Pattie has long been admired for the way she applied makeup. The main principle in recreating Pattie’s look for yourself is to stick with dark eyes and pale lips. This mantra works for just about any other sixties bird, from Brigitte Bardot to Cyn Lennon, simply because this look works for everyone. Never do dark eyes and dark lips or pale eyes and lips at the same time – it looks very off when it is done. Unlike many other sixties girls, who flamboyantly applied a color wheel of hues on their faces, Pattie was a bit more modest in terms of makeup application. She stuck to the essentials when it came to makeup: black/brown liquid eyeliner, brown eye shadow, blue-grey eye shadow, black/brown mascara, pale foundation cream, pale pink lip gloss, and pink blush. The perfume she used for years (and is said to still use) is Jicky by Guerlain. “It’s got a lovely musty scent without being too sweet,” Pattie once said about her signature scent. It was also the favorite fragrance of Brigitte Bardot, the object of the Fab Four’s affections for years (hmm… I’ve got to get myself a bottle of this stuff…)
The main emphasis in creating a truly modern look was the eyes. As Pattie herself said, the eyes are the most important feature of your face. So rightfully, you should dedicate most of you makeup attention to them. Don’t be worried if you are taking a lot of time doing your eye makeup – that’s how it’s supposed to be! It simply wouldn’t look as good if it could be done in a rush. “Eye makeup is essential,” Ms. Boyd told US Vogue in October 1969, “especially as I have very fair lashes. I like to make my eyes the most important feature. Depending on whether I have a tan, or my mood, or what-color clothes I am wearing, I wear whatever-color eye shadow accordingly, and put the same color but a darker shade on the crease of the eyelid. So I might use pale green with green-black shadow, and for a more startling effect, middle-green poster paint. Blue-green is a good color with deep lilac shadow, browns as well. I also use blue mascara. I think the naked look is fantastic if one is very suntanned, but if not, it can look most uncared for.”
To make her eyes look bigger, Pattie revealed in May 1965 that she “put on several coats of mascara, but before I do this I draw a line in black eyebrow pencil across my eyelids at the roots of my eyelashes. I don’t curl it up at the end like most girls do. I extend it slightly out and downward” because she believed it contoured her face and made her eyes appear rounder. After this, apply your eye shadow. Pattie advised keeping a palette of eye shadow colors on hand in order to match to your clothing and coloring. “I keep brown and blue-grey [shadows]…always,” she told 16 Magazine in September, 1965. To apply shadow use a brush, “imagine a line straight from where the inside of your eyebrow starts to just above the inside corner of your eye. Start to gently brush on eye shadow from that point, arching the line slightly upwards and keeping it just above the first crease in your eyelid. When you reach the peak spot in the middle, start sloping downwards, stopping the eye-shadow just above the end of your eye line. This makes your eyes look very exciting!” Pattie also applied her mascara to her lower lashes, but told girls to do this only if it looked good on them. “If it suits you, do it,” she said, “if not, skip it.” Although not necessary, false eyelashes can be used to make one’s eyes seem larger. Pattie used them rarely, never as much as Twiggy, but this was because she was born with great lashes herself and rarely felt the need. But, if you are looking to buy Pattie-worthy lashes, look for thick lashes as opposed to longer lashes. Falsies, as they are often called, can be found in just about any drugstore or makeup store out there.
On her lips, Pattie used a dab of foundation cream to take the color out of them. She tended to not used lipstick, but would sometimes put a topcoat or gloss over the foundation so that her lips didn’t look dried out. Though not all of us were blessed with a naturally full, borderline-Bardot mouth like Pattie was, we can fake it. Using a lip plumping gloss or applying a pale gloss a little outside of your lip lines can give the illusion of a fuller pout.
Very self-conscious of her rounded face shape, Pattie used a large rouging brush to “elongate” her cheekbones. “I lightly twirl” the brush “in blush rouge and then gently dust some along each check just above the jawbone. This gives the illusion of a thinner, better-shaped face.”
Pattie was well-aware that in order to have good skin, “you just may have to make a few sacrifices” by cutting out junk foods and following a thorough skincare regimen. “First off,” she declared in the November 1965 issue of 16 Magazine, “you all know that cleanliness if a prime requisite when it comes to having a pretty face,” advocating twice daily washings and moisturizing. Pattie also advised applying makeup in the correct light, so it comes out looking as natural as possible.