Bailey Sarian Shows You How to Level Up Your Bold Look

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By Maddie Aberman
Published on January 18, 2023
Close-up of Bailey Sarian posing in front of dark green velvet curtains
Close-up of Bailey Sarian posing in front of dark green velvet curtains

Bailey Sarian is never one to shy away from bright lipstick or high-pigment eyeshadow, and her Glam Bag X collection promises to deliver the dramatic makeup and no-holds-barred glamour we’ve come to expect and love from Bailey. “My beauty philosophy is have fun and don’t be afraid to try something new, which is exactly what I want you to do with my Glam Bag X,” she says.

Ready to take Bailey’s advice? She’s giving you two options to go bold. First, a drop-dead gorgeous look with a gold smoky eye and stunning nude lip. Want to level up the look and take a walk on the dark side? Bailey would be so proud! Keep scrolling to see how you can put your Glam Bag x Bailey Sarian to work on creating two killer looks.

Drop-Dead Gorgeous

KIRAMOON Star Jelly
KIRAMOON Star Jelly

1. Don’t Skip Skin Prep

“Skincare is important because your skin is the foundation to your makeup,” says Bailey. “If your skin isn’t right, if it’s dry, if it’s thirsty, if it’s just doing something funky, then the makeup is going to give you a hard time. Once you get your skin right and taken care of and properly hydrated, then your makeup will look 10 times better. Skincare is the foundation to your foundation.” It’s no secret that makeup doesn’t sit right on flaky, dry skin, so keep your flakes and bay with an exfoliating mask, like the KIRAMOON Star Jelly (MSRP $45) from Bailey’s GBX. Its powerful ingredients help exfoliate away dead skin cells, reduce excess sebum, soften pores, and alleviate dry skin (thanks to 10 percent AHA, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid).

Once your canvas is smooth and ready to go, lay on the hydration with a nourishing moisturizer, and don’t forget your lips. Bailey loves FRESH Sugar Cocoa Tinted Lip Balm (MSRP $24) for the long-lasting hydration, which is extra important when you’re going in with a matte lippie, which can accentuate your dry skin (more on that below). Getting your lips treated early on in your makeup process will allow the balm to do its thing while you’re working on the rest of your face.

2. Get Your Base Right

Here’s the thing about foundations and concealers: Your preference is totally subjective. It depends entirely on the finish and coverage you're looking for, your skin type and needs, and even your budget. Check out our guides to finding the best foundation and your ideal concealer. Once you’ve laid your base, it’s important to set it. LAURA MERCIER Translucent Loose Setting Powder - Light Catcher (MSRP $40) will help you lock in your look without taking away any radiance. The luminous, finely milled powder helps blur imperfections and set your makeup while remaining weightless and untraceable on all skin tones. Use a puff or sponge to pat onto skin for a radiant, second-skin finish, paying extra attention to areas that tend to crease (we’re looking at you under eyes!) or get oily the fastest.

SCOTT BARNES Sculpting and Contour No. 1 Palette
SCOTT BARNES Sculpting and Contour No. 1 Palette

3. Shape It Up

There’s a reason SCOTT BARNES Sculpting and Contour No. 1 Palette (MSRP $58) is featured in Bailey’s Glam Bag X. “I’ve used this bad boy every single day since I got it, which was over a year ago,” she says. “I love it! The powders go on beautifully, not chalky. It’s just beautiful and so easy to use. I use it for my contour, for my eye shadow. I take it with me everywhere. I love it! I cannot express that enough.” To get Bailey’s sharp cheekbones, use a tapered brush and sweep the contour shades into the hollows of your face (below your cheeks, under jawline, and around your hairline). Remember, blending is key to a flawless contoured look like Bailey’s. Go back over top of the edges of your contour with whatever you used to apply your foundation to help ensure a fully blended base.

Close-up of Bailey Sarian rocking a golden smoky eye makeup look and nude lips
Close-up of Bailey Sarian rocking a golden smoky eye makeup look and nude lips

4. Make Your Eyes the Feature

Bailey’s gold and black smoky eye looks incredibly intricate and complicated to create, but with the right colors and some patience (the blending time is no joke!), then it’s totally possible to get the look. If you want that sharp wing shape like Bailey, place a piece of tape from the outside edge of your bottom lash line toward your temple. This will create a cat-eye “stencil” that you can peel off when you’re done. Once your tape is lined up, create a good base to make the future layering and blending so much easier. Work the same shade you used to contour your face into the creases of your eyes with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Use windshield-wiper motions until it’s a soft wash of color with no discernable edges.

Then, with a smaller fluffy shadow brush, dust a matte shade slightly darker than your contour color in the same areas. Repeat this process one more time with an even deep shade. Then, with a flat shader brush and a black-brown matte shade, pack the pigments just in your outer corner. Use a patting motion (rather than a sweeping motion) to get the most payoff with the least fallout. Pat a metallic gold shade on your lids, gently peel off your tape “stencil,” and your Bailey-inspired smoky eye is almost complete.

To finish your eyes, draw on a winged eyeliner with your go-to liquid liner, and apply a set of bold falsies at your lash line—bold being the key word here. Remember, a shadow look this dramatic can handle a full set of lashes. Lastly, don’t forget to fill in your eyebrows to balance out your epic lid look.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist For Ever Matte 24HR Longwear Liquid Lipstick in 192 Toffee at All Hours
MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist For Ever Matte 24HR Longwear Liquid Lipstick in 192 Toffee at All Hours

5. Swipe on a Nude Lip

For this drop-dead gorgeous look à la Bailey, a peachy nude lip is the way to go. Bailey used the MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist For Ever Matte 24HR Longwear Liquid Lipstick in 192 Toffee at All Hours (MSRP $25). Begin at the center of your upper lip following the outline of the bow and fill in the center. Next, fill the center of your bottom lip in equal length, checking for symmetry and balance. Finally, apply product from the outer corners of your upper lip towards the center to connect and fill the lip, then repeat those steps on the bottom.

Dark Side Glamour

The smoky eye-nude lip combo might be enough for you, but Bailey is all about embracing her dark side, which is where these extra steps come into play.

Close-up of Bailey Sarian rocking a dark eyes and dark lips makeup look
Close-up of Bailey Sarian rocking a dark eyes and dark lips makeup look

1. Take Your Lip to the Next Level

“Grab that bold lipstick you’re nervous to try, and wear it wherever you go,” advises Bailey. “I guarantee taking that leap will have you feeling as confident as ever. You’ll have people thinking ‘Damn! What’s that lipstick color?’” This deep, dark purple color will do just that.

“I always use a long lasting lip liner,” says Bailey. “I will outline my whole lip, and then color in my lip with the lip liner. So when I apply my lipstick on top of it, it gives the lipstick something to stick to. And also, as your lipstick fades throughout the day, the lip liner usually stays in place, so you don’t have that awkward dark liner with no lips. That’s my trick and it works every time.”

Bailey Sarian applying KVD BEAUTY Modcon Liquid-Gel Blush on her cheek
Bailey Sarian applying KVD BEAUTY Modcon Liquid-Gel Blush on her cheek

2. Amp up Your Cheeks, Too

The best way to make sure a statement lip doesn’t wash you out is to boost your blush in equal amounts. Tap a pea-sized drop of KVD BEAUTY Modcon Liquid-Gel Blush in Glasscade (MSRP $28) on top of the apples of your cheeks and blend it up and out. Its jelly texture will hug your skin without streaking or caking and gives you a radiant raspberry glow.

Want to recreate these looks? We got you! Be the first on the list to reserve your spot before Glam Bag x Bailey Sarian runs out— quantities are limited. And for all your IPSY Glam Bag X news, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and Twitter @IPSY.

Curious what you might have missed in the other sold-out Glam Bag X drops? Check out last August's Glam Bag x Halsey drop, November’s Glam Bag x Huda Kattan collection, and February’s Glam Bag x Addison Rae's collab now.

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