Rita Hayworth-Inspired Makeup: Get the Look

When I met Kristin Ess and saw her gorgeous red hair, I immediately knew that I would try to emulate Rita Hayworth’s look in her 1944 film, Cover Girl.

First, I smoothed Kristin’s skin with MAC Studio Sculpt SPF Foundation ($31) and contoured with MAC Sculpt & Shape Powder ($16.50) in Sculpt & Emphasize to bring out the planes of her face. After a light dusting of MAC Invisible Set Powder ($30), I applied MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power ($21), which is a universally flattering shade of coral-pink.

I pumped up Kristin’s brows with MAC Eye Brows in Strut ($16) and MAC Eyeshadow in Swiss Chocolate ($15). (Both are great colors for redheads.)

To accentuate simple yet glamorous eyes, I started with MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom ($15), a shimmery beige, followed by MAC Eyeshadow in Corduroy ($15), a neutral deep brown, in her crease, and extended her eye shape slightly. I blended the colors out with the Saddle eyeshadow ($15) to soften the look, and put a tiny bit at her lower lashline for definition. I then applied a very thin line of MAC Blacktrack Fluidline ($16) — a very user-friendly gel eyeliner — to her top lashline and extended the line out to give her eyes a more feline shape. MAC 4 Lash ($16) gave the eye extra glamour, while MAC Plushlash Mascara in Plushblack ($16) helped blend her natural lashes and the falsies together.

And last, but certainly not least — Hayworth’s classic red pout. I used MAC Lip Liner in Redd ($15), a true red color, and topped it off with the MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger, a bright matte orange-red.