This French Girl Does '90s Makeup Perfectly—Here's Everything She Uses

I don’t know about you, but since being quarantined at home, my screen time (read: Instagram time) has increased dramatically. I’m not proud of it, but there’s only so much I can do to keep myself entertained right now. All I can say is, I’m thankful to all the people I Insta-stalk for using this time to create content that’s equal parts amusing and inspiring to watch. Such is the case with one of my favorite stylish French girls: Sabina Socol. In a recent IGTV, Socol shared her go-to makeup routine for creating the ultimate '90s-inspired beauty look. It’s simple, pretty, and about as much as my brain can handle right now. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this sentiment, so I’m rounding up all the steps here for you to give it a go because you really have no excuse not to.

Step 1: Apply concealer with a small brush.

First things first: Use a small brush to apply concealer underneath your eyes and on various dark spots. "You don’t want a huge triangle of concealer. You only want to use a little bit to conceal any darkness,” explains Socol. Start at the inner corner of your eye and work your way over to the opposite side, blending as needed. Take it down a bit around your nose and around any other dark spots, if needed.

Step 2: Use a light-coverage tint over your face and neck.

Put some of the product on the back of your hand and use a foundation brush to apply it evenly over your face. "Always remember to bring it down to your neck,” says Socol.

Step 3: Set your base in place.

"Don’t forget that '90s makeup is very matte,” says Socol, who likes to set everything in place with a pressed powder. Using a puff, apply the powder over your face, specifically where you applied concealer or any areas where you have extra shine. For inner corners, use a small brush instead.

Step 4: Add some bronzer.

If you're using a palette with multiple shades, use the lightest color to apply on your cheeks, blending your way up. Next, go down along your jawline to create some added definition, extending the color down to your neck. Switch to a small concealer brush and add some color to the inner corner of your eye, working your way down the sides of your nose. Blend it in using your finger.

Step 5: Do your brows.

Using a brow pencil, fill in any sparse areas with light, feathery strokes in an upward motion. Once your brows are filled in, brush them out with brow gel to keep hairs in place.

Step 6: Tightline your eyes.

"You want the eyeliner to be intense,” explains Socol, who focuses on tightlining. If you’re not familiar with the technique, basically you line your upper waterline to create a fuller, wide-eyed look. Start on one side and lift your eyelid up so you can get the eyeliner pencil right into the lash line of your top lashes. It should almost look invisible. Once you get to the end, you can create a slight wing to enhance the look. Repeat on your other eye.

Step 7: Add some shadow.

Pick a light almost-champagne shadow color and apply it over your entire lid, pressing and tapping in the color with a small brush. Make sure you take the color up over your entire lid to your brow bone. Use the darkest shade from your bronzer palette to blend into the outer corner of your eye and eye crease to really create that nice contoured, '90s effect. Use the same color and apply some to the lower lash line.

Step 8: Curl, coat, and separate lashes.

To really give your look a '90s supermodel vibe, you need to curl your lashes and then coat them with some serious lengthening mascara. Lift your lid up so you can coat every last lash, starting at the roots and working your way up. Once finished, brush lashes to separate them.

Step 9: Highlight, highlight, highlight.

Add some liquid highlighter to your cheekbones and, to really enhance your pictures, down the bridge of your nose and Cupid’s bow, tapping the product in with your fingers to blend.

Step 10: Add some color.

Use a blush brush to apply some color to your cheeks, starting in a circular motion and working your way up to your temples, blending as you go.

Step 11: Line your lips.

The key to nailing a '90s beauty look? Lining those lips! Find a lip liner that’s close to your natural lip color and overline just a bit. You can mix colors if needed but don’t fill in your lips. Instead, use a clear oil. Voilà!

Shop More French-Girl Skin Favorites