The Melanie Martinez Portals makeup look is one of the most striking music-inspired beauty transformations of the last few years, and recreating it at home is far more achievable than it first appears. If you have ever stared at that album cover and wondered how to turn yourself into a pink, four-eyed fairy creature for a party or a shoot, this is the guide for you. I have broken the whole thing down into manageable steps, with the UK products I would actually reach for.
As someone with a BSc in Cosmetic Science from the London College of Fashion at UAL, I spend a lot of time thinking about how pigments sit on skin, which helps when a look is this bold. Let me walk you through the aesthetic, the kit, and the technique, plus how to keep your skin happy underneath it all.
The Portals Aesthetic, Explained
Portals is Melanie Martinez’s third studio album, released on 31 March 2023. For this era she reimagined her long-running Cry Baby character as a pink-skinned, four-eyed fairy creature, complete with pointed ears and forest-toned hair, surrounded by mushrooms, moss and wildflowers. The wider aesthetic leans into a fairycore-meets-gothic world of rebirth and nature.
For a makeup look, that translates into a few signature elements: an all-over pink or rosy wash of colour, a painted second set of eyes beneath your real ones, an ethereal blush and highlight, and dewy, otherworldly skin. You do not need prosthetics or pointed ears to read as Portals. The four-eye effect and the pink tone do most of the heavy lifting.
This is a costume look rather than an everyday one, so think Halloween, a themed party, a cosplay event, or a creative photoshoot.
What You Will Need
Gather your kit before you start, because this look is easier when you are not hunting for a brush mid-blend. You will want a cosmetic-grade face paint or a pink cream base, a white or pale base to mix and lighten, black and white face paint or eyeliner for the second eyes, a few pink and berry eyeshadows, an ethereal highlighter or fine cosmetic glitter, false lashes, a setting spray, and small detail brushes.
One important note from me. Use cosmetic-grade, skin-safe products, never craft or poster paint, and keep anything that is not specifically eye-safe away from the waterline. Patch test on your inner arm 24 hours ahead, especially if you have sensitive skin, as face paints are a common cause of contact dermatitis (Source: NHS).
How to Create the Melanie Martinez Portals Makeup Look
Work in thin layers and set as you go. Rushing a pink base is how you end up patchy.
Step 1: Prep and the pink base
Start with clean, moisturised skin and a grippy primer. Apply your pink base across the face in light layers, building colour rather than caking it on. Mixing a touch of white into the pink at the high points of the face gives that lit-from-within, not-quite-human glow. If you are still finding your feet with placement, our guide to contouring for beginners covers where the high and low points of the face sit. Set lightly with a translucent powder so the next steps do not slide.
Step 2: The second set of eyes
This is the signature of the whole Melanie Martinez Portals makeup look, so take your time. Using a fine brush, sketch a second pair of eyes on the upper cheeks or just below your real eyes. Map the shape first in a soft pencil, then fill the whites with white face paint, add an iris in a colour that matches your real ones, and finish with a black outline and tiny lashes. A dot of white in each iris sells the illusion.
Step 3: Ethereal blush, freckles and highlight
Layer a berry or deep-pink blush over the cheeks and across the nose for that flushed, fae look. Tap faux freckles over the top with a brown pencil to add a storybook quality. Then press an ethereal highlighter or fine glitter onto the cheekbones, brow bones and the tip of the nose so the skin looks dewy and luminous.
Step 4: Lips, lashes and finishing
Define the real eyes with a wash of pink or mauve shadow and a flick of liner. If you want to push them further, borrow from our light blue smokey eye tutorial, then add dramatic false lashes. Paint the lips in a soft pink or berry to match. Finish everything with a couple of light passes of setting spray, which melts the layers together and stops the face paint cracking.
Best UK Products for the Portals Look
These are the products I would use to build this look, all available on Amazon UK. If you are putting a kit together on a budget, our roundup of the best makeup products under £20 is a useful companion. Prices were correct at the time of writing in June 2026.
- Snazaroo Face Painting Palette (around £13.48): a water-based, skin-safe palette with the core colours, brush and sponge. Snazaroo is the trusted name here, which matters when paint is going all over your face.
- Snazaroo Classic Face and Body Paint in Lilac (around £4.79): a single skin-safe cream in a soft purple, perfect for the lilac shadows and accents that give the look its depth.
- Holographic Face and Body Glitter Gel (around £6.98): the ethereal shimmer that makes the skin look fae rather than flat. Press it onto the high points with a fingertip.
- Ardell Demi Wispies False Lashes, 5 pairs (around £9.95): vegan-friendly, fluttery and forgiving to apply. Five pairs means you can practise before the day.
- NYX Professional Makeup Matte Setting Spray, 60ml (around £6.74): a budget setting spray that locks face paint in place for the evening. Mist it in light layers at the end.
If you only buy one thing, make it the face paint palette, because cheap craft paints crack and irritate. A setting spray is the second most useful, since it is the difference between a look that lasts an evening and one that slides off by the time you arrive.
Halal status: product certifications vary by brand. The Ardell Demi Wispies are vegan-friendly, and several face paints and setting sprays are cruelty-free, though few are halal certified. Always check the current ingredient list and certification directly with the brand, since formulations change.
Wearing the Portals Look with a Hijab
Here is something that gets overlooked: this is a brilliant look for hijab-wearing readers, because every bit of the drama lives on the face. The pink base, the four eyes and the dewy highlight carry the whole thing, no hairstyling required.
To pull it together, choose a hijab in a forest green, mossy or soft pink tone to echo the album’s nature palette, and let the face be the focal point. If you wear the look for a long event, blot gently rather than rubbing, and carry a small setting spray to refresh the highlight. Keep face paint clear of the hairline where the scarf sits to avoid transfer onto the fabric.
How to Remove It Safely
Do not scrub. Soak a cotton pad in a gentle cleansing oil or micellar water and let it sit on the skin for a few seconds to dissolve the paint before wiping. Double cleanse afterwards, then apply a rich moisturiser, because face paint and setting spray can leave skin tight and dry. If you notice any redness or itching, stop and let the skin recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makeup do you need for the Melanie Martinez Portals look?
A pink cosmetic-grade base, a white base to lighten, black and white paint or liner for the second set of eyes, berry blush, an ethereal highlighter or glitter, false lashes and a setting spray.
How do you do the four eyes effect?
Sketch a second pair of eyes below your real ones with a soft pencil, fill the whites with white face paint, add a matching iris, then outline in black and paint tiny lashes. A white dot in each iris makes them look real.
Is the Portals makeup look hard to do?
It takes patience rather than advanced skill. The trickiest part is the second set of eyes, so practise those once before the day. Everything else is layering colour and setting it.
What is the Portals aesthetic?
It is the pink, four-eyed fairy creature persona Melanie Martinez introduced for her 2023 album Portals, blending fairycore and gothic nature themes with mushrooms, moss and forest tones.
How do I stop face paint cracking?
Apply thin layers, set with translucent powder, and finish with setting spray. Avoid thick single coats, which crack as your face moves.
The Takeaway
Nail the pink base and the second set of eyes and the rest of the Melanie Martinez Portals makeup look falls into place. Keep your products skin-safe, set everything well, and remove it gently so your skin recovers happily. For something more wearable day to day, try our TikTok latte makeup look next.
Beauty and Wellness content at MyBreezyLife is created by our editorial team and reviewed by founder Noreen Fahad. This article contains affiliate links. We only recommend products we genuinely rate.
