One of my all time favorite looks is a side parted cascade wave worthy of Rita Hayworth or Veronica Lake.  The classics never disappoint!

This look was designed for a dear friend and model here in Dallas.  She has always brought beauty and joy when I work with her on set, so naturally I HAD to help her get ready for her special prom night.  Her gown was custom-made by Lucy Dang and needed a couture hair and makeup look to match.

Trying to man the camera and complete hair and makeup is quite challenging but here is a step-by-step of how the look was achieved.

Try it out for you next event, date, or photoshoot!  Comment below if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

I first prepared Allison’s hair with Paul Mitchell Styling Foam for heat protection and a soft memory hold.  Apply on dry hair and comb through to saturate then establish a deep side part for a vintage feel.  A 1″ barrel curling iron was used for this pin curl set.  Curl all of your hair going in the same direction.  In this case, all of the hair was curled towards the face by wrapping the hair around the iron towards the face.  The important part of this look is a pronounced wave and in order to achieve it, you should “set” or allow the hair to cool in the desired shape.  After releasing the hair from the curling iron, roll it back onto itself like shown above and clip it at the base or root with a hair clip.  You can find them at any general beauty supply.

Continue to curl all of your hair until all of it is in pin curls as shown above.  Mist it lightly with a light hold hairspray and move on to makeup.  For this look I used L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray because it has a brushable hold.

 

After appropriately moisturizing the skin and lips, I primed it to ensure the makeup lasted all night.  Allison has great skin and just needed a light primer to ensure she photographed well and that she stayed matte.  I used Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer.  The foundation of choice was a bit of Bobbi Brown Foundation applied lightly with a wet foundation brush. It was then set with Bobbi Brown Translucent Powder.

Her cheeks were sculpted with an apricot rose blusher from the Kaleidoscope Collection by Lé Métier de Beauté.

A sheer opalescent wash of color was added all over the lid from the Ready-to-Glow Eyeshadow Quad by Dior. The center darkest color was used to enhance the crease.

Starting from the center, I drew a thin line following her eye shape with the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Felt Tip Liner.  Make sure to not over extend your line past the end of your lash line for a balanced effect.

 

While wet, I gently smudged the liner with a flat liner brush to soften the line.

 

Prepare the lashes by curling them to accent the eyes.  I used a Tweezeman Lash Curler in this step.

I like to build lashes as much as possible to avoid using fake lashes.  Makeup Forever Lash Fibers is perfect for this.  I added the white base fibers in several coats.

While still damp, I added mascara to build volume.  The mascara of choice was Makeup Forever’s Aqua Smokey Lash since it is waterproof.

Next, define the brows lightly to add a sculpted effect.  I used MAC Brow Pencil in Brun.

Define the lips from the center out with a sturdy lip brush. This is a Mehron Flat Brush which is for shadow but I like it better for lips.  I used Dior Addict Lipstick in “Rock’n Roll”.

Gently place a tissue over your lipstick and press a bit of translucent powder with a fluffy brush to set your lipstick.

Release your curls and gently brush from roots to ends.  I recommend brushing the hair for about 5 to 6 minutes to collapse the curls just enough and create a wave.

The waves around the face will form and you can set them in place by holding them with the same pins used in your pin curl set.  Make sure to clip every indentation or curve that the wave makes as shown above.  Lightly mist with a finishing spray for a firm hold.  I used Kenra Finishing Spray.

Voila! You are ready to go out on the town or win prom queen like Allison!!