How the Hollywood elite get red-carpet-ready—fast!
Seeing spots
Celebrities and civilians alike live in fear of the last-minute blemish. Lancer treats this big-event nightmare with an injection of fluorouracil, which he says is “an anti-scarring medication that disperses blemishes quickly.” Martyn recommends her branded Enzyme Exfoliant for overnight treatment and regular use of her Amla Purifying Cleanser, formulated with antibacterial extracts and botanical enzymes. “Younger actresses, who are most likely to suffer from breakouts, swear by it,” she says.
Makeup artist Pati Dubroff, who counts Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst and Julianne Moore among her clients, recommends applying a blemish-healing ointment the minute you feel a pimple coming on. “And don’t pick, because you’ll create an open wound and then makeup won’t stick,” she adds. Dubroff is also a fan of using ice to reduce inflammation and a dry concealer for optimum coverage. Desperate? “I’ve turned many a zit into a beauty mark with an eyebrow pencil — as long as it’s in an appropriate place, of course,” says Dubroff. “If it’s between the eyebrows, it just doesn’t make sense!”
Get the look
Late night? Morning-after puffiness and dark circles are yesterday’s news with Martyn’s LotuSculpt Quick Fix Eye Pads and Activator. The half-moon-shaped pads moistened with the Activator solution soothe the skin with hyaluronic acid and collagen peptides; Martyn also claims that they have a faux-Botox effect that stops the over-contraction of the muscles in the area. “I like to use the pads while I’m blow-drying my hair because they also protect skin from the heat of the dryer,” she says.
Dubroff swears by individual fake lashes for red-carpet outings. “They really amp things up — unless it’s someone like Kate Bosworth, who has the most incredible lashes; hers already look fake. But for pretty much everyone else, I bring out the individual flares or singles to fill in between the natural hairs. For someone like Megan Fox, I apply full-strip lashes because she really loves the drama of the lash.”
For fabulous, eye-framing brows, Dubroff uses a combination of a superfine pencil — “microfine twist-up pencils, like the Kevyn Aucoin [Precision Brow Pencil] and the new one from Dior [DiorShow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil], that deliver a dense but hairlike stroke” — and a bit of brow powder applied with a flatedge brush to soften.
Get plump, juicy lips with these tips on the next page ...
