Brace yourselves, xoVain readers. This is going to be a weird one.
It started when I was trying out some new false eyelashes the other day. It’s my latest beauty obsession, despite the fact that I’m horrible at applying them. Still, I can’t stop myself from buying the most ridiculous falsies that I can find. No natural lashes for me! I want it to look like a thick, fuzzy caterpillar fell asleep on each eyelid.
I didn’t get into makeup as a way to “enhance my natural beauty”--that’s not very exciting to me. I got into makeup because I was the one who always did everyone’s Halloween makeup (and still do). I live for occasionally going a little wild with my makeup. Not for work, of course; but for hanging out with friends or going to the bar with my boyfriend? You bet I’ll be there wearing two-toned lips or '60s Twiggy-inspired eye makeup. (Sorry, boyfriend.)
ANYWAY, all this is to say that sometimes I’ll be trying out a new beauty look and realize that I’ve unintentionally morphed into some random fictional character. I often wear headscarves whenever I wake up to find that my pixie cut has turned against me, and one day, I was wearing a purple one while admiring my newest super-long lashes in the mirror.
My sister took one look at me and exclaimed, “You look like Yzma!”
This made us squeak in unison, “Is that my voice? Is that MY voice?” and then burst into laughter like the obnoxious idiots that we are.
Yzma, for the adults reading this, is the evil villain in the Disney movie The Emperor’s New Groove. She has sickly purplish-gray skin, the craziest eye bags ever, and a total of eight spidery eyelashes that practically reach the top of her turban. She also has the baddest accessories.
I love this broad, and once I realized I already had part of her look, I decided, What the hell--let’s go the rest of the way.
I passed on the lilac skin and the eye bags but was excited to borrow inspiration from the rest of Yzma’s look as a nice change from my usual pink lipstick and Peter Pan collar crap. In the end, I felt delightfully evil and sexy. It’s sort of a goth summer look that you can wear when you need to feel like a badass throne-usurper who should be carried around on a chair by a strong man all day.
I’ll tell you how I did it. To the secret lab!
I started with clean, moisturized skin and added a matte base of foundation. You want a smooth, blank slate.
Prepare to spend the majority of the time on your eyes. They’re dramatic and the most important part of Yzma’s look.
First I applied some e.l.f. Eyeshadow Primer, then lined my Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner entirely around my eyes, even in the inner corners and along my waterline--a first for me. Keep the eyeliner as thin as possible; you want your eyes to be defined, but not like a raccoon’s.
I also used a brow pencil to define my eyebrows, as hers are very dark and angular.
Next is the purple eyeshadow. Good lord, I hate wearing eyeshadow (it never looks good on me!) and purple, of all colors... Well, it was a test. Adrianna might be able to pull it off, but I’ve always hated purple.
Still, I decided to commit to it, using Wet ‘N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow in Kitten first and then darkening the color with a deeper shade of purple that I got from e.l.f, blending with my finger. Surprisingly, I didn’t hate the end result!
Most importantly, you’re going to need some super-long eyelashes: I used Sonia Kashuk Full Drama Eyelashes and Ardell Clear Lash Grip Adhesive (the lashes came with their own glue, but I’ve found the Ardell kind to work really well).
You want them to be longer on the outer edges of your eyes, and pointing outwards as well, rather than straight ahead. We’re going for length, not thickness. I cut my the lash strip in half to achieve this look.
Finally, add a dash of magenta lip color--I used Revlon ColorStay Liner in Win--and some jewel-toned accessories. I dressed like a fairly normal person since it is not, sadly, Halloween, but I did wear the essentials: dangling earrings and a fabulous turban.
You can use any headscarf. Just wrap it above your forehead and tie it underneath your neck. Make sure to leave a strand of hair peeking out from the front.
My favorite thing about Yzma is her confidence. She’s old, she’s wrinkled, and she’s scary beyond all reason. None of that stops her from taking pride in her appearance (girl obviously loves her local Sephora). She refers to herself as beautiful, and it’s obvious that she means it.
So if you take any inspiration from this look at all, don’t worry about the eyelashes and purple eyeshadow. Just channel the Yzma attitude.
Would you try this evil but sexy look this summer? Which Disney villains do you think I should take beauty cues from next?