90s Supermodel Makeup, Yasmeen Ghauri

Hi, welcome to my first post!

So I started a medium to practice my writing. I do not know EXACTLY what I will write about, but I like the idea of explaining the creative process of my makeup videos.

The other day, I was deciding whether or not I wanted to film a makeup video.

I currently film on my phone, and storage is always an issue for me (as it is for everyone). iPhones increase their storage every generation, but it seems I always run out. I wonder what is up with that?

Anyways, I was on Pinterest, and I felt a nudge to do a supermodel makeup look. I was going to do this blue look on Bella Hadid, but I did not have the right colors. Then I was like I will do a 90s supermodel look, and of course, my muse will be Yasmeen Ghauri.

My sister bought up Yasmeen the other day, and I was like, “Oh yeah, I was planning to do a 90s supermodel look anyways.” But alas, the only thing standing in my way was my iPhone storage TT

Back on filming day, I decided to ATTEMPT the look without prior practice because it will at least allow me to rehearse what I would do in the final video. However, to my shock, the look and video came out really nice!

The Video

The Muse

Unless you are into 90s fashion history, you might not know who Yasmeen Ghauri is.

Yasmeen is considered one of the most iconic supermodels of the 90s — alongside Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. She retired in the late 90s and chose to live a private life, hence why there is not much talk about her these days. However, she still has devout fans and is remembered for her legacy.

The supermodel was born in Québec, Montreal, to a Pakistani father (however, she has said she is Indian) and a German mother. She had a strict religious upbringing making her choice to model not a favorite with her parents. However, she dgaf and decided to do it anyways. Her parents ended up supporting her because she was passionate about her career.

Now when it comes to how she was discovered, I thought she was approached by Edward Zaccharia, the artistic director of Platine Coiffure, while working at McDonald’s at 17. However, in this interview, the narrator said her hairdresser recommended that she meet with a modeling agent.

Growing up, Yasmeen faced discrimination like colorism and racism. She grew up as one of the only dark-skinned people in her school and felt that modeling in Quebec would be a bust because people weren’t looking for people who looked like her. However, little did she know, she would become one of the most popular models of the 90s.

I could sit here and list every campaign she shot and runways she walked, but then the section would be tooooo looonng.

Here are some recommended readings and videos to learn more about her:

• Yasmeen Ghauri’s Models.com page
• Yasmeen Ghauri Model Profile, 1991 (video)
• Yasmeen Ghauri Interview, 1993 (video)

The Look

So when I think of that 90s supermodel makeup look — I think matte skin, flashback from powder (lol), and neutral colors.

One thing that is very important regarding this look is that Yasmeen was known for doing her own makeup at fashion shows. She felt many of the artists did not know how to do makeup on dark skin. Tyra Banks talks about it in this video.

There are three points to this makeup look:

• Matte, powdery skin
• A deep maroon lip
• Cool-toned smokey eyes

Achieving Matte Skin

I have oily skin so the look was a bit more forgiving to me. However, if you have dry skin, I would suggest exfoliating, doing your skincare routine (focused on hydration), and then using a moisturizing primer. I like the MAC Radiance Gel Primer in the yellow color. The Milk Hydro Grip (tried) and Elf Power Grip (not tried) are good options too.

Now if your skin is sensitive, I would exfoliate the day before or opt for an exfoliant that your skin can handle. The exfoliation is just to remove dry skin patches that makeup clings onto. The last thing you want is your skin to be irritated and red when you start applying makeup.

Something really cool about this makeup look is that you can get creative with contouring and highlighting with powder. I feel like powders are more forgiving than creams/liquids.

Another pro tip, once you set your powder down to bake — finish up the rest of your makeup, remove the powder, and let your makeup sit for like 30 minutes. Your natural face heat will begin to meld the products to give you a better idea of how the makeup will look. If it looks dry, spray with setting spray, like MAC Fix+, or if it is oily, I would use a blotting sheet and then do a layer of setting spray.

Now another pro tip I learned from Hung Vanngo — alternate between setting powder and blotting sheets throughout the night when touching up your makeup.

I aim to touch up my face every two hours. If I wait longer than that, the oil will seep through and start breaking down my makeup, so it is best to touch up before that happens.

The deep maroon lip

Tbh, I do not think I look good with a bold lip 😭

However, I tried on Charlotte Tilbury Matte Lipstick in So 90s and was like this is it. This lipstick is the best brownish-red lipstick I have tried. With that being said, definitely look for something that suits your skin tone and vibe.

I tend to stick to warmer colors or something mauve/taupe. I would definitely suggest going to Sephora and trying it on before purchasing. I find that CT has the best wearable colors and comfortable options for lipstick.

If you are looking for other options, I suggest checking out the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams or the NARS Velvet Lip Pencils.

For lip liners, I like CT, NYX, and the Half Magic one I used. Also, I lined my lips weird, but I did not notice until I saw the pics for the thumbnail O.O

I kind of regret applying lipgloss because the lip duo was already so good, but it looks nice in pictures, so I cannot complain.

Cool-toned smokey eyes

Sadly, a lot of products I used are discontinued :( However, I can give some recommendations.

Like I said in the video, the crease color is a cool-toned deep brown that is similar to eyebrow pencils/powders. That is a good start but be wary that a lot of eyebrow products are waxy making them very hard to blend.

If you are looking for a drugstore option: I like the Maybelline City-Mini palettes, and there is one called Matte About Town. It has a good color palette and is matte, but the colors lean a little more brown-warm (but just a tad!) Contour powders are a great option too.

The Editing Process

In post-production, I wanted to go for a cool-toned, vintage look. I kind of got the vintage look only because of my filming quality (LOL).

I also went ahead and upped the contrast because there was A LOT of noise. Again, because of the filming quality.

The last thing I did was I added a cool-toned filter from Final Cut Pro. Idk I think I went a bit overboard with the filter. I am still learning how to use the software so I am going to play around with it a little bit.

Finally, for the thumbnail, I wanted to do an editorial magazine look, and I wanted to copy Yasmeen’s from this iconic photo.

Now I am not a model, but I think it came out ok. I think I fare better with single-photo thumbnails and a simple text overlay. Please let me know what you think.

Final Thoughts

Welp, that is all I have to say really. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any more product recommendations.

Please look forward to my next makeup video and in-depth post. I AM NOT spoiling the next video because I am trying to keep expectations LOW.

Till we meet again ❤

Love,

Laila