8 Simple Red-Carpet Beauty Secrets From An A-list Makeup Artist

“The best and easiest way to get your base shade just right is to use more than one color. Since your foundation must eventually blend away into the neck, it’s good to match your shade to this area – but this is often much paler than the top of the forehead, which is always exposed to the sun. I like to work with both these shades – that way, I know I have all the tones in between covered.”

“There’s a fine line between looking glowy and looking sweaty. And, since I never know beforehand what the lighting will be like on the red carpet, I try to avoid anything that gives too much of a general glow. Instead, I try to create an illuminating effect by using concealer and foundation to incorporate areas of brightness on the high points of the face. If I do add highlights to the face, I add them extremely sparingly – just to the tops of the cheekbones, or, occasionally, even more sparingly to the bridge of the nose.”

“I find that something pretty close to your natural brow shape is the most flattering for all faces – and I prefer a fuller, more natural feel than a brow that is too manicured. I achieve this by applying a cool-toned brow powder or eyeshadow over brows, to build up a bit of bulk, before using a little brow pomade on a tiny brush to fill in any missing areas. Sometimes, I’ll finish with a brow pen to draw on some random, hair-like strokes – to make the effect more believable.”

“An eyeshadow shade that matches the natural areas of shadow on your face will always be flattering, and will allow you to sculpt a convincing eye shape. The easiest way to find this bespoke shade for your complexion is to look for a color that matches the shadowed area under your chin – it’s usually a much cooler shade than you might expect.”

“In general, I try not to make a red-carpet makeup look appear too ‘vintage’ by avoiding too much of an upturned eyeliner flick. Instead, I prefer to draw the line horizontally outwards from the center of the eye. Whether you choose to draw this line along your entire upper lash line or not depends on how much of a dramatic look you’re going for. When it comes to color, black and a cool-toned brown are my two go-to shades – and I always prefer a slightly smudged pencil eyeliner, simply because it’s more forgiving than a hard line. Plus, you don’t have to be surgically precise to create a feeling of balance on both eyes.”

“There’s always a place for subtle contour if you want to add structure to your face. The key is to use very little of it, make sure it’s softly blended out, and ensure the color you choose is cool-toned – bronzer will never give a convincing illusion of shadow.”

“If I want my client to look pretty and fresh, I apply blush to the front of the cheeks – the area that gets fuller when you smile. If I want a more polished, stylized finish, I apply it at the very highest point of the cheekbones, near the outside corners of the eyes.”

“I love to use a lip pencil to help me map out and understand the lip shape I’m working with – and whether or not I need to make any alterations or additions to create an even shape. For a neutral lip, I prefer a pencil that doesn’t have too much pigment to it, so that I can build up a softly defined, natural-looking pout – rather than one that has a distinct, pigmented edge to it.”