Five ridiculously good make-up tricks to steal from Beyoncé in 'Black Is King'

The Beyhive has been abuzz since the premiere of Beyonce’s visual album Black Is King, but while many have been focused on the fashion served in the film, our eyes have been fixated on beauty looks that are too good to ignore.

Here are five hair and make-up tricks worth stealing:

1. USE HALF-WINGED LINER TO CREATE A MORE FELINE EYE SHAPE

Beyoncé is known for letting her eyes do all the talking when it comes to her beauty looks. If you looked closely, you'd notice that behind the strategically fanned out false lashes she wore in Black Is King, there was another trick contributing to her coveted almond eye shape: her winged eyeliner didn’t line the entire eye. Instead it started a little past the mid-lash line and flicked out past the outer corner of the eye.

Creating a winged liner that extends to either corner of the eye tends to weigh down the lash line as it gets thicker. However, Queen B's half-winged liner technique allows the liner to sit very closely and thinly along the lash line and look “barely there” while creating the illusion of a more elongated, feline eye shape.

2. CREATE THE ILLUSION OF A WIDER EYE WITH HIGHER CREASE PLACEMENTS

We know that placing a darker shade of eye shadow in the crease of your eye creates depth and adds dimension to your eye make-up look, but using these darker shades just above the crease — as Bey did in Black is King — can make your eyes look bigger.

Giving your eye shadow more real estate in this way makes your eyelid look wider and, when the shadow is flicked slightly at the ends, also elongates and tapers the shape of your eye so it looks in proportion.

3. USE TOUCHES OF SHINE TO TAKE A NATURAL LOOK FROM BORING TO BRILLIANT 

We could not ignore Beyoncé’s go-to make-up artist Sir John’s signature spotlight eye paired with iridescent second-skin coverage throughout the whole visual album, but it is the way he applied it to the subtle, natural make-up looks that made it next level.

Going for a soft, glam look, tonal make-up in shades of brown and neutral pinks was given extra dimension and life with the addition of light and shine on eyes and lips courtesy of shimmer shadows and tinted lip gloss.

4. ADD DRAMA WITH BLACK LIPSTICK

The Gothic staple made a comeback by featuring several times in Black Is King. It was given a modern, expensive update by pairing it with high shine finishes and crystal-encrusted clothing and head accessories.

Make sure  your black lipstick is in a matte finish and applied with the precision of a lip brush to create stamped-on colour against super clean, pared back skin. If need be, apply a second coat of lipstick to get the maximum colour pay off. You can elevate the look by adding a slick of gloss, which will turn the matte finish into a vinyl lux one in seconds.

5. BRAIDS DON’T HAVE TO BE JUST ONE THING

Along with being a fashion and make-up feast for the eyes, Black Is King also served as an inspiration mood board of the coolest braided styles of the season.

Not just settling for simple box braids, the visuals sought to showcase the beauty of African hair styling and braiding inspired by different African tribes and cultures.

Mix it up and get into box braids with blonde highlights running through them, paired with cornrows wrapped into Bantu knots — all accented by super wavy kiss-curled baby hairs.