Costume Creations: Doctor Who's Amy Pond

Hoo boy, I do not look like Karen Gillan. Not even slightly. Of course, like every other female Doctor Who fan in the world, that doesn't stop me from absolutely coveting her hair, makeup, and clothes on the show. Amy Pond is entirely gorgeous, but in that accessible, girl-next-door kind of way. I know that some of you out there might be considering an Amy costume for Halloween, or possibly as cosplay for a convention (I'm getting excited for the New Orleans Comic-Con, myself). To help out, I recreated the look Karen Gillan is wearing in this photo. I can't find where it was taken, but it looks like a press junket. This, out of all the photos I found online, struck me as the most typical "Amy" look (which is odd, since she's not in character in this shot, but whatevs):


Photo Credit

And here's the recreation. You have no idea how badly I want her photographer and lighting and hairstylist and retouching program and genes...

I have to say, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! The colors are pretty close, and I finally figured out how to do the "Amy Pond Eye". So, here's what we're doing:

First, prime your face, then apply a medium to full coverage foundation. I used Tarte Clean Slate and Urban Decay Naked Skin. You can use whatever you want, of course. If you're doing this for a con, where you're going to be walking around and getting sweaty, but will still be photographed out the ears, Ben Nye cream foundations look amazing and were built for that kind of wear (see the princess tutorial from a couple of days ago, because that's what I used. Heck, see it anyway, 'cause we're going to be reusing a lot of those techniques, here).

Next, prime your eyes from lid to brow with a flesh colored base. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, but NYX or E.L.F. would work well, too. After I primed, I went into my NYX Crimson Amulet palette and used the matte pink eyeshadow all over the lid and on up to the brow. Next, I took the lilac satin finish and applied it at the crease, then went over it with the purplish-blue color. The white shimmer went just at the brow bone. To line the eyes in that distinct Amy Pond fashion, I used a black gel pencil (Buxom's Insider Eyeliner in Black Onyx) on the top lashline, then brought it down to the bottom lashline, and ran it halfway across. It doesn't wing, but the two lines do connect. Then, I grabbed a waterproof black liner (UD 24/7 in Zero) and used it on the waterline, but only in the very outer corner. I cleaned up by lashlines by running black shadow on a flat brush across them. A white liner (NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk) went on the rest of the waterline and in the inner corner. The look's not difficult, but there are more steps than I ever thought for. Finish up the eyes by filling in your brows and applying copious amounts of black mascara to your top and bottom lashes.

The Eye. Thrilling...

Back to the skin! Grab your concealer (one shade lighter than your foundation, please), and draw a V shape from the inner corner of your eye, down the side of your nose, and back up to the outer corner of your eye. Fill it in and blend it out. This will create that cool "Kim Kardashian" highlight, and it's the same technique we used on the princess look. In fact, go ahead and highlight the center of your nose, your chin, and your forehead while you're at it. I'll wait...

Alrighty. Now, if you're not totally sleep deprived, like I was, this is when you'd want to set everything with a transluscent powder. If you're me, you'll remember that after you have a pain of a time applying your blush. Going back to the NYX Crimson Amulet palette, use the matte pink blush only on my outer cheekbone. The apples are left bare. Then, take the matte red blush and go over the pink, to create a berry color. After that, use a light bronzer to contour the cheekbones and nose. Then (even if you set with a transluscent powder earlier), grab your HD powder and give the whole look a good once over.

Next, take a berry lipliner (mine was the Night Villain color from the E.L.F. Maleficent palette) and line your lips, bringing the color in on the outer corners. Then, fill in with a berry lipstick. I used Buxom's Lip Tarnish in Scandal, but MAC Chic works well, too. Finally, if you're me, and just feel like being sparkly, grab the pretty highlighter out of the NYX palette and go over the already highlighted areas. I don't recommend it, since it photographs weird, but I was on allergy meds and punchy, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn't.

In person, you are going to look like you have on more makeup than a Norma Desmond-wannabe, but it photographs really well. Have fun exploring time and space!!!