How to Do Marilyn Monroe Makeup

Co-authored by Erica Coates

Last Updated: December 3, 2023

The iconic Marilyn Monroe look is still a makeup look that is admired by many people all over the world, even today. Although her makeup artist was very secretive about how he did her makeup, several people have figured out some of the tips and tricks you can use to re-create the look.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Applying Makeup to Your Skin

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1
Apply a moisturizer. Unless you have very oily skin, you will need to apply a good moisturizer to your skin. Marilyn's skin almost always has a "glowing" dewy appearance, which requires a good moisturizer!
- Ideally, you will apply it twice each day, once in the morning and once at night. It is best to apply moisturizer right after bathing, when the skin is clean and the pores are open.
- Give your moisturizer 10-15 minutes to soak into the skin before applying makeup!
2
Choose a fresh finish foundation. You don’t want the foundation to be too matte (because Marilyn preferred a more moist, dewy look), so look for foundations with a medium coverage. Apply this all over your face lightly and evenly.
- Make sure you choose a shade of foundation that matches your skin as closely as possible. If you have never done this before, it is best to go to a department store with a trusted friend or family member. There, an employee can help you determine the correct shade for your skin.
- Medium coverage foundation refers to foundation that is thick enough to cover blemishes on the skin, but will still feel light and natural.^{[1]
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  Research source} Remember, Marilyn had a flawless yet natural appearance to her skin.
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3
Use concealer as needed. If you have any blemishes, pimples, or dark spots that you cannot cover with foundation alone, then apply a concealer as needed.
- Be sure to use a concealer that is well matched to your skin so you don’t end up with patches.
4
Consider using vaseline. If you really want to mimic the makeup tricks of Monroe, try swiping a tiny amount of vaseline along your cheekbone. This will create shine, and is believed to be one of trick she almost always used.^{[2]
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- It is also believed that Marilyn also used vaseline as a primer all over her face.^{[3]
  X
  Research source} If you wish to try this, be very cautious and use a tiny amount to start with, especially if you have oily skin to begin with. Vaseline is very, very thick and oily. It might look great if you can apply it thin enough, but using too much will make you look very greasy.
5
Contour your face. Marilyn’s face was heart-shaped, and her artist used contouring to exaggerate this. If you feel comfortable with the process, then you can use the contouring technique to make your forehead appear wider, your cheekbones high, and your chin and jaw more narrow.
- Unless you are very skilled at doing this, it may be best to skip it! Contouring is not easy to do, and requires a lot of practice! Remember that it is perfectly OK to look like yourself, but with Marilyn inspired makeup.
6
Apply a blush. Marilyn tended towards bright coral tones for her blush. If you have light skin, you can use a similar color. If you have darker skin, you will need a darker blush. The end goal is to have cheeks that look rosy and healthy.
- Apply the blush on the apples of your cheek and sweep it towards your hairline, but make sure it is blended so that you don’t appear clownish!
7
Set your foundation. To do this, swipe a very thin layer of translucent powder over your face, paying particular attention to your t-zone.
- The t-zone is the area in the middle of your face which includes the skin just above your eyebrows, your nose, and underneath your nose and lips.
8
Apply blush to your nose. To make Marilyn's nose appear shorter, her makeup artist would tap a small amount of blush on the tip of her nose.^{[4]
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Research source} If you already have a short nose, this is not necessary. However, if your nose is a bit longer than you would like, a bit of blush will help.
- Don't overdo it! You don't want to have a bright red nose.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Doing Your Eyes and Eyebrows like Monroe

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1
Choose a shadow that is shimmery. If you have pale skin like Monroe’s, you can use a white shimmery powder. Sweep the powder all over your eyelid.
- Pay particular attention to the inner part of the lid next to the tear duct, and avoid going to far out (e.g. towards the hair line), instead stay focused on the eyelid.
- If you have darker skins, choose darker tones (not white), but make sure they are shimmery to stick with Marilyn’s look.
- It is reported that Marilyn also liked to swipe a bit of vaseline or coconut oil on her eyelids before applying shadow.^{[5]
  X
  Research source} You can try this, too; however, make sure you apply the vaseline or oil in a very, very thin layer. Otherwise, it might not blend well with the eye shadow.
Monroe’s makeup artist used several shades for her eyeliner. You can begin by using a brown eyeliner pencil to line the inner half of your eyelid. Do this only on the outer part of the lashes.^{[6]
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3
Apply a black liner on the outer half. Use the black eye liner on the outer half of the eyelid. Again, you will want to apply a thin line to the outer part of the lashes.^{[7]
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- You can finish the black liner by gently flicking the liner out at the end of your eyelid. You don’t want a cat-eye look, but instead, a small upward flick of the pencil.^{[8]
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4
Line the waterline. For this step, choose a white liner and lightly run it along the water line to make your eyes appear bright like Monroe’s.^{[9]
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- The waterline refers to the small line of skin that is between your eyelashes and your actual eye. When using a liner here, be very careful, or you may poke yourself in the eye!
One of the many secrets of her makeup artist was to draw a tiny triangle using a white or very pale colored liner at the outer edge of her lids to make the eyes appear bigger. You can copy this by very gently drawing two very small lines outwards from the outer corner. One will go up, and the other will go down.^{[10]
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6
Curl your eyelashes. Using a good eyelash curler, gently curl your upper lashes on each eye.
- Make sure you have applied your eyeliner and eye shadow before doing this.
- Gently place your top lashes in between the "mouth" of the curler.
- Press the curler to the base of your eyelashes and gently squeeze for about 5 seconds.
- Be gentle! There’s no need to squeeze the tool to tightly!
7
Shape your eyebrows with high arches. To make her forehead appear more narrow, Monroe’s artist would shape her brows so that they had a “peak”.^{[11]
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Research source} You can mimic this look by brushing your eyebrows up, and then brushing the outer half of the brow down.
- If you truly want the look, you can also use tweezers to pluck any extra hairs that may make your eyebrow arch less defined, but be careful! It can sometimes be hard to re-shape your eyebrows once you’ve committed to a dramatic look.
- Use a bit of hair spray, hair gel, or vaseline to keep the hairs in place.
- You can also use an eyebrow pencil to help draw in the peaks, but use the pencil modestly, and be sure to blend it with a brow brush!
8
Consider adding false lashes to complete your look. Marilyn’s artist would cut the false eyelashes in half before applying them, and then only apply them to the outer corners of her eyes to create a more natural look. These days you can purchase individual lash packs that give you a way to apply only a few lashes here and there.
- You can also always purchase normal false lashes and cut them in half, just the way her artist did.
9
Apply mascara. Once you have applied your eyelashes (or chosen not to) apply a few light coats of black mascara to your lashes.
- Remember Monroe’s look was mostly natural for her eyes, and more dramatic for her lips! That means you don’t want the eyelashes to be too dramatic.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preparing Your Lips

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^{[12]
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Research source} Before applying lipstick (whether it be for a Monroe look, or in general), you should exfoliate your lips. You can do this with an exfoliant you might use on your face, or you can use a wash cloth dampened with warm water. Rub your lips using a gentle circular motion.
^{[13]
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Research source} This will be the darkest color you will use on your lips. If your goal is to have bright red lips like Monroe’s, you can use an espresso color as the liner.
^{[14]
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Research source} This will be done using a lip pencil. Choose a color that is lighter than the outer liner, but still darker than the goal color. For example, a brick red color can work. Use the pencil to completely fill in the lips.
4
Choose a bright red. Now you will blend the color using a brighter red lip pencil, which will be the top color.^{[15]
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Research source} Here, you will fill in the lips again, blending with the inner liner. Using a pencil will help the color stay in place better.
- Be careful not to touch the outer liner with the bright red! If you smear it, it will ruin the depth that was created with the darkest liner.^{[16]
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5
Use highlighter. To brighten up your lips, use your fingers or a brush to dab on a small amount of creme highlighter.^{[17]
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Research source} Simply dab this into the center part of your bottom lip.
- Alternatively, if you don’t own a creme highlighter, you can also use a small dab of vaseline.
Using either a light red or clear lip balm, gently dab a small amount all over your lips to add moisture.^{[18]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I subtly assimilate Marilyn Monroe's look?

Nina Shasha

Community Answer

Marilyn was known for a red blue-undertoned lip and a wing liner with lashes. Just don't go all-out with it, or incorporate some of your own look, as well.

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Which MAC Lip Duo is perfect for the Marilyn Monroe look?

Msm_kae07

Community Answer

Mac Ruby Woo in both the lipstick and lip pencil should achieve that red lip you are looking for.

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What brand and shade of red lipstick is perfect for the Marilyn Monroe look?

Cecilia Flores

Top Answerer

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Lipstick in True Red, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rich Girl Red, and NARS Lipstick in Red Lizard are some good dupes.

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Warnings

Although Marilyn did wear a lot of makeup during shoots, it is likely that she had to do this in order to appear as she did for the cameras. Unless you are trying to re-create her look for the camera, consider using a lighter touch when applying. This way, you will still get the Marilyn look, but you won’t look too painted up.

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