It’s no question that Rita Ora stood out this week at the 4th annual Women in Music Celebration. With her on point makeup and flowy hair, the British singer-songwriter was to die for. Lucky Smyler and hair stylist Cynthia Alvarez were responsible for her look, and we nailed them down to get the exact steps used on her. Try them at home to impress your friends—and yourself.
Photo Credits: Getty Images
MAKEUP
Makeup Artist: Lucky Smyler
Skin
I started by toning Rita’s skin with Koh Gen Do’s Spa Water, then primed it with Dior skin perfect pore refining perfecting moisturizer. With a Stila foundation brush (#33), I painted the entire surface of her skin with Tom Ford traceless foundation (Pale Dune). Under the eyes I dabbed YSL touche eclait (#2) with my finger. I wanted to keep the glow and luminosity to her skin by lightly pressing Laura Mercier mineral pressed powder (warm beige) only in the t-zone with a Makeup Forever powder puff. Then with a Cozzette angled powder brush, I applied Smashbox fusion soft lights (baked star dust) to her temples, cheeks, and jaw line. For even more luster, I layered on Josie Maran’s argan illuminizer to the high points of the cheeks by using my index finger.
Eyes
The goal was to enhance her almond shaped eyes in a very natural way. Priming the eye lid with Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion was the first step. Then, I used MAC Rice Paper eye shadow under the brow, followed by Illamasqua Eye Pigment in Ombre on the lid of the eye and swept it into the crease. Finally, the lashes were curled with Preo Japanese Lash curler followed by four generous coats of Dior Show Black Out Mascara.
Lips
Rita’s signature red lip was created by getting the lips supple with Diptique lip balm, and then lining the edges with MAC Redd lip pencil. My formula for the look was MAC Red Lipstick with MAC Lip Pigment in Crimson. For longevity and rich dimension, I always apply the first coat, then blot with a tissue, followed by a final coat of the mixture for a worry free evening with no retouching needed.
HAIR
Hair Stylist: Cynthia Alvarez
Prep
Rita’s bleach blonde hair is chemically treated and heat styled on a consistent basis so its important to proceed with caution. To help combat dryness and breakage, I washed and conditioned her hair with Carols Daughter Monoi Shampoo and Conditioner for ultimate moisture. I then followed with Ojon Rare Blend Oil Treatment because penetrates the cuticle.
Style
We decided to wave her newly cropped hair in a more disheveled chic way. To achieve the look, I parted her hair in 4 sections and applied Tigi Catwalk Session Series styling creme which is great for adding texture without the sticky feel, as a styling base. I proceeded to curl her tresses with a 1″ curling iron by Gold ‘N Hot being sure to leave the ends out. A trick I like to do is stretch the curl while its still warm, this ensures the not so perfect look were going for. Once the whole head is done, I ran a dime sized of the same styling cream while her head is flipped. I ran my fingers through the curls to add volume and help break the waves up.
Finish
The hair is back combed in the crown area of the head to give Rita’s hair some shape. I also teased some of the curls to separate them and add even more volume to the sides of her hair. Once the desired shape was achieved, I set her hair with Oribe Superfine hairspray. Spraying pretty liberally yet still making sure her hair has movement.