Birthday makeup is difficult. On your birthday, you want to shine, not be outshone by your cake. Our answer is to take inspiration from Flour Baby Bakery’s creations. To tie into your themed party, bring the colours of your icing into your make-up. Flour Baby Bakery is run by Zoe. Her cakes are known for beautiful pastel shades, smooth buttercream finishes and intricate piped designs. Here are some techniques to help you achieve the best birthday makeup.
Getting Inspiration for the Look
Not sure what makeup look to go for? Inspiration doesn’t always have to come from Instagram grids or other people’s finished looks. Zoe shares that one of the best pieces of advice she ever received was “draw inspiration from everything except other people’s versions of the thing you’re trying to create. Just like beauty and fashion, cake design evokes feeling without words”. For her cakes, that means turning to nature, fashion, makeup, food and drink, even architecture or perfume bottles.
You can do the same with makeup: pull colour palettes from a favourite outfit, take blending cues from the soft gradient of a sunset, or layer textures like you would with frosting. Zoe also emphasises precision and layering in her cake work; two principles that translate beautifully into makeup. Whether it’s building shadow slowly for depth or using a steady hand for eyeliner, the artistry lies in those details.
Laying the Foundation
Skincare is the key to a flawless base. Stick to what works for you; your go-to skincare ritual is best. A birthday look isn’t the time for changing a solid routine. Just like building a flawless base in makeup, layering a cake takes balance, proportion, and stability.
Zoe put it this way: “Much like primer under foundation, I use an undercoat of buttercream to lock in the crumbs and get a good base, then apply a smooth top coat”. If your skin is on the oilier side, a matifying primer like the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder in the t-zone can help to keep your look intact. Alternatively, if you’re looking to lock in moisture and smooth the skin, a primer like the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer is ideal.
When layering, Zoe thinks about “proportion, colour contrast, texture, and how inviting each slice will be”. The same goes for complexion. A smooth base is made of light layers. Think about how much product you use; you won't need much foundation to even out your complexion if the formula is good. Focus on buffing the foundation into your skin to build coverage smoothly and avoid a streaky look. If you prefer a beauty sponge, dampen it so it won't absorb too much product.
To understand how layering applies to both cake and complexion, Zoe shared her process: “Stability is key, of course, so I use fillings and buttercreams that hold their own - a happy medium between soft and pillowy buttercreams that are stable and have integrity, and cake layers that are soft and tender yet strong enough to support the structure”. The same balance is what makes blush and bronzer transformative. A touch of colour, contrast, and stability finish the base.
All Eyes on You
Whether you’re applying lashes, eyeliner or shadow, the key to a great application is a steady hand. Precision is the icing on the cake, literally and figuratively. We asked Zoe for her techniques that help you keep a steady hand:
“I [...] take a few deep breaths, loosen up my wrists and try not to overthink it, letting the piping flow. I also use my left hand to gently support my right hand as I pipe, which helps steady the motion and gives me a bit of support”.
You can do the same for eyeliner, and if you mess up, at the pencil stage, you can always smudge it out into a smoky eye. Have fun with it. Eyeliner doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s about experimenting until it feels right. The HUDA BEAUTY Life Liner Duo eyeliner is my go-to. I always start with a pencil for tight-lining or tracing where I want a winged liner to go. The liquid end is great for finishing a wing and is long-wearing.
When it comes to eyeshadow, build up gradually rather than packing it on all at once. Think of smoothing buttercream until you can’t see where one shade ends and the other begins. For a simpler look, take your bronzer or blush up to your eyes for a cohesive look.
Like piping pearls on a cake, lashes are the finishing flourish. If you’re new to falsies, cut a strip lash in half and apply it to the outer corners first for an instant, natural lift to the eyes. Worried about fallout or smudges? Do your eyes before your base.
The Cherry on Top
For Zoe, decoration is about more than prettiness; it’s about feeling. “I love to turn to nature for inspiration. It effortlessly shows us which colour combinations work harmoniously together. When I decorate a cake, I consider the overall feeling I want to evoke,” she explains. Your birthday makeup should capture the essence of you - elegant, whimsical, or delightfully imperfect.
For the final touches, focus on your lips. Go for a combo that makes you feel confident. Whether that be a stain, gloss or stick product, make sure to line your lips well. Use a sharpened pencil to define your cupid's bow first and then connect to the outer corners, using short strokes and holding the pencil at an angle for stability. For a slightly fuller pout, lightly overline the centre of your cupid's bow and bottom lip, but avoid overlining the corners. If a defined lip liner look isn't for you, finish by blending the liner to soften the edges.
Still not done? Maybe add a light shimmer to your eyes. If you’re still unsure, here’s how Zoe decides when enough is enough:
“I leave the room to get a change of scenery and pause, then walk back in to see the cake again. […] I don’t strive for ‘perfection’ as I love all the handmade quirks that show a cake was crafted by a real person.”
Your birthday might feel like the moment you have to look flawless, but as Zoe reminds us, “there is a growing expectation for perfection in the world right now, particularly with the use of filters and AI. But I try to ignore all that, hone in and do what feels organic and true to me.” There’s no one-size-fits-all ‘birthday face’. The real beauty is in making a look that feels authentic to you.