makeup retrospective: my owl house lookbook
Following her work on Gravity Falls and DuckTales, Dana Terrace was announced as the show runner for an original cartoon on Disney called The Owl House. From the first few preview artwork and clips, I was all in to fall in love with Luz, Eda, and King. The pilot episode was fun and made me curious about what might be revealed about the world that Luz had stumbled into, especially with the secret she was keeping from her mom about pursuing an interest in (potentially dangerous) magic over attending summer camp. Although it actually took me a couple of episodes to fully bond with the show, when I was in? It became a major hyperfixation. Even though I do not participate in fandom spaces myself, my tumblr likes was flooded with screenshots/gifsets, art, and theories. I watched every episode as it came out and felt so invested in the characters - especially when things became strained and difficult for them.
Before the final season released, I did a makeup look series inspired by twelve characters from the show and I felt like I was finding my artist aesthetic at the time - even more than the previous two series I shared. It made me excited creatively in a way that I hadnât in a long time. Itâs been a couple years since the last episode aired and I think I might very well be due for a rewatch soon.
There will be mild spoilers here, including late-stage characters whose very existence is a spoiler. So if youâre an anti-spoiler person like myself, and are interested in checking out the series, tread carefully!
Iâm not a witch. But Iâm training hard to be one.
Luz Noceda was such are refreshing and delightful character. Among the other Disney protagonists of the era such as Star Butterfly (imaginative, odd, loud, action-first-think-later) and Anne Boonchuy (athletic, messy, adventurous, and a bit selfish), Luz is an outcast, daydreamer, extroverted, and compassionate kid. It was such a great lineup of female characters that felt distinct, yet part of a similar era of television. The way Luzâs eyes would light with excitement when she would learn a new detail about the Boiling Aisles was infectious; she was truly a student ready to absorb every bit of knowledge she could in the pursuit of being able to do magic herself and carve out her own role in this realm. And, like all of these magical-girl influenced characters, Luz also develops a selfless side to her in which sheâs willing to take on big risks if it means saving all of the people she has grown to love.
Back when I was experimenting with this color combination, I remember having to do it multiple times because it just wasnât coming together in a way that captured Luzâs personality. In the end, I decided to do a simple look that had a lot of sheer sparkle (likely Looxi Angel Wings) since light was the first spell she successfully cast on the show.
Ever since Luz came here, things have just gotten confusing. Iâm thinking things I never thought before. Iâm feelings things I never used to feel.
I fell in love with Amity Blight at first sight. Iâm a sucker for a mean girl character that I know is going to soften over time and whose backstory will reveal that there is so much more to them than the persona that they present in society. Not only did I get that with Amity, but she was such a brief example of âenemies to lovers.â Indeed, she fell into my niche favorite sub-trope âone-sided enemies to lovers,â not unlike Syaoran Li in Cardcaptor Sakura. The way that she transforms into a blushing, sputtering mess absolutely killed me - especially since I was still used to shows that werenât able to unabashedly present these types of plot points in kids shows.
Though I have a soft spot for the shade of green that Amity dyes her hair in season one, the moment she rebels against her familial expectations of conformity was so cathartic that I knew I wanted to do a purple look for her. Now I have shades of purple that would get closer to her model, but these are shadows that I still love and wear all the time - in fact, theyâre in a custom palette that I keep year round.
I want to be strong and wise to protect everyone I love. And if anyone gets in my way, theyâll feel the sting of defeat.
Itâs so hard to pick favorite characters in this cast, but Willow Park is definitely high up on the list of those that I relate to the most. She begins the series as a very shy girl who is teased by her classmates for falling short of expectations in the Abomination Track; over time, she not only comes into her powers for plant magic, but also becomes confident and assertive, nurturing friendships that are genuinely mutually fulfilling. It was so cool watching her join this universeâs version of roller derby (competed on staffs that grant flight) and even begin flirting with a prospective love interest that I could not help but ship with my whole heart.
The makeup look, however, didnât turn out the way that I wanted, because the placement and blend werenât that interesting and I didnât like any of the photos I took. If I were to revisit Willow, I would probably lean into her Flyer Derby costume with more shades of green and maybe a fun liner or face paint pattern.
So yeah, not everybodyâs great, but not everybodyâs bad either, yâknow? For what itâs worth, you can trust me. I promise not to mess with you.
Gus Porter is such a compassionate sweet bean whose magic becomes so powerful in the second half of the series. I love when characters have non-traditional abilities and the way he works his illusion magic was truly fascinating! It was fun having a character who was younger, deeply interested in the human world, and a source of comic relief that still had depth. He has three significant rivals throughout the series and I enjoyed how those relationships changed over time thanks to their respective growths in character.
For the look, I wanted to reference the way Gusâs eyes glow this magnificent shade of blue when he taps into his more powerful illusion magic. It would have been fun to pair it with a darker lip, but I still like how much glow I was able to capture - likely using the shade Glossover from Temptaliaâs collaboration palette, Radiant Reflection.
I spent my whole life believing I was doing something good for someone good⌠but it was a lie. And some part of me still wants to⌠believe in that lie, just like you wanna believe youâre dumb, or whatever. But itâs not true. I promise. I wouldnât mess with you.
Oh, Hunter. Even though I was fully prepared to hate him when he was first introduced, his story arc was done so well that he ended up ticking the box for so many of my favorite antagonist tropes. In the final season, my mind was also buzzing with so many ideas for writing an essay on found families and identity narratives in childrenâs cartoons. Plus, Zeno Robinson did an amazing job voice acting this character and quickly became one of my favorite voice actors with such an incredible range! There was just so much to love about Hunterâs growth that I was not expecting at all and I am still delightfully surprised by reflecting back.
It was a bonus that I loved how this makeup look turned out. The natural, warmer light in my room washed out the how smoky the inner corner really was or the subtler tones of my contour and lipstick, but they serve the purpose of reminding me of how cool I felt wearing it haha Will be revisiting looks like this one when a certain eyeshadow palette I ordered arrives later this week.
Itâs okay; we just faced down a giraffe. I can do this!
Spoiler warnings ahead: I never expected Vee to stick around in the series as a character so it was wonderful when she not only popped up again but became an important figure in the final season. I love her plucky personality and the choice she makes to remain in the human world - cementing even more of those found family plot points. Characters that can shapeshift are often give fairly similar tropes (deceitful, cunning, sarcastic, callous, sensual, etc), but I love that what Vee really wants is a sense of stability in her identity and she is so special as her true self (regardless of appearance) rather than mimicking someone else.
Truthfully, I donât think this look does Vee justice. She has such a cool color story in the show and, as a changeling, thereâs fun opportunity for using some shifty shadows. But I didnât feel like I had the right tone of green, had some trouble configuring blue and orange together, and the shape isnât even what I had in mind. Some days, the makeup just has a mind of its own!
I donât regret anything. I lived freely and⌠I got to meet you.
Edalyn âEdaâ Clawthorne is such a fiery storm of a character. And boy did she break my heart several times throughout the series (especially in episodes like âAgony of a Witchâ and âEdaâs Requiem.â) Itâs too rare for cartoons to feature older, female central characters, especially ones who get to be a badass with emotional depth. Now that Iâm in my 30s, this is a kind of representation that I have found myself longing for more often in the novels that I read (someone my age or older) so finding characters like that in other kinds of media help me feel less uncertain about aging - silly as that may sound.
Spoiler warning ahead: Adding a queer love story to Eda just made me feel all the more attached to her. It made the found family theme even more resonant, empowering, and important to me.
Spoilers over! As for the makeup, I would add more gray if I were to visit this look again. Most of the gray tones that I had leaned very cool and blue or didnât show up that well on my skintone. But I can think of a few ways that I could give more of a nod to her palette than the silver shimmer I added to the lid. I would also use a completely different lip color. Either a bloodier red or that could be where the gray tones come forward⌠Iâve never worn a true gray lipstick before, but who better to do it for than Eda?
I was once the might King of Demons. I was beloved almost as much as I was feared. But one dark day, an evil spell was cast⌠transforming me into this.
ÂĄAy que lindo! I was in love with King as soon as Dana Terrace and the crew shared announcement art for the show. Heâs so adorable even when heâs trying to be evil and powerful, but heâs far from being a simple mascot character. As with the rest of the principle cast, King goes on his own journey to discover his origins and it turns out that his background, and what he decides to do moving forward, is such a core element of the main plot.
This is another favorite makeup look from this era. You can tell how much I enjoyed the technique from Hunterâs look because I was itching to play with a smokey inner corner and negative space again not long after. Whatever gold shimmer I used was also SO and I wish I could remember which one I used.
I donât know what youâre running from, but a great witch once told me something about punching fears in the face? What Iâm trying to say is donât give up so easily. They probably need you more than you realize.
Spoiler warning ahead: Raine Whispers caught me off-guard in the best way and it was love at first sight for me. I used to main as a halfling bard in Dungeons and Dragons so it was a lot of fun getting to know a character from the Bard Coven⌠and of course, their background knowing Eda since they were kids at school, the unresolved feelings between them⌠absolute chefâs kiss. We need more nonbinary representation in cartoons like Raine.
I love pairing mint greens and warm, chocolate browns together, but I would have liked to include a pale olive green to match Raineâs cloak. I have a green lip mud that would have been the perfect lip shade - or even just a desaturated brown. This look is just a little too pretty: something I certainly enjoy wearing, but that doesnât accurately reflect the characterâs vibe.
I am not one to be trifled with, bees. I am a witch⌠unhinged!
When we were first introduced to Lilith Clawthorne, I didnât like her. Of course, thatâs how the viewer is positioned to feel about her early on when she occupies the position of the antagonists. As we get to know more about how she came to be associated with the Coven and what her family dynamics were like with Eda growing up, I felt much more sympathetic toward her and proud of the changes that she made to try to make up for her wrongs. Still canât get on board with Hooty though even if her friendship with him is somewhat cute haha Someone has to like him!
I did not have the right blue for this look and would have preferred a true brown lip to pair with it. The lighting was also horrendous and I was starting to lose some of my steam for this makeup series. I think I could do much more justice to her now.
Say, you want to play tag? Iâm it!
Spoiler warning ahead: The Collector has big Majoraâs Mask Skull Kid energy. Iâm so used to having Chaotic Evil characters in media lately that a Chaotic Neutral one was so much fun to witness! Plus, his color scheme really inspired me to play around with layering both eyeshadow and lip products. The writers/boarders did a great job building up to this characterâs reveal and even though the series was cut way shorter than it could have been, I still found what short arc we were given satisfying to experience.
I forgot about the astral oath⌠to love and protect each other just as they are.â
In season one, I wasnât fond of Camila Nocedaâs choices for Luz. This was far from an unpopular opinion in a show with an audience of fellow outsiders, but when she returned to the show later on in the series we learned so much more about her own background and how that influenced the decisions that she made trying to protect her daughter. The series handled intergenerational trauma in such an effective manner for multiple characters, and Camilaâs story to heal from her past and do right by her daughter and ragtag group of friends was one of my favorites.
The makeup look wasnât special, but I wanted to embrace some beautiful neutral tones to celebrate how the earthlings are just as important as all of the fantastic characters in the story. I do wish that I had added a touch of that class Noceda blue though!
Thank you for reading! Ęáľá´ĽáľĘ