As many of you all are probably doing the same, I’ve been re-watching American Horror Story as the new season, 1984, just premiered. Naturally, I couldn’t help but admire all the makeup and styling that goes into the show and decided to recreate some looks on my own. To add a twist, I wanted to show ways you can incorporate some fun AHS looks into an everyday setting without being too costume-y.
Cody Fern’s Apocalypse Smoky Eye
For anyone who adored Cody Fern’s ethereal androgynous look as Michael Langdon in Apocalypse, this is the perfect look for you to recreate. Langdon’s look mainly involves around the red and black around Fern’s eyes to create intensity, and the rest is up to you to personalize it and make it your own. I like to add a little glamor to my looks to feel myself, and this look is all about adding just a little Michael Langdon flair to switch up your daily routine.
1. Start blending a red eyeshadow under your eyebrow, a little down your nose, and on the outer corner of your lower lash line. Any red shadow will work, and I intensified mine by buffing a little bit of Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in ‘Nosferatu.’
2. Line both your upper and lower waterlines with a black pencil liner to add dimension.
3. Begin creating shadows with black eyeshadow on both the top and bottom outer corners of your eyes for dimension. I made the top shadow into a slight wing, but the shape is up to you and whatever fits your eye shape!
4. This is where you get to be creative. Do whatever you want with the rest of your makeup, whether it be heavy contour, light face makeup, or nothing else at all, it’s up to you! You can carry on with your go-to routine, or if you’re going for a more true-to-character look, add some dark circles with brown shades and add heavy contour to your cheeks and jaw to create a more intense look. As long as you have the eyes down, you should have the Michael Langdon energy that you’re going for.
Billie Lourd’s 1984 Glam
I’ve always adored classic 80’s glam, and Billie Lourd reawakened this love as Montana Duke in the current season of AHS: 1984. For this recreation, I took Montana’s blue eyeshadow and dark lips and added a more intense, glam aspect to her look. This would be perfect to be worn out to a party or even to class or work; remember, with enough confidence and determination, you can pull off any look anywhere you want to.
1. Start with the main focus: the blue eyeshadow. I used a bright teal shade from The Zulu by Juvia’s from the middle to the inner corner of my entire lid.
2. Add definition to the blue. Blend a medium-brown shade from the outer corner of your eye into where the blue starts to make the colors more smoky. Buff the same shade onto your lower lash line as well.
3. Add shimmer. Wet your brush with rosewater or a setting spray; I love to use Heritage Store’s Rosewater & Glycerin to prep my brush for highlight or shimmer. Pick a shimmer similar to the matte blue that you’ve already blended, and pack it on top of that shade; I used the teal shimmer from the same Juvia’s palette as before.
4. Line your eyes with black. Line both your upper and lower waterlines with a black pencil, and drag it a little further past your waterline to create more intensity.
5. Add a lot of mascara and a dramatic lash. My favorite place to get super fluffy, dramatic lashes is Amazon. Create a dark berry lip. I lined my lips with MAC’s Lip Pencil in ‘Nightmoth’ and topped it with NYX’s Butter Lipstick in the shade ‘Ripe Berry.’
6. Add the finishing touches. I mainly focus on the eye details, because for me, face makeup is pretty subjective; everyone has their favorite way of doing it. However, a huge part of 80s glam is a blown-out, dark blush. For my look, I was able to achieve an extremely blushed cheek by layering Benefit’s Rose-Tinted Benetint, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in ‘Paaarty,’ and a little bit of IBY’s Lush Eyeshadow in 'Get Soaked.’ I love to finish off a super pink cheek with some highlighter, and my tried-and-true favorite is Fenty Beauty’s Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter Duo in the shades ‘Lightning Dust’ and 'Fire Crystal.’
I hope I could inspire both AHS and makeup enthusiasts alike to try something new with your makeup this October. By simply experimenting with some fun shades, you can embody Michael Langdon’s edgy androgyny or Montana Duke’s classic 80s glam. When it gets closer to Halloween, I’ll cover a more costume-like approach to some of American Horror Story’s most iconic looks. Happy spooky season!