Marilyn Monroe’s eye makeup is The secret to increasing your sex appeal

And TikTok is obsessed with his trick to make eyes sexier.

Marilyn Monroe’s eye makeup is the sexiest look of the year, and today we’re going to show you how to do it!

And it is that the fascination for Marilyn Monroe has extended for decades, but its influence has swept with more force than ever in the last year. The proof? Kim Kardashian’s controversial Marilyn Monroe cosplay at the 2022 Met Gala and the leading role of Ana de Armas in Blonde.

Despite all the ways we’ve tried to imitate Monroe’s sex appeal, her signature beauty look has served as a constant model for Hollywood glamour. The platinum bob and red lips have become synonymous with the ’50s starlet, but it’s Marilyn Monroe’s eyeshadow detail that has recently gone viral on TikTok for her optical illusion effect.

Monroe’s famous sleepy eyes are actually a makeup trick, using shadow and white eyeliner to lengthen the lower lash line and make the eyes appear larger and brighter. TikTok users have caught the trick and recreated her look under the hashtag #marilynmonroemakeup, which currently has more than 6 million views.

Celebrity makeup artist Clarissa Luna, who works with stars Megan Fox and Lana Condor, says the elongated lower lash line creates the illusion of shadow. ‘ Marilyn Monroe eye makeup gives an iconic, sultry effect,’ she tells Glamour . ‘While the cat eye at the top is meant to lengthen the look and give a thicker lash line, the bottom line is meant to create a shadow of the lashes, drawing the eyes downward. The white eyeliner on the water line is meant to make the eyes appear big and bright.’

This ‘eyelash shadow’ is the key to achieving sleepy eyes . Makeup artist Hayley Kassel recently worked on a Monroe-inspired campaign for ColourPop Cosmetics, and she has some tips for creating the illusion: “Try to rest your face and eyes as much as possible,” she says. Normally, we tend to raise our eyebrows, clench our foreheads and open our eyes when we put on makeup. For this particular look, the eyes should be as relaxed and sleepy as possible. This will give you much more control over the correct placement of the lash shadow that you are applying to the outer corner of the eye.’

To make the look appear soft and faded, use matte colors in shades of brown. “The key to this eye makeup is not to overdo it,” says Luna. ‘The upper liner is very close to the lash line, and is meant to make them appear thicker. The bottom liner trick is to use a brown shade and mimic the same shape as the top, starting with the outer third of the eye’, and she suggests using cream formulas, which are easy to blend: ‘Using a cream liner on the bottom water line will not only illuminate the eyes, but also define the liner of the lower shadow.’

Both Kassel and Luna also recommend using pencil eyeliners for precise application: ‘Take a thin pencil and use a color closer to brown for the shadow. I like the Colourpop x Jasmine Chiswell palette,’ says Kassel. ‘The goal is to add a bit of definition, but not a hard black or brown line.’ Between the space of the upper cat eye and the lower long shadow, fill in with a lighter eye shadow or pencil. You can also use white or nude eyeliner and fill in the lower lash line.

For a bit more drama, use false lashes: “Apply House of Lashes Wispy Mini Strips and a couple of coats of Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara and you’re done,” says Luna. The best advice I can give you is not to take it too seriously. Makeup is art and you are the canvas. Have fun.

Ready to recreate Marilyn Monroe’s eye makeup?