9 Instant Touch-Up Essentials
Be perennially photo-ready with these nine on-the-go necessities selected by Jennifer Lopez’s makeup artist, Mary Phillips.
Written By Lexy Lebsack
They slip out the back door of a restaurant, take the freight elevator to the dermatologist’s office and send out decoy cars to throw the paparazzi off their trail. Being an escape artist is part of an actress’s job description. However, as the saying goes, you can run, but you can’t always hide — especially during awards season, when the focus on nominated actresses intensifies. Being camera-ready requires a kit full of clever touch-up essentials. And oversized sunglasses, of course.
VIOLET GREY consulted makeup artist Mary Phillips, Jennifer Lopez’s favorite, to curate a capsule collection of products that are just as useful before a mad dash out of the gym as they are during those famously long ladies’ room breaks at the Golden Globes.
9 TOUCH-UP
ESSENTIALS
THE MASCARA
Full lashes, sans clumps, that stay put all day require a formula crafted by a genius. Phillips recommends Kevyn Aucoin’s The Volume Mascara for just the right amount of amplification. “This formula gives lashes great separation and stays on all day without transferring to your lower lid,” she says.
KEVYN AUCOIN THE VOLUME MASCARA RICH PITCH BLACK
THE SHADOW QUAD
To define the eyes quickly, Phillips’s go-to kit includes the foolproof, universal colors in Tom Ford’s Eye Color Quad Eyeshadow Palette in Cocoa Mirage. “It’s one of my favorite color combos,” she says.
TOM FORD EYE COLOR QUAD EYESHADOW PALETTE COCOA MIRAGE
THE LIPSTICK
“Lipstick is the most obvious product to keep in your bag, but it’s the right shade that’s most important,” Phillips says, noting that a flattering hue can be blended into cheeks, too. “ Bruised Plum, Casablanca, Indian Rose, Pink Dusk, these are gorgeous colors that can work on multiple areas of the face for an all-over wash of color,” Phillips says about her favorite formula from Tom Ford. Pat and gently blend onto cheeks with the fingers, then apply the bullet directly to lips for a polished effect.
TOM FORD LIP COLOR BRUISED PLUM
THE HIGHLIGHTER
Applied down “the back of the cheekbone,” around the temples and the hairline and under the jaw, the right contour powder creates soft, flattering definition. “This color creates an effect that’s like applying an actual shadow to the face since there are no orange undertones or glitter,” Phillips says about Kevyn Aucoin’s The Sculpting Powder. Dust it on with a pointed brush (Violet Says try Utowa’s Halbred Cheek and Eyeshadow Brush 22H) for soft definition.
KEVYN AUCOIN THE SCULPTING POWDER MEDIUM
THE DAYTIME LIP COMBO
When a natural-looking lip is preferred, Phillips suggests her favorite lip combination: “For that perfect, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley–esque, baby pink color, apply Giorgio Armani’s liner in No. 12 with a coat of La Mer’s Lip Balm on top and you’ve got naturally perfect lips,” Phillips says.
THE SETTING POWDER
Bright flashes (like those from the photographer’s pit off of the red carpet) can make your complexion look shinier than it actually is, Philips says, so she instructs her clients to apply powder strategically through the night: “A few blots from your powder puff should happen three times in the span of an evening, to ensure you look your best in photos. And remember: A little goes a long way.” She recommends NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder.
NARS LIGHT REFLECTING SETTING POWDER PRESSED
THE BLOTTING PAPERS
Phillips warns against masking an oily complexion with too much powder, which can build up on the skin and is especially visible in daylight. (When being photographed Phillips’s rule of thumb is precisely three dustings of powder, as explained above.) She recommends Tatcha’s Original Aburatorigami Blotting Sheets. “They’re the perfect cross between skin care and a cosmetic solution.”
TATCHA ORIGINAL ABURATORIGAMI BLOTTING SHEETS
THE BROW PENCIL
“This is quite possibly the best brow liner I’ve ever used,” Phillips says about Dior’s Diorshow Brow Styler, noting the completely universal hue and superior blendability. “It’s like a magic wand that glides on brow hairs that you can’t detect,” she says. After applying the color, brush the brows up and out to master the shape and soften the color, she says.
DIOR DIORSHOW BROW STYLER UNIVERSAL BROWN
THE HIGHLIGHTER
“You can move mountains with the right highlighter used in the right places,” says Phillips, who favors Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze and Glow palette. “The formula is peerless; it applies like silk, and the color stays true for 10 hours,” she says. “Apply it in the inner and outer corners of eyes, under the brow bone, and on the Cupid’s bow, cheeks and temples.”
CHARLOTTE TILBURY FILMSTAR BRONZE AND GLOW
See the complete list of instant touch-up essentials and more at VIOLET GREY.
