Fashion

7 2013 MTV VMA Beauty Looks to Copy As Soon as Possible

Everyone's buzzing about the Rihanna and Perry grills, Miley's Gwen Stefani-esque topknots, and Lil' Kim's plasticine face, but other than that, the makeup looks of the night were fairly drama-free. The bad news is there's less to gossip about — the good news is you can steal the beauty inspiration for yourself.

by Tori Telfer

Everyone's buzzing about the Rihanna and Perry grills, Miley's Gwen Stefani-esque topknots, and Lil' Kim's plasticine face, but other than that, the makeup looks of the night were fairly drama-free. The bad news is there's less to gossip about — the good news is you can steal the beauty inspiration for yourself.

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Miley and Rihanna's matte red lips

Blah blah blah, classic red lip, yawn. Here's one way to make this red carpet standby ten times more modern — do it in matte. If you don't have a tube of matte lipstick already, you can dab your current lipstick with a tissue and follow up with a tiny bit of transparent face powder. Both Miley Cyrus and Rihanna sported bold, gloss-free pouts, making a matte red lip the perfect way to dress up a bad girl.

Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Ciara's post-apocalyptic makeup

Ciara's dress was incredibly daring, but her smeary/smoky eye and pale pink lipstick (along with that incredible bone structure) made her look like the most fashionable survivor of the end times. If you're a master of conturing, pair angular blush with deep-set eyes and a whisper of pink lipstick that looks like it was from the last tube on earth.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Crystal Reed's double minimalism

We're used to seeing a nude lip paired with a smoky eye, because it's pretty much fail-proof. This year, however, nude lips plus nude eye makeup were all over the red carpet, from a weirdly demure Lady Gaga to a fairly subdued Katy Perry. Erin Wasson and Crystal Reed were also refreshingly pared back. We've said it before and we'll say it again — simplicity is always a great way to stand out from the (wild, grilled-out) crowd.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Miley's super-long bottom lashes

Ms. Miley got a lot of things wrong yesterday, but she got one thing right: those awesome, cheekbone-grazing bottom lashes. If you're ready to get serious about your own, you can spring for a mascara that's designed to coax them out of their shell — or get yourself some falsies specifically designed for the lower level.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Coco Rocha's bad-girl contouring

The perpetually infamous supermodel paired all black everything with a sleek, thrown-back pixie cut, the palest of lips, and an amazing smoky eye that was sharp, triangular, gray, and done with an extremely light touch. Until someone gives us a YouTube makeup tutorial on this look (in 3...2...1...), make sure your brushes are clean before attempting, use the lightest wash of color, and keep your eyebrows light.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Taylor's double-duty statement-making

Taylor Swift looked ridiculously good last night, even as she broke one of the cardinal rules of beauty: Never pair a statement eye with a statement lip. While Swift's dramatic look wouldn't look so stunning in daylight, consider this your free ticket to go all out next time you're somewhere with low lighting, sophisticated clientele, and (ideally) an 'NSYNC reunion.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Selena Gomez's burgundy Lips

A vampiric pout will be huge this fall — symbolic, perhaps, of sucking the final drops of joy from nice weather? Gomez contrasted her lipstick with massive green earrings, and model Joan Smalls pulled off the look, too, by offsetting hers with a leggy white dress. The great thing about this color is that it wears off to a berry-stained dream of burgundy, perfect for vampires gone mainstream.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
18