Amy Adams's Make Up Artist Reveals her Golden Globe Beauty Secrets
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Dogs might be a man’s best friend, but celebrities have a different loyal companion: Their makeup artist. That’s why seconds after Amy Adams’ Golden Globes win for Big Eyes, Yahoo Style phoned Stephen Sollitto, the beauty maestro responsible for the actress’ winning look, created in collaboration with Chanel Beauté.
When you heard Amy Adams was nominated for Big Eyes, did you immediately think, “I’ve got to do a big eye makeup moment with her?”
No! I hate gimmicks. For me, it’s only about two things: what does the dress look like, and what does the woman look like. Because in the end, I just want her to be beautiful.
So you first saw the dress…
Three days ago. I saw the dress on Thursday, and you can’t do anything before the dress. You need to know the color, and then you need to know the style—is it super-modern, vintage…? So I saw the Atelier Versace dress on a mannequin, and I thought, “this is going to be such a breathtaking moment.” It’s very soft and pretty, and I wanted the makeup to mimic the ethereal feel of the gown.
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Do you run everything by Amy first?
She’s a pro. She knows it’s a collaboration, and we trust each other.
How long does it take to do a red carpet look?
An hour. We always talk beforehand—like, “How was your week? The funniest thing happened to me”—you know, normal stuff! But once everyone sits down to work, it’s an hour.
What’s the first thing you did to Amy?
It’s really what she did. Amy takes great care of her skin. And I will say, especially heading into winter, take great care of your skin before the makeup goes on. If the skin is healthy, it takes makeup better. People neglect it because they say they don’t have time. Make time. If you don’t, good makeup won’t work. So the first thing we did to Amy was use a moisturizer, Chanel Sublimage, and then foundation with a damp sponge.
Related: Golden Globes Red Carpet’s Best & Worst Dressed
If you’re doing a heavy eye, do you have to do a lot of other makeup?
You should do the makeup after the eye—even foundation. Often, what I’ll do is the lid, and if anything falls onto the face, like powder or even mascara, I won’t have done the cheeks yet!
What’s the key to getting makeup to stay on through an entire Golden Globes night?
Do you know, at Awards shows, they have people backstage whose only job is to touch the actors up between takes, and after speeches. That’s all they do. But Amy’s makeup lasts all night; she’s very good with it. I send her out with a tube of lipstick so she can reapply herself and that’s it.
Related: Celebrity Look Book: Amy Adams
