Get Madonna’s Hard Candy Look with Shu Uemura
My girl Susan and I thought it would be fun to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon playing with makeup at the shu uemura store on Fillmore in San Francisco. The goal? Give Susan Madonna’s Hard Candy look from her latest album cover.
Now, I know what you’re thinking - Madonna’s way too sassy, who can really pull this off? Luckily for us, freelance makeup artist Nicky Posley and shu uemura extraodinaire gave us valuable tips and tricks to help us get the Hard Candy look. And trust us, it’s pretty easy!
1. Start with well-hydrated skin. Skin that has been properly moisturized looks healthier and wears color much better than a dry complexion. Try prepping your skin using shu uemura Depsea Moisture Replenishing Cream ($38 - $55 US).
Next up, the focal point of Madonna’s look, the eyes - which Nicky explains is very reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in the early 1960s. The overall look is extremely clean, with emphasis on creating a doe-eyed look with a fresh, clean lip.
2. Prime the eyelids. Using a firm, flat brush to apply a brow highlight like Pressed Eye Shadow in M Beige 800 right underneath your eyebrows. Then, apply a little bit of concealer to your lids, from the lash line up to about your natural crease in a half moon shape. Sweep M Beige 800 e/s on your lids, over the concealer to complete the prep phase and set the shadow.
3. Contour. Use a pencil brush to contour with a coffee-colored eyeshadow like M Brown 830 to the natural crease of your eyes, following the half moon shape of your eyes. Curl your lashes with the shu uemura curler before moving on to the next step.
4. Create a cat eye. Nicky’s TIP: Use a combination of pencil and liquid liner to achieve a precise cat eye. Lay the foundation with Drawing Pencils in Black. These are awesome kohl pencils that dry in 60 seconds without smudging. Then go over the pencil with a liquid liner for precision. This is key to creating the perfect cat eye.
5a. Now for the star - the lashes! For Susan’s look, Nicky used False Eyelashes S217. Nicky’s TIP: Blending your real lashes with false lashes creates the most natural look. To do this, he cut one of the lashes in half and applied them to only the outer half of her lashes making her eyes look super flirty. Use the liquid liner to cover up any adhesive that might be visible.
5b. Add more lashes to the lower lashline. To get the ultimate doe-eyed effect, use Eye Light Pencil White to line your lower waterline and offset with M Brown 830 to offset the white. Then enhance the overall look attach single brown lashes to the lower lashline, approximately 1/3 of the way in from the outer corners.
6. Blush Factor. Apply a pinky peach shade of blush to the apples of your cheeks to create a natural flush. This will help you achieve a glow that looks like it’s exuding from within.
7. Create a clean, nude pink lip. First, prep your lips with Drawing Lip Pencil in Nude 949. Nicky’s TIP: Instead of drawing the line on your pout, etch the line of your lips first. Then lightly fill in your lips. Using a lip brush, apply Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine lipstick in BG 950 S.
And that’s it! I gotta tell ya, this look is super easy to re-create with Nicky’s quick tips. If you’re ever in San Francisco, stop by the shu uemura store on Fillmore and ask for Mr. Nicky Posley. He’s super knowledgeable on makeup application and is so fun to work with. He can give you a recommendation for anything you’re looking for. I’m definitely looking forward to visiting him again!
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On May 20th, 2008 Roxy said:
Wow! Fab job, Nicky …. she looks fantastic … I just love Shu {heavy sigh} … xo
On May 20th, 2008 kia said:
great post! and susan looks awesome! great cat eye look!
On May 20th, 2008 Beauty 365 said:
looks great! i’m so in love with the cat eye
On May 20th, 2008 Elizabeth said:
Gorgeous makeup! She looks amazing.
On May 20th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Roxy!
Doesn’t she look great? I was literally swooning over her lashes all afternoon! I’m a new fan of Shu - do you have any current must-try faves for me?
On May 20th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Kia,
I’m ready to see a cat eye on you very soon, girl!
On May 20th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Beauty 365,
I’m really diggin’ the cat eye too! The day after we went to the Shu store, I tried the look on myself - it was super easy!
Do you have a favorite Madonna look? I really like her from the early 90s, believe it or not! Her Vogue days were awesome!
On May 20th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Elizabeth!
Have you been to the Shu store in SF? I think we should make an outing of it - it’s gorgeous!
On May 21st, 2008 Joey said:
This look is so gorgeous, and almost effortless.. and every day kind of look.
On May 21st, 2008 Nikki said:
WHOAH!!!! That doesn’t look too harsh and it looks perfect for daytime!!!! I love the winged eye look and it suits the model!!!
On May 21st, 2008 Angela said:
Congratulations on your newfound celebrity and that hot cat eye…you look so pretty, Susan!
On May 21st, 2008 beautytalk said:
love the eyeliner!
On May 21st, 2008 *jen said:
Lovely look, Lilan! Gorgemous!
On May 21st, 2008 Brittany said:
That cat eye looks hot on her. I love Shu Ue!
On May 22nd, 2008 Rachel said:
Awesome look!!! I love the eyes and the lips… Makes me wanna run out and buy the lip pencil and rouge unlimited crystal shine lipstick… Somebody stop me!!!
On May 22nd, 2008 Mandy Pandy said:
I love it! That said, I’m not sure why Nicky ignored Susan’s eyebrows; Shu Uemura makes one of the best eyebrow pencils out there.
On May 22nd, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Rachel!
You know, Nicky says that the lip pencil is so versatile, he uses it with almost everything! It’s a good investment I’m sure! What are your favorite shu products?
On May 22nd, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Mandy,
You know, Susan’s got a pretty good set of thick eyebrows, it probably didn’t need any more work - I’ve been looking at the Chanel eyebrow pencil but it’s too expensive for me.. any good recos? I’m using Shiseido brow compact now.
On May 23rd, 2008 Mandy Pandy said:
They don’t seem thick to me at all; actually, I think they’re bit on the sparse side and Nicky did such an amazing job with the rest of the look that it’s a shame he neglected Sue’s brows.
Actually, there are a lot of great products out there for brows: Shu Uemura makes a great pencil, as does Laura Mercier. I reviewed them both a while back:
http://mandypandys.blogspot.com/2007/11/its-so-hard-to-say-goodbye.html
http://mandypandys.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-preshessss.html
Anastasia also has a great product in ‘Brow Whiz’. I’ve been using it for some time now and intend to review it soon; it works like a charm every time.
On May 23rd, 2008 Lilan said:
Lookin’ forward to your Brow Whiz review Mandy!
I haven’t leaped in to try anything from her yet, even though my brows are always in desperate need of help. They’re definitely one of those things that I wish I could get better at!
On May 24th, 2008 Rachel said:
Hmm I must admit that I’m not a huge Shu fan at all. Think their products are overpriced! I thought their cleansing oil was at least worth buying but recently I fell in love with Fancl cos they have a better product - quality and price-wise.
I have a Shu eye palette with gorgeous doily-pattern case that one of their SAs put together for me (grudgingly too, without asking what I liked - to think I actually bought it still?!) that has yellow, green, electric blue and baby blue, and though they’re very pigmented I seldom reach for them cos they remind me how stupid I was… Nah, I seldom reach for this palette cos the colours aren’t what I’d wear everyday.
So, erm. yeah, I normally shun Shu products as far as I can. But you may make me change my mind… Now I just gotta wait for my paycheck.
On May 25th, 2008 sarahPUFFY said:
Haha, that’s a look I do for school. If you put her in some regular clothes, there’d be no fuss!
On May 25th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Rachel,
shu is a little on the pricey side but I appreciate the quality in their products. I’ve been testing their cleansing oil and right now I’m not over the moon for them. I like it, but I’m just not used to it I guess - LOL! My friend tells me that DHC makes a cleansing oil that’s really great too and a fraction of the price!
Hopefully you’ll discover shu again so we can continue to dish on the products since I like them so much!
Hope you’re having a great holiday weekend!
On May 25th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi sarahPUFFY!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I agree, this look is so easy to do for everyday yet sassy enough to make a statement, especially if you’re a student. What are you studying?
Hope you’re having a nice, long holiday weekend!
On May 26th, 2008 sarahPUFFY said:
Haha, I’m a high school kid! I’m taking English IV AP, Algebra II, Advanced Math, Psych and Sociology, Library Science, dual enrollment for BCA [that means I get college credits if I pass the course] and Choir! And not only do I blog, but I’m starting up my school’s very first newspaper! I’m ready to suffer [some more] next year!
Hm, my variation on this look is loads different! I use a nude shadow [or just my regular powder] all over my lid, and use black in the crease, and I bring it up so it fades out. Sometimes if I want to pack a punch I’ll do the same thing, but with a bright colour in the crease like turquoise, purple, or green. And if I have time, I’ll just use two coordinating colours [like two different shades of green, pink and purple, etc]. I just love to have fun with it!
On May 27th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi sarahPUFFY,
Sounds like you’ve got a full load next year! It’ll be exciting though - high school was super fun
I hope you get lots of rest this summer before you knock it out of the park next year!
Happy Memorial Day!