting. I will include YouTuber’s Sandy Lin’s 90’s makeup look. I will also include my rendition of the 90’s look. 

This look reminds me of an angsty teen wearing a leather jacket. The makeup look is like a teen who’s a lead singer of a rock band, which is one of my favourite looks. Perhaps it’s because of the warmth the eyes give. 

Primer 

To prep the face, she’s using the Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer. Primers help create a smooth canvas when applying makeup. It creates the illusion that your pores are flawless and when you apply your foundation, it’ll make blending much easier. This primer is also best for people with dry skin. The primer has been tested by dermatologists as well. It contains antioxidants A, C, E and hydrating properties. One of the places you can purchase this is at Sephora. It costs $38 and has 1.07 oz. 

She’s also using the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Amplifying Eye Primer. You can use any eyeshadow primer to help blend eyeshadows easier. It can also help make eye makeup last longer. It’s $22 and has 0.27 oz at Sephora. 

Foundation 

She’s using the Shiseido Synchro Foundation in 320 pine and blending it with a brush. 320 is described as a balanced tone for medium skin with a neutral undertone. This is a liquid foundation that has medium coverage. It gives you a natural finish and it’s perfect for normal, dry, combination and oily skin. Since the sun isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s great that this foundation gives you an SPF of 30. Thank goodness for that because I’m sure you don’t want to burn your skin. The price is $47 on Sephora’s website and contains 1.0 oz.  

“The ActiveForce Technology protects the finish from the effects of sweat, oil and facial movement. The Responsive Sensory Technology helps the foundation adapt to skin’s conditions, tone and texture. The Smart-Correcting Powder enhances skin’s surface texture and tone” said Sephora’s website. 

Powder

Now that you’ve primed your face and put foundation on it, you need to use translucent powder to lock all of that in so your work doesn’t go to waste. 

She’s using the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder, which I’ve seen almost every beauty guru use. This powder can help set your makeup for at least 12 hours. Personally, I don’t know anyone who keeps their makeup on for 12 hours, but perhaps they’re going to a party or out with friends. I’m usually at home so I’ll keep makeup on for at least 6-8 hours.

 Anyways, this powder comes in the original size but it also comes in a mini size so you can try it before you commit to purchasing the standard size. The price for the original size is $39 and contains 1 oz. She’s using a beauty blender when applying the powder. 

Eyebrows 

To color in the brows, she’s using Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in the color Ebony. It does have a gel consistency and it’s best to practice with this first to make your brows look perfect, especially if you’re a beginner. This does claim to be waterproof so perhaps you could try it while swimming. The price is $21 at Sephora and contains 0.14 oz. It’s perfect for travel but you do have to purchase your own brush. 

Eyeshadow

 For the most creative portion of any makeup look: eyeshadow! Sandy is using Fenty Beauty Moroccan Spice Eyeshadow Palette. The cost is $59 and contains 16 eyeshadows. 

She’s using a matte burnt sienna color (which is a fancy way of saying a matte red color) in the shade Spice Trip. She’s applying it to her crease. 

For the next color, she’s using a nude mauve color in the Natasha Denona Lila Palette. That palette is $129 at Sephora. It has 15 eyeshadows and has warm and cool violets, plums and fuschias. She’s taking a different brush to apply that color on her lids, so she’s blending those two colors together. She used the nude mauve color to apply it to her lower lash line. 

Going back to the fenty palette, she’s using Henna Sea, which is a matte chocolate brown color. She’s applying it to the outer corners of her eyes. She’s also using that same color to the outer portion of her lower lash line. 

Eyeliner 

Sandy is using a liquid black eyeliner from Em Cosmetics. It’s $21 on the Em Cosmetics website. This eyeliner is said to be smudge proof and resists water. It also said that it’s best for a beginner. Plus, it’s cruelty free and vegan! She’s applying the eyeliner starting from the inner corner and working her way out to the outer corner of her eye. Her eyeliner is dramatic and she did a winged liner. 

After the eyeliner, she applied her fake lashes, which are the Ardell Wispies in black. On Ulta’s website, it’s $4.99. 

Contour 

This can enhance any feature you’d like on your face. When contouring your cheeks, it can make it seem like you have a nice bone structure. Of course, you do need to blend this in so it looks natural. 

Sandy has the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo in light-medium. You can purchase for $68 at Sephora. It contains 0.56 oz. She starts contouring the top of her nose and brings it down to the tip of her nose. Then, she contours her cheeks, chin and forehead. 

Blush

Blush helps bring color to your face. She’s using the Kaja Cheeky Blush Stamp in 02 Spicy. It’s a dusty mauve color. I have this blush too and it smells fresh. You can stamp this on your cheek and it is in the shape of a heart. You can blend this with your hands. This is sold at Sephora as well for $24 and has 0.17 oz. 

Highlighter 

Highlighter can give you a more youthful look. Plus, we want to be glowy and feeling cute. Sandy went back to the Charlotte Tilbury palette to use the highlight side for the inner corners of her eyes, down her nose bridge and over her cheeks. 

Lips 

Before applying any lip product, it’s best to use a lip balm first. That way, our lips don’t look dry when meeting new people. She’s using the Jouer Cosmetics Matte Lip Creme in Noisette. It’s a matte warm chocolate brown liquid lipstick. 

You can purchase this online at Sephora’s website or Jouer Cosmetics website for $18.

It contains 0.21 oz. Then BAM. There’s the final look. *Cues Panic at the Disco* Now, imagine you’re going to a club and you’re wearing this makeup look. Your outfit could include a really cute dress with your hair all curled up. You’re having fun with your friends and drinks are on them! 

My Rendition 

Now, I will show you this look but with the products I do have. I was curious to try all of those products but then I walked to my makeup vanity and noticed I have a ton of makeup that needs to be used first. 

Primer 

Always thought this was a waste of money until I tried it. I used the Dior Capture Dreamskin Care & Protect. On Sephora’s website, it costs $150 and contains 1.6 oz. This product helps hydrate your skin, blurs pores and evens out your skin tone. This is great for normal, combination and oily skin. You can use this if you have dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles, dullness and uneven texture. 

The packaging captured my heart because it is a pale pink color. When you open the top, the product looks like it’s for medium skin tone. When you apply it on your face, it’s sheer and blends well into your skin. It does have a fresh scent. When it’s on your face, your skin feels really smooth and buttery. It feels as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Also, my pores did seem a bit smaller when this was applied. 

Foundation 

I don’t wear foundation everyday. I try to let my skin breathe so I wear it 2-3 times per week. When looking for a foundation, I like a light to medium coverage and I want to feel as if I’m wearing no foundation. My skin gets dry really easily so I stay away from matte foundations. Instead, I opt for a dewy and luminous look. 

I am wearing Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation. One of the places you could purchase this is at Sephora. I prefer going to Sephora so they can color match me. At Sephora, the price is $44 and has 1 oz. I am in the color Light with neutral undertones. 

This has lasted at least 8 hours on me. It does give me a luminous look. I always look and feel cute in this foundation. This is a medium coverage foundation. This is for normal and dry skin. I make sure to use one small pump and put it on my foundation brush. I use a light hand to have one dot on my forehead, nose, both of my cheeks, chin and around my mouth. Then I blend it all in. When you twist the cap, it has a dropper so you can control the outcome. It blends easily into my skin. It gives me a beautifully radiant natural appearance. Before each use, make sure to shake it.  

Setting Powder 

I purchased the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder. I absolutely love this powder and it smells phenomenal. The fragrance is like a light vanilla scent, which I am obsessed with. I did not purchase the Laura Mercier one because this was a bit more affordable. This powder is $32 and contains 0.98 oz. I did purchase the Power Puff Setting Brush 170 to use for this powder. 

I bought this in Lavender, which is great for fair to light skin tones and it’s for brightening. Before I purchased this, I was nervous because I wasn’t sure how it would look on my Asian skin. I didn’t want my whole face to be super bright and unnatural.This is a light purple color but when applied on the face, there’s supposed to be no color and it should just help brighten up your face in a natural way. I ignored my doubts and used it anyways. I’m glad that I ignored those doubts. I did use this for my whole face and yes, it did brighten my face. It did not look too light on me and worked well on my skin. I used a very light hand because I didn’t want to apply too much. My face did look natural. 

I love how this makes my skin feel. It’s so silky and soft. It’s like your face is hugging a fluffy pillow! 

Concealer 

I don’t use this often but sometimes I blend it into my cheeks. I have more acne on my left cheek so I use the concealer on it. If I have leftover concealer from my left check on the beauty blender, I’ll apply it to my right cheek as well. That way, both of my cheeks are concealed and looks a bit more flawless. 

I use Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage 24-Hour Wear. The price is $21 and has 0.28 oz. I am in the color very fair 04. This is a non-caking formula that doesn’t settle into fine lines. I do feel hydrated when wearing this on my cheeks. 

Eyeshadow

I own a couple palettes that I need to start using again. Since Sandy used a matte red color, I tried to find a similar color in one of my palettes. Before using the eyeshadow palette, I used the same concealer on my eyelids. I would normally use primer but I wanted to try this method I heard if I used concealer on my eyes, the colors would finally appear even. 

I am using Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. The price is $42. I love the color scheme of this palette because I am obsessed with pink and neutral colors.

No brushes were used in the making of this eyeshadow look. Yes, my hands are clean. I will not do an exact duplicate of the eye look but it’s my rendition with what I have. 

I like to start with a base color so I used Tempera, which is a beige with an ultra-matte finish and I used it over my eyelids. I wanted a red color so I’m using Red Ochre and it’s described as a sienna with an ultra-matte finish. I am using this red color on my crease line. I am feeling girly today so I’ll use Buon Fresco, which is an antique lavender with an ultra-matte finish. I used this on my eyelid. 

Eyeliner 

I am using my liquid eyelid from Diorshow On Stage Liner. It’s a pearly turquoise and costs $30.50. This is a pricey eyeliner but it works well, especially since I’m a beginner. There are other colors like brown and black but I went for the fun colors. I feel confident when wearing this liner. I don’t do winged liners. I usually go for the straight line but it works well for me. I like it to look more natural for everyday wear. 

Contour 

I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Bronzer in the shade Cappuccino. It’s described as a deep golden brown. It costs $28. I’ve never been one to use contour before because I would always mess up. With this one, I went with a light hand and blended into my cheeks. I went in a circular motion until it looked natural and contoured. This is super blend-able and easy to use. Love the name Cappuccino as well. These are matte bronzers, which I adore. 

Blush

I used the same brand of blush as Sandy, the Kaja blush in Coy 01. Mine is a dusty rose color. When I saw this was at Sephora, my heart skipped a beat. I opened the top portion and it’s bouncy because of the stamp. You twist the top but open the bottom part for the blush color. Do not twist the bottom part or it will break. I learned that the hard way. Now I have to be careful of where I place it. I love it when makeup has a fresh scent because this does too. 

Highlighter 

I love when highlighters give you that natural glow. There are different highlighter colors such as gold, silver, green or even blue. It’s better when you’re outdoors and the sun hits your face. You can really see that glow clearly. I used Fenty Beauty Bomb Baby 2 Mini Lip Gloss and Highlighter Set. The price is $24 at Sephora. I’ve never used Fenty Beauty highlighters before but I heard it can be glittery. I’m not a big fan of big chunks of glitter so I hoped the highlighter was tolerable.

I used a fan brush for this. This highlighter is so beautiful. You can even see the glow indoors. The highlighter is the Killawatt Foil in Sand Castle and it’s a metallic bronze. 

It’s best to use a light hand with this highlighter. For some of my other highlighters, I had to use it 2 times to see the glow. I accidentally used a heavy hand with this one and my whole cheek was metallic and glowing. If you look up close, you can definitely see the shimmers. 

Luscious Lips 

Before the liquid lipstick, I used a lip balm from Chanel. It was $38 and it was a gift. This is one of the best lip balms I have ever used. Usually, lip balms last one day then my lips are dry again. Not with this one. Even when the day is over, my lips stay hydrated, which is a life saver. Then I used Jeffree Star’s liquid lipstick in Gemini. The price is $18 and it’s described as a terra cotta nude with a matte finish. Jeffree Star’s liquid lipsticks are my favorites as well. When applying this, open your mouth so the color doesn’t get on your teeth. It doesn’t get into my fine lines and doesn’t dry out my lips as well. 

Setting Spray 

I finished my makeup look in 20 minutes. Since I want my makeup to last I also use a setting spray. I used GlamGlow Glowsetter Makeup Spray and the price is $32.

This spray is great for normal, dry, combination and oily skin. It can hydrate and refresh your makeup. This is best if you have dryness and dull looking complexion. One of the ingredients is caffeine, which can hydrate, energize and smooths your skin. This spray does have a scent of vanilla. You do need to have this spray really close to your face in order for your makeup to set. 

My makeup look varies depending on how I feel that morning. The majority of the time, this look is my go-to. It’s easy to do and I only spend at least 20 minutes on it. I don’t do anything crazy or fancy but once in a while I’ll add a pop of color like yellow or blue.