Looking ‘Peaked’ : Thanks to the Hit TV Show, Full Lips, Pale Skin and Dark Eyes Are in Vogue

THE HOTTEST LOOK these days is a cross between stark, sultry ‘40s film noir and lush, overripe ‘50s Hollywood, with a Beat Generation twist: Ida Lupino meets Marilyn Monroe in a Melrose coffeehouse. Where or how the look actually started doesn’t matter, but it is best exemplified by the characters on “Twin Peaks,” David Lynch’s quirky, nighttime soap on ABC. This new L. A. look is based on pale skin, dark eyes and brows, and a full, dark, matte mouth. Carla Roseto Fabrizi, head makeup artist for “Twin Peaks,” says the look is not accidental; Lynch’s actors were chosen because they reflect his vision of his characters. “David’s actresses’ skin is very clear,” Fabrizi says, which is a big help in establishing a pale palette. (Kyle McLachlan, who plays heartthrob FBI agent Dale Cooper, has such a light complexion that Fabrizi uses a darker foundation. “And,” she sighs, “he has great skin.”)

To create the “Twin Peaks” look, Fabrizi relies on some favorite tools. She uses Christian Dior’s Visora, a matte foundation that’s readily available in Paris and findable--with no little diligence--on this side of the Atlantic. “Visora gives a nice, smooth look,” she says. “I particularly like it because it actually brings out a person’s skin tone.” Since naturally colored areas, such as cheeks, show through a bit, Fabrizi cautions that Visora is a good choice only for people with unblemished skin. Women who require more coverage may do better with professional-quality foundations, including those by makeup artist Joe Blasco, who has developed his own cosmetics line (available at Sunset Beauty Supply and other beauty-supply stores), which Fabrizi also uses.

For camouflaging serious skin problems, Fabrizi likes Max Factor’s Erace, in neutral. “It’s great for under-eye circles and broken capillaries,” she says. And it’s cheap--under $5--compared with some higher-priced but less effective cover-ups.

Rice powder is another “Twin Peaks” staple. Fabrizi favors it, she says, “because it gives a real nice matte finish that doesn’t drop into the cracks” of laugh lines, dimples and wrinkles. And because it’s truly translucent, rice powder can be worn by women with skin tones from porcelain-pale to deep olive. Ultima now offers rice powder as part of its The Nakeds line, and Payot and Alexandra de Markoff rice powders are available at Saks Fifth Avenue. For eye color, Fabrizi prefers neutral shadows, such as taupe, and thick black liner. “I use an angle brush, sweep it along a dry, powder shadow and put it across the eye. I might elongate an almond-shaped eye for drama,” she says. Lips are never shiny. Fabrizi uses Matte Brandy, Matte Wine and Matte Mocha lipsticks, available at Frends Beauty Supply. Similar colors are Tailleur, a medium mocha shade by Christian Dior; Tabac and Toffee, both reddish browns from Prescriptives; Finale, a clear red from Chanel, and Burnt Sienna from Lancome.

To adapt the pale look for evening, Fabrizi urges women to “pump it up a bit.” “Make eyes more intense by placing a contour in the crease. If you have really good skin, with nice lids, place a drop of pearlized shadow or powder in the center of the lid.” A kohl pencil can be run along the rims of the inner lids for added emphasis (this is not an option for contact-lens wearers). An evening mouth can be made more dramatic by lining lips in a color that’s not an exact match to the lipstick. Fabrizi uses lip liner on her actors during the day, but “it’s so close to the color you’re putting on, you’d never know; for day, it’s just used to give a neater look and to keep the lipstick in place.”

For her own face, Fabrizi often wears brown eye liner and the earth tones she uses on the “Twin Peaks” cast. When they’re filming, she lives, eats and breathes the series, and Lynch’s intensity starts to affect her, too. “I start to experiment,” she says. “I’ll try a look on myself before I do it on one of the actresses, or I’ll end up doing it on them and liking it.” Fabrizi admits that time--the makeup ritual can take 45 minutes--often plays a part in deciding whether or not she practices on herself what she’s perfected on the show: When things get hectic, adopting the “Twin Peaks” aesthetic “really depends on whether or not I want to get some extra sleep.”