No one does badass beauty like Rita Ora. The 25-year-old singer showed off her rebellious side on the 2016 VMAs red carpet where she wore a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired smudgy smoky eye and nude lip and kept the theme going with her Mohawk-esque updo.
The key to executing an edgy look is to “make sure you’re wearing the makeup and the makeup isn’t wearing you,” says Celebrity makeup artist Kathy Jeung who created Rita’s VMAs onyx eye. “Confidently and comfortably owning a beauty look is the key to looking your best.”
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To keep the look from being too hard, Jeung used Tom Ford Complexion Enhancing Primer in Peach Glow ($74; nordstrom.com) to give Rita an ethereal glow before applying the rest of her makeup, and evened out her skin tone with a duo of EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation in 7.0 ($17; lookfantastic.com), EX1 Delete Concealer in D200 ($12; lookfantastic.com), and set it with EX1 Cosmetics Compact Powder in 200 ($12; lookfantastic.com). A light dusting of EX1 Cosmetics Blusher in Natural Flush ($13; lookfantastic.com) with an angled brush on the apples of Rita’s cheeks gave her a flattering flush.
Jeung kept the focus on Rita’s smoky eyes by starting by brushing the beige shade from Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 Eyeshadow Palette in 206 The Lolita ($59; sephora.com) from the eyelid to the brow bone, and used the taupe shade from the palette to accentuate the crease. Next, she used the metallic charcoal Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Shimmer Eye Stick in Stardust ($28; sephora.com) on the eyelid and along the lower lash line, and Marc Jacobs Beauty Highlighter Gel Crayon in Blacquer ($25; sephora.com) on both the upper and lower lash lines as well as the inner corners. To channel a rock ‘n’ roll vibe, Jeung smudged and blended it with a brush dipped in the metallic black shade from Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No.7 Eyeshadow Palette in 208 The Vamp ($59; sephora.com). To make Rita’s eyes from looking too dark, Jeung applied Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Shimmer Eye Stick in Honey Bunny ($28; sephora.com) to the inner corners, and Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Shimmer Eye Stick in Shoshanna ($28; sephora.com) along the lash line and blended it into the metallic black shadow. A few coats of mascara and falsies added even more drama.
A soft, dusty rose lip was the perfect contrast to finish Rita’s dark and edgy look. Jeung coated Rita’s lips with Rimmel London’s Provocalips 16 Hour Kiss Proof Lip Colour in 40 Wish Upon A Berry ($7; ulta.com) before she hit the red carpet.