Paying homage to beauty's most iconic looks and the women who created them

...Or, in this case - the men. Bowie is all around me right now. I have sat, eagle-eyed, watching approximately seven hour's worth of documentary footage of the thin white duke over the past weeks. Mainly, because I live with a man who's love for Bowie borders on obsession. My boyfriend has adored Bowie since he knew what music was at all. He often thinks he is Bowie. And so, for this week's beauteous icon, I have assumed my own interpretation of him - from his tie-dye bright Ziggy Stardust incarnation. 

Bowie was a man who achieved many things, not least the ability to transform himself into many guises using - among other tools - the power of make-up, like a stage actress would assume a character for a play. He managed to consistently appeal to both men and women and proves here that, yes, blue eye make-up is not merely an affectation of Dame Barbara Cartland. 

And here's the thing: what Bowie has, in his million-mile long career, done for make-up and women who wear it, is equal to that of Grace Jones, Jerry Hall and perhaps even entire make-up brands themselves. He opened up people's minds to it. He used it to interpret himself in a thousand new ways, to express notions that otherwise might have fallen on blind eyes. I mean, the man even looks good wearing foundation. The 70s were a decade of make-up experimentation but brilliantly and unexpectedly, much of this was coming from the music of men. 

And this is the tipping point of it all. Bowie, a glam rock vision for his Life on Mars video. What might look complex on Bowie, however, actually proved remarkably simple. I painted on a chunk of royal blue cream eyeshadow, glazed it's edged with liquid silver (thank you Illamasqua, for once again rising to the occasion) and finished with the surprisingly glamour of a peach blusher as a contour. Bowie's lips were quenched in a sort of 70s peachy red gloss. Through the very visceral fear of looking as though I'm Magaluf-ready, I've opted for a neat, warm cashmere-coloured lipstick instead. 

And it's surprisingly wearable. The sci-fi leanings of the silver edged blue eye lend it a eminently modern feel, you could imagine it comfortably sitting against one of those Star Trek influenced 70s type Balenciaga sweaters, or simply - with some beaten up denim. Or, give yourself a headache, as I've done here with an original 60s psycedelic minidress. 

1. Estee lauder Pure Colour Stay-on Shadow Paint, £19 at Selfridges
2. Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Phenomena Molten Silver, £17.50 
3. MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline, £14 
4. Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Crème Lip Colour, £24 at Selfridges
5. Clinique Powder Blush in Blushing, £21

Photos by Hugo Yangüela