The Starless Sea Makeup Look

jancynbindman
Nov 3, 2022
3 min read

Today I'm sharing a really fun makeup look based on Erin Morgenstern's Starless Sea character Mirabel, or Max as she is also called. In the beginning of the book Zachary Ezra Rawlins goes to a masked ball to figure out more information about his book Sweet Sorrows. While there he meets two very intriguing people, a man who calls himself Dorian and a woman whom Zachary ends up calling Max. The look that I've created is based on Mirabel or Max's masked look as described by Zachary Ezra Rawlins.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Building a Character Through Makeup

When creating a makeup look based on a book it is important to read the whole book to get a sense of the character. Your first inclination might be completely different by the end of the novel based on what you discover about the character. For example, when I first thought about creating this look wanted it to be over the top with chunky glitter and more on the Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton makeup side. This is still definitely a possibility, but as I continued to think through the look I remembered all the other Mirabel moments and that idea didn't seem to fit. Her character is timeless with a European effortlessness. Now, in the book this masked ball makeup is described by a male character so a lot of details are missing. However, there is one detail which I did refrain from and that was glitter in my hair. Mostly because when I filmed this look all the hair glitter was sold out due to Halloween being so close. I decided to create a more timeless gold look for Mirabel than over the top. But you could definitely make a case for either.

Creating a Look for a Mask

Whether you are working on this look for a movie, play, or real life this question is tricky. If you've got the money you would have a mask created that would work with the actor's face and also allow you to see more of the makeup. I got my mask at Michaels and it didn't do a great job of highlighting my work, which is why in my photographs I've lifted the mask. In the book Mirabel's mask is described in great detail, so talk to you prop and wardrobe people and make it work. Also think about camera angles and close ups, etc. if you're doing something like this for a movie.

The Gold Look

The last thing to consider is putting all these pieces together. I went to a makeup training once where the master makeup artist did something similar but with purple and she used even more glitter. The key with making a look like this pop is creating layers of different textures and shines. If you added something like a chunky glitter and a smaller loose glitter this look would be completely different. Some of my favorites are from MAC and Makeup For Ever. These two brands excel at these types of shadows. The master makeup artist also said that you have to work from heaviest to lightest. If you don't then you lose a dimension and texture with the look. I completely agree. So play around and figure out your layers before the big day.