Inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

          Welcome to another episode of 'Inspired by art'! Today I want to share a look inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting Two Sisters (1881). Two sisters was set on a restaurant terrace on the Seine River at Chatou. Incidentally, the two girls in the painting were not true sisters! I chose this painting because the warm brights mixed with the relaxed cool background reflect my wish for spring in the midst of winter.

          There is such a vivid yet genteel array of colors in the painting. The colors that I extracted included: the crisp ivory white of the little girl's outfit, the creamy white of the elder sister's complexion, the lavender blue of the railing, trees, and river, the ultramarine blue in the outfits, the mahogany railing, the red-orange of the hats, peach in the cornucopia and flowers, and an irreverent hint of fuschia in one flower of the little girl's hat.

          When choosing makeup colors, I focused on mattes and pretty colors. The products I chose to represent this Renoir-inspired look were:

• Ivory white - Bobbi Brown Ivory eyeshadow
• Creamy white - Bobbi Brown Navajo eyeshadow
• Lavender blue - Bobbi Brown Plum Navy eyeshadow
• Ultramarine blue - NARS Outremer eyeshadow
• Mahogany - Bobbi Brown Velvet Bronze eyeshadow and MUFE 18L eyeliner
• Red-orange - Chanel Peregrina lipstick mixed with a hint of NARS Red Lizard lipstick
• Peach - NARS Deep throat blush and NARS Sex Appeal blush
• Fuschia - OPI Koala Bear-y nail polish

          The seamless combination of colors is where the inherent beauty of the Renoir lies. However, it was challenging to combine them for a cohesive makeup look! The eyes should be simple. An ivory or creamy white base should be used all over the eye. The focus of the eye can be a simple line. For blue eyes, a mahogany pencil liner can be used  and the smudged with a similar colored or bronze eyeshadow. For brown eyes, a a damp angled liner brush can be used to draw a precise line with NARS Outremer. Cheeks are peach. NARS Sex Appeal can be used for a subtle matte peach finish or NARS Deep Throat can be used for a more flushed finish. Lips are a muted but pretty red-orange. I don't have this color so I mixed Chanel peregrina (a peach) with NARS Red lizard (red). Finally for an unexpected pop, I painted my nails a bright fuschia color.

          Thanks for reading! I enjoyed creating a look inspired by Renoir. What colors are inspiring you this (almost) spring? Where do you find your color inspirations? Do you have any favorite artists?

Love, Dovey.