Grab your cowboy boots and hat, your pageant sash, and your blue eyeshadow, because we’re heading to the Cowboy Carter tour! If you snagged tickets to the event of the summer, a.k.a. Beyoncé's tour in support of her Grammy-winning country album, you’re in for a visual and musical treat. If your TikTok FYP and Instagram feed is anything like ours, you’ve seen Bey, Blue Ivy, and the rest of the Cowboy Carter tour crew (hi Rumi!) take the stage in their Western-inspired costumes and makeup to match.
Over the past few years, concertgoers have taken their looks to the next level with on-theme outfits and makeup; think the friendship bracelets and sparkles at Taylor Swift's Eras tour, the vintage-y babydoll dresses at Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n Sweet tour, or the futuristic silver clubwear from Bey’s last tour, Renaissance. The Cowboy Carter tour is no exception, and fans have been showing off their chaps and big Texas hair since the tour kicked off on April 28 in Los Angeles.
If you’re wondering what to wear to the Cowboy Carter tour, don’t forget about your makeup! Makeup is such an essential piece of a top-to-toe concert ensemble, as it highlights your outfit and complements the theme. To get you started, we’ve pulled together some of the best Cowboy Carter makeup ideas, including a few chosen by pro makeup artists. You may not be onstage with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy, but you’ll be glowing and gorgeous just the same!
1. Rhinestone Cowgirl
“It’s all about the glamour and glitz at any Beyoncé concert and Cowboy Carter is no exception,” says makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “I’d go with an intense smokey eye embellished with glitter and rhinestones.”
Spickard recommends creating a gradient smoky eye with Makeup by Mario Original Palette, then defining your lashline with a black or dark brown liner. “I love the Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Pencils because they buff out beautifully and then stay in place once they dry down,” he adds.
Once you finish your smoky eye, top it with Urban Decay’s shimmery gold Space Cowboy shadow, then — with a very steady hand! — create rhinestone liner along your lashline. You may want to do a practice run to make sure the rhinestones stay in place, but it’ll be worth it!
2. Levi's Jeans Lids
Wear your Levi's jeans on your lids! Makeup artist Jonet Williamson suggests carrying the denim vibes through to your eye makeup with touches of blue on your lids. “Use tones of blue that mimic your favorite pair of jeans as a full wash of color across the lid or a splash in the inner corner,” she says.
Williamson recommends a cream shadow or a richly pigmented pressed shadow, applied with a firm brush. To wear color all over your lid, “start at the lash line and blend up and outwards,” she says. For a burst of blue in the inner corner, “start at the tear duct and blend inwards and use a soft brown as a transitional color in your crease for a softer look.” You can go bold and try to recreate a denim pattern or keep it simpler and opt for a wash to match your 'fit. The sky is the limit!
3. Denim Nails
Don't forget about your nails when it's Cowboy Carter tour time. Manicures are a fun way to experiment with texture and color, and Beyoncé herself has worn a few sets designed to look like the beloved jean brand, so you’ll be right on theme. You don’t have to be a professional nail artist, either; a light polish like faded jeans or a superb jelly finish will give you that vintage, worn-out denim vibe.
4. Starry Eyed
There's a photo of Beyoncé in the Cowboy Carter vinyl wearing an embellished star shape around one eye, and the gorgeous look has trickled down to concertgoers, who are adding star-shaped designs to their eyes or temples. While this look may take a bit more practice, it's so impactful and unique, very befitting of this momentous occasion.
Once your complexion makeup is done, grab a star-shaped stencil and tape it to your face, then fill it in with your chosen color, Williamson explains, adding that cream shadows or eye paints are best for an opaque look, while traditional powder shadow would work for an ombré effect. Or, try the reverse by shading around the star shape so you have an outline of color framing your eye or brow.
5. Simple Sparkle
For a super-easy way to add a little glitter and glam to your concert makeup, glue on a face gem or two! Sparkles are always a good idea at concerts, especially when the summer sun makes them glimmer in the light, and they're perfect for makeup newbies. Some concert attendees have been placing a few rhinestone gems near their eyes to add a subtle shine, which couldn’t be easier to DIY at home.
6. Denim & Diamonds
If you want to take your rodeo-star sparkle to the next level, Spickard recommends combining blue eyeshadow with gems for a “denim and diamonds” aesthetic that definitely fits the vintage Americana theme of the Cowboy Carter tour.
First, Spickard recommends brushing a blue shadow all over the lid; he suggests prepping with a light cream base like Danessa Myricks Colorfix in Nude 2, then topping with a blue shadow like those in the Charlotte Tilbury Denim Dimension Eye Palette. Define with liner, then add a rhinestone to the inner corner of the eye or place one on your cheek or near the outer corner of your lip like a beauty mark.
“I’d finish with a dramatic lash,” says Spickard, who likes Kiss’s Lash Couture Noblesse false lashes for “a wispy, dramatic look.” Set the look with the equally sparkly On ‘Til Dawn Glitter Waterproof Setting Spray from ONE/SIZE.
7. A Touch of Turquoise
Beyoncé has been incorporating touches of turquoise into her Cowboy Carter-era looks, including jewelry, turquoise stones on her nails, aqua eyeshadow, and even a turquoise grill in the Cowboy Carter art book. Try wearing the color all over your lids for a ‘60s vibe, swap your usual white French tips for turquoise, or follow Bey’s lead and add turquoise decals to your mani.
8. Iconic Red Lips
Another way to channel the Americana energy of Cowboy Carter is with a bright red lip. A matte liquid formula will stay put all night, which is excellent, because the Cowboy Carter tour is almost three hours long! Spickard likes Sephora's Cream Lip Stain and Maybelline's SuperStay Matte Ink formulas, which will last through the entire set list, even when you're singing at the top of your lungs.
9. Bronzed Eyes
Shimmery bronze smoky eyes are one of Beyoncé’s go-to looks on the tour so far, and they’re pretty easy to replicate at home. Try a liquid formula and add just a small amount to your lid at first, then blend and apply more as needed. Effortlessly glam! Otherwise, a warm, golden bronze powder shadow with a matching liner always looks gorgeous, whether you’re onstage or way, way up in the stadium seating.
10. Soft Winged Liner
People might have drawn their cat-eye liner on sharp and precise at the Eras tour, but we need to soften it up for the Cowboy Carter tour. Consider swapping your go-to black for brown, bronze, or copper. Many dual-ended liners have a smudging tool on one end to make blending and smudging easy, but you can also use a liner brush or a small eyeshadow brush. Draw on your winged liner, then take your tool of choice and smudge the color into your lashline and outward for an exaggerated, soft wing. Then, take a similar color eyeshadow and gently buff the color on top of your wing for more impact. Top with a wash of sparkly eyeshadow and take it to the dancefloor!
