How-to: Olivia Wilde's sultry sundown look

Everyone loves an elegant look, but sometimes, in a bid to be sophisticated you can end up coming across a little stuffy. Olivia Wilde shows us how easy it is to look utterly elegant for any evening occasion – with the help of the right hair and make-up. Find out how to achieve Olivia’s sultry look for yourself at home…

Make-up footnotes

For this look, it’s safe to say it’s all about the eyes, baby. To rock an equally flawless face, consider these tips.

#1: Draw focus to the eyes

Winged liner is Wilde’s hero product. The trick is to take it big using a liquid liner pen that will deliver straight, sharp lines. I love the Tom Ford Beauty Eye Defining Pen as it’s fluid and can create anything from a simple wing all the way through to a bolder look like Olivia’s. Go over your line with black shadow to finish, then use an angled brush to set your eye make-up in place. Check out how to achieve the perfect winged liner look...

#2: Make the skin glow

This is incredibly important, as a smooth, radiant canvas will make any statement features (like your winged eye) pop. Start by using your Conair True Glow Sonic Facial Brush to exfoliate away dead skin cells and deeply cleanse skin. Next, use a radiance-enhancing foundation. I love Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Radiance Makeup SPF 15 as it contains a micro-fine crystal mesh of rubies, sapphires, colloidal gold and South Sea pearls.

#3: Mute the lips just right

Let the eyes do the talking and opt for a nude lipstick that offers a silky matte finish with just a hint of colour. I love Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 Heures in #31 Beige Shooting, as it has a warm beige/pink undertone that compliments any eye look.

How to recreate Olivia’s sultry down ‘do:

The actress nailed the effortlessly-elegant-yet-still-playful thing, which is what we’re going for here. We asked Anthony Nader, International hairstylist and owner of Sydney’s Raw Salon, for a step-by-step guide to getting this look at home.

Step 1: Start with damp hair. Squeeze a large dollop of firm foamy mousse (bh recommends VO5® Extra Body Mousse) into the palms and use your fingers to rake the product through your hair from roots to ends.

Step 2: Blast your hair until it’s 80 per cent dry with a hairdryer (bh recommends VS Sasoon 3Q Dryer, as it reduces frizz by up to 75 per cent!) and then divide your hair into two even horizontal sections, clipping the top half away.

Step 3: Hold the bottom section of your hair up towards the ceiling and brush upwards with a medium-sized radial brush for extra volume. Then, take your curling iron (bh recommends VS Sassoon Curl Secret as it curls your hair for you!) and lightly curl the bottom section of hair.

Step 4: Unclip the top section of your hair and place in a side part. Brush it up towards the ceiling before releasing back down and loosely curling.

Step 5: Backcomb the roots of your hair at the crown of your head for added oomph, leaving out the front section of your hair to secure later.

Step 6: Gather up the back into a very loose, airy low ponytail (being careful not to flatten the lift of the crown), and twirl separate pieces of the ponytail into twists, pinning them into place with bobby pins. Continue until the whole ponytail has been secured into random loose twists at the nape of your neck.

Step 7: Finish by moulding the front sections of hair into elegant curves away from your face, and pin the ends into the twists at the back of your head to blend in. Spray with hair spray to finish (bh recommends Cedel Scented Hairsprays.)

Stockists:
Tom Ford Beauty Eye Defining Pen, $78, 1800 061 326

What do you think of Oiivia's look? What kind of occasion would you like to wear this?

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