Love him or loathe him, Prince simply isn’t the kind of guy that’ll go unnoticed in a crowd. For someone who measures up at a diminutive 5’2” impressively, he's impossible to overlook. His music speaks for itself – a career spanning five decades is nothing to be sniffed at – but while we may credit the likes of Madonna for shaping the beauty aesthetic of a generation so too must Prince’s influence be acknowledged. A closer look at the 1984 movie Purple Rain proves that we learned a lot from the man about how to put ourselves together. Big hair, overly made-up eyes, the outside saying a lot about what was going on inside…

Yes, believe it or not Prince’s make-up and beauty has endured and as it turns out he’s an example to us all, here's why...

1. The success of your beauty look is directly proportional to how many last minute mirror checks you make

Even if the taxi is beeping its horn outside your window, your boyfriend is nagging you to ‘GET IN THE CAR’ or you are running horribly late do as Prince does – one last check. It can save you all manner of cosmetic disaster - from mascara smudges, tide marks and (worst-case-scenario), lipstick on teeth.

2. A good basting with some body oil makes EVERYONE look better

Still extensively feared for its propensity to make an unholy amount of mess, body oil, as evidenced by Prince, goes a long way in making any body type look like slightly more toned version of itself. Though, since we're not Prince, and don't do a huge amount of onstage cavorting, it's best we go easy and allow said body oil to absorb before attempting to clothe ourselves. 

3. Saliva sets make-up

Call it gross, but look us in the eye and tell us you’ve never used a bit of spit to set your eyebrow or touch up a smudged eye line. No? We didn’t think so. If Prince says it's alright, well then, that's good enough for us. He's just keeping it real.

4. When concealer fails, call on some gigantic shades to hide a multitude of skin sins

Also handy for throwing shade though displaying the universal sign for 'I don't think so, b****' - the sunglasses peer-over. Deploy at will.

5. The higher the hair the closer to God

There’s a reason Prince refused to wear a helmet when he was riding around with Appollonia on his Harley. This is it.

6. Paint on your make-up like an artist would a painting 

Make-up artists fall into one of two camps: fingers vs brushes and the debate will forever rage on… What we do know is that Prince is a card-carrying brushes man. And he probably does the square-hands perspective check at his own face in the mirror. 

7. Want hardcore eyeliner? Make friends with your waterline

We can but guess if Kate Middleton is a huge Prince fan, but what isn’t in doubt is that both of them love a bit of eyeliner in the waterline (the bit that touches your eyeball). And the truth is there’s nothing like it for making eyes ‘pop’ and making a feature of your peepers. Beware, has a tendancy to slide down the face when you go dancing.

8. The unrivalled power of The Beauty Spot

OK, so Marilyn came first but the 90s saw the beauty spot enjoy a bit of a moment. Madonna was constantly darkening hers, Cindy’s became her calling card and eye liners everywhere took on double-duty to draw them on. Where you choose to place it is of utmost importance. Prince of course, opted for the central left cheekbone position. Ever the eccentric.

9. Taking yoga out of the studio and onto the stage can vastly improve your flexibility

Who says popping out a Dhanurasana need only take place in the comfort of an artificially heated gym studio? Prince proves that true yogis must never fight the compulsion to assume a pose, even in front of a stadium of paid up fans. Keep it PG though, yeah?

10. Consider working in some 'assymetry' into your next haircut

The Purple Rain video was the one which best crystallised Prince's signature look. At the top of his list of achievements? An assymetrical Soul-Glo haircut with a geomtetric feat of proportions. Sort of like a Jean Michel Basquiat artwork, in hair form. It doesn't make sense, but then it doesn't have to.

11. Set free your (big) brows!

The move towards pencilled-in furry caterpillars began not with Cara, nor Cindy. It began with Prince. In the 80s. Later on, in the 90s, he discovered threading, and it wasn't good. We'd prefer to rememeber his full-bodied brows and live by their example.

12. A 5'o'cock shadow is just as good as a full face of contouring

Like a tiny footrest for his cheekbones, Prince's designer stubble cast the light and shade necessary to create a bone structure sent down from heaven. In lieu of actual facial hair, we, in turn, have bronzer.

13. Pouting is a necessary evil

Misused, some may argue (ahem, Kim Kardashian), by a certain type of reality star, Prince made pouting a thing back in the day. Somehow childlike and a little bit petulant, we suspect he always got what he wanted as a result. And bloody hell, did he have the pillowy lips for it.

14. Beards are beautiful

Sorry Conchita Wurst, you ain’t the first… Long before Eurovision’s winner made face-fur a ‘thing’ Prince somehow made a goatee feminine. It’s a look we admire, but shan’t be trying…

15. Being mysterious makes you more beautiful

Some say Kate Moss’s allure comes in part from rarely hearing her speak, but the magic spell she weaves when she hits the catwalk or steps in front of a camera is undeniable. Prince’s mystery was all the more compelling because of the raw emotion that poured out of the figure he cut in this scene, which we like to call 'the pensive chair stance.'