Are you a fantasy fan who dreams of channelling the elven maidens of J.R.R. Tolkien's world? Well, now you can thanks to elf makeup inspired by Tolkien. I love the ethereal elf ladies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, not only because they are gloriously feminine and magical, but because these women are feminist legends who fight for what is right and know how to protect themselves and the people they love. These movies also seriously make me want to dress up in whimsical gowns and take up archery.
Personally, I'd love to dress up like a Tolkien elf for a day and run around with my bow and a white horse, looking all mysterious. Not only are they a noble and brave people, but they also have the most flawless skin I've ever seen. If someone created an Elven Skin Beauty Elixir, I bet it would sell out in minutes. Unfortunately, we can't all be the descendants of Lúthien (the fairest of all the elves) like Arwen, but we can transform ourselves into elvish inspired ladies with the use of makeup.
I wanted to recreate a couple of beauty looks inspired by my three favorite elves from the Tolkien film adaptations: Arwen, Galadriel, and Tauriel. Feel free to don an ethereal gown, some epic armor, or undergo elf ear surgery (just kidding!) to accompany your new elvish look.
Before
To begin my transformation, I moisturized my skin and applied Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "Vanilla" to create a base. I was ready to become an elf!
1. The Natural Arwen Look
Oh Arwen, you darling! Not only are you a sight to behold, but you also have magical powers that make you even dreamier. IMO, she has the kind of alluring beauty that inspires images of a chorus of angels singing whenever you look at her. Arwen's look is super natural — in fact, all of the elves wear hardly any makeup — but she has a few little beauty tricks up her sleeve that accentuate her lovely features.
To begin, I swept some Bourjois blush in “Rose Frisson" along my cheekbones to add a little warmth to my skin and give an "English rose" feel to the look.
After this, I accentuated my eyebrows with a brown Colorsport 24 Hour Eyeliner.
I then used a very natural eyeshadow, the lightest shade from Chanel's Les 4 Ombres Palette in "Stage Lights."
Next, I used my brown eyeliner pen to draw along my upper lash lines and finished my eyes off with a layer of Lush mascara.
Finally, I wanted to create a really subtle pink lipstick shade to match Arwen's rose colored pout. I grabbed my Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in "Diva Red" and used my finger to lightly dab some onto my lips.
This makeup could definitely be worn everyday and makes for a pretty and feminine elf inspired beauty look.
2. The Tauriel Woodland Elf Style
Next, I wanted to create a look inspired by Tauriel, a Woodland Elf character created specifically for the second and third installments of The Hobbit movie trilogy. I'm so glad Peter Jackson and his team decided to add her in, as she is a really hardcore heroine. Tauriel knows how to handle herself and her beautiful bow, making her an obvious choice for the head of the Mirkwood Elven guard.
For Tauriel's style, I wanted to create a look around her ancestry and her Woodland Elf race, so I used a warmer color palette. I left my darkened eyebrows from the previous look to exemplify Tauriel's strength of character.
Firstly, I started off by warming my face up a bit with Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder on my cheekbones, forehead, nose, and chin.
Next, I applied a subtle green shadow to my eyelids to symbolize Tauriel's race and her connection to nature. I picked a green from my Technic Brights Eyeshadows palette.
For the next step, I created a feminine cateye flick with my brown eyeliner. I chose to use my brown eyeliner rather than a black one, as it appeared more natural and was more of a woodland shade. I added a touch of Lush mascara to open my eyes up.
I picked a red lipstick with an orange hue (rather than a blue based red one) to finish off this warm Tauriel inspired look. I dabbed some Boots' Natural Collection Moisture Shine lipstick in "Crimson" onto my lips and blended it in with my finger.
The final product was a warm toned look that I think represents Tauriel's love of nature and the outdoors.
3. The Ethereal Galadriel Look
Galadriel is such an angelic babe, but don't let her looks fool you: She has some major power swirling around inside her and on occasion she gets a little creepy. Tolkien described her as "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth," which is quite the compliment.
For this "Lady of Light" who was once a royal elf, I wanted to create a really magical look fit for an elven queen. This was mainly an eye beauty look, so all of the attention could be on the mystical windows to the soul.
I made sure to get rid of my strong eyebrows for this look in order to appear softer and more fairy-like. I began by applying a white eyeshadow from my L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Les Ombres Palette in “Smoky Eyes Velours Noir." I swept it all around my eyes and right up to my eyebrows, lightening them as I went along.
After this, I grabbed my Lime Crime Glitter Helper to aid me in applying some Lime Crime Multi-Purpose Glitter in "Ophiuchus" to my eyelids. I then applied a layer of Lush mascara to lengthen my lashes.
To complete my look, I stuck a faux half pearl (technically a sticker) underneath my eyes to add a really ethereal yet majestic vibe to this look, because obviously all elven royalty would totally wear stick-on jewels on their faces if they had them at hand.
I love this final look, which could be worn day or night. If you wish to be a little less excessive, just hold back on the pearls.
Whether your next quest involves finding the perfect ethereal makeup look for a party or a feminine makeup style that you can wear from dawn until dusk, consider it completed with these elf inspired makeup looks.
Images: Phoebe Waller; Giphy
