You may not be a Hollywood star (yet!), but that doesn’t mean you don’t have red carpet occasions in your life! But according to L’Oréal Paris celebrity makeup artist Sir John, there’s one key thing to keep in mind when you’re doing red carpet makeup: punctuation.
“There’s so many red carpet moments, and red carpet looks, in everyday life,” says Sir John. “It could be a wedding, some kind of special event, or even date night, but punctuation is key—maybe a statement lip or statement eyes, or it could even be just two or three coats of mascara.”
No doubt about it, the eyes have it this award season, with a dramatic focus on lashes and lids that wow the crowd from miles away. But before you dive in with shadow and mascara, make sure you build a proper foundation—with foundation, of course. Sir John likes doing a multi-foundation approach, using a mattifying foundation in the T-zone and a glowy, more luminous foundation on the sides of your face.
Just don’t forget the rest of your body! “Make sure that your body is luminous from your forehead to your toes,” Sir John instructs. “Bringing the conversation of the complexion off if the face and on to the body is one of the things we neglect to do.”
But then it’s all about the eyes. To get this red carpet look, watch the tutorial above, then follow our step-by-step breakdown below!
Step 1: Apply a liquid eyeshadow like L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Eyes on your lid, using your fingers to blend it out. “I love Brilliant Eyes liquid eyeshadow because it lasts for 16 hours,” says Sir John. “It’s humidity proof, it’s smudge-proof, and it’s crease-resistant.”
Step 2: Accent your eyeshadow with L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise by starting at the root, going back and forth like you’re brushing your teeth, then bringing the brush up to the ends of your lashes. Sir John says this is his favorite mascara, adding, “It has 200 bristles so it gives you tons of separation and massive amounts of volume. And it’s quick, so you don’t need to give yourself so many coats to see the big bang.”
Step 3: Finish the look by applying L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Matte Ink in a deeper color on your top lip, and a lighter color on the bottom to give you the optical illusion of having a fuller lip. “The Rouge Signature Matte Ink is great because it gives you a lot of saturation on the lips, so you get very opaque lips very quickly, but it’s not drying,” Sir John says.
But the most important part? Have fun making the look uniquely you! As Sir John puts it, “Use your own individuality in the moment and do what works for you. Shake what your mama gave you!”
