Recreate 4 Iconic Pop Culture Beauty Looks With These Tips

We study iconic makeup looks like it’s nobody’s business—that’s no secret. What we have been gatekeeping a bit, however, is how easy some of the biggest stars’ looks are to re-create using products you already have at home. There’s no better time to make our case than during Women’s History Month—a time we celebrate women everywhere.

The WWW beauty team in particular loves to look back on the pop culture icons of our time and their contributions to the beauty world. Each of us felt inspired by one particular celebrity’s look and re-created a version of it using our own handy makeup collection. It was surprisingly easy to find items to use quickly and almost all of the items we used are under the $50 mark. For each iconic look, keep scrolling. We’ve shared how they turned out and the exact products we used for each.

I’m not usually one to think I was born at the wrong time, but I will say that I’ve always felt a special connection to the ’70s. The music of Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Joy Division, Led Zeppelin, and many more solidified this for me, but there’s one particular type of music I would have loved to experience the rise of firsthand: disco. That’s why I was drawn to this particular look sported by Foxxy Cleopatra (played by Beyoncé) in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Cleopatra took disco glam to a whole new level by sporting larger-than-life hair, gold shadow for days, and outfits I still think about at least once a day.

I put my own spin on her look by adding a couple of $5 jewels from the drugstore to it, but other than that, it was surprisingly simple to create with just one gold shadow layered up to my brow area. I couldn’t find the exact gems I used for this particular look, but I’ve included some top-notch ones below that will still get the job done.

“There’s something about French icons like Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin that have had a hold on me for, well, forever. They exude effortlessness and confidence, and obviously, I want to as well. When choosing which photo I wanted to re-create, I was drawn to this picture of Brigitte Bardot on the set of her 1963 film Contempt. Everything about this look is perfect. Her textured, windswept hair, her moody winged liner, and her plump neutral lips. I tried to do it justice with my own (slightly modernized) version of the look using some old standbys, including an amazing designer mascara, an inky liquid liner, a waterproof pencil liner, a flexible foundation, a French lipstick, and a lightweight texture spray.” — Kaitlyn McLintock, associate beauty editor

“Say what you will about Julia Fox, but she has people talking about beauty in a way we don’t see a lot of the time. For her, it’s not about enhancing her natural beauty; it’s about subverting it, which I’ve always found really interesting. People absolutely hate Julia Fox’s makeup, and you know who doesn’t care? Julia Fox. I think we always think of beauty as a tool to make ourselves look better, but maybe we should all be more like Julia Fox sometimes and use it like a weapon. I chose a Julia Fox look from last year that really got people talking—plus, this era was the peak for people telling me I looked like her.” — Katie Berohn, beauty editor

“After bouncing back and forth between icons like Janet Jackson and Donna Summer, I finally settled on creating a look worn by singer-songwriter H.E.R. I tend to keep my makeup very minimal and natural-looking, so I wanted to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and try a makeup look I wouldn’t usually gravitate toward. I chose to re-create the look H.E.R. wore last year at the 94th annual Academy Awards: a sheer bright orange lip, matching blush, and a fun cat eye. I finished off my look with a super-chic pair of shades!” — Maya Thomas, assistant beauty editor