How Ellen Barkin and Cleopatra Inspired Sonja Morgan's Reunion Look

We are still in complete awe of Sonja Morgan's The Real Housewives of New York City Season 12 reunion look, especially that next-level glam. Everything from her smoldering eye makeup to her glowing complexion to her chic, short hairdo was absolute perfection. We had to find out more, so we got all the details on how Sonja's glam look came together straight from the source: her makeup artist Caroline Blanchard.

For Sonja's reunion glam, Caroline drew inspiration from two female figures, the first being Hollywood actress Ellen Barkin for Sonja's hair. "I saw a photograph of Ellen Barkin looking so beautiful, powerful, and sexy with this great hairstyle. At last year’s reunion, I told Sonja that this would be an epic hairstyle on her. I envisioned her face with that asymmetrical blond ambition hair," Caroline shared. 

Ahead of the reunion, Sonja actually cut her hair into an asymmetrical bob at the hands of hairstylist Roy Teeluck, so Caroline was easily able to style Sonja's hair into a sleek, Ellen Barkin-inspired look. She achieved the hairstyle by blow-drying her hair with a round brush and setting the front layers with a few velcro rollers for added body. 

The second piece of inspiration, which inspired Sonja's makeup look, was a historical figure, and the idea came from Sonja's dress. Caroline had an epiphany as soon as she laid eyes on Sonja's reunion dress, which featured a "Pharaoh-like" bejeweled collar. "Cleopatra eyes came to my mind immediately. I thought her makeup needed to look 'inspired' by Cleopatra, which I wanted to be mixed with nudes and gold — less about colors, more about sleek black lines," she shared. 

Photo: Courtesy of Caroline Blanchard

To create Sonja's base, Caroline prepped her skin with Laniege Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer and then applied It Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50 for a "smooth" and hydrated complexion. Then, she contoured her cheekbones and jawline using Kristofer Buckle Triplicity Perfecting Foundation Stick in the shade Deep and set her makeup with Too Faced Born This Way Pressed Powder Foundation and Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder. 

For her eyes, Caroline used a variety of nude, copper, and gold shimmery eyeshadows along her eyelids and creases: "Sonja loves a smoky eye so we compromised with a dash of smokiness along the outer corners of her eyes and a sleek line peering out from the smoky eyeshadow around the corners of her eyes." 

To give Sonja's green eyes an "extra kick," she lined her waterline with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky. "I underlined that with a black liquid liner by Christian Louboutin to trap the copper and define the eye with a sleek black line that went up a little further out to get that wide eye look for Sonja, as she prefers her eyes to look bigger," Caroline explained. 

Photo: Courtesy of Caroline Blanchard

Now, about that glow. Caroline topped the apples of Sonja's cheeks with a mix of Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush in Pink and Coral. Then, she highlighted her cheekbones by using the Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette. 

Sonja's glossy nude pout? Well, that's a creation Caroline calls the “blanchie blends" — and she's not spilling the tea. She said, "Everyone asks me what shades I used and it's my secret beauty power. I blend a different variety of shades always, but what is consistent is a clear gloss topper."

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