It’s important to have a daily routine. A moisturizer, a concealer, a mascara that you use every day to bring some order to general life chaos. It also makes shopping easier—that way you always know which product to re-buy. Saves you at least 30 minutes to an hour of unnecessary Sephora browsing each month. (Which you’re still welcome to do, but under happier circumstances than, “I ran out of all my things, please help me.”)
But of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Like when you’re Brother Vellies designer Aurora James and you’ve been nominated for a CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design—and are being honored at the ceremony last Monday. At that point, the daily routine doesn’t cut it; you have to bring in the heavy hitters.
The heavy hitter in this case was Kanako Takase, one of the most lauded young makeup artists working right now. (Seriously, everyone mentions her to us.) Kanako got Aurora ready last Monday at the Nomad Hotel with one thing in mind: Make her look like Aurora, but ready for photos. Simple. Here’s the breakdown:
Start with a face massage. It helps you relax and also preps the skin to glow, take in foundation, and look like you got a little facelift when you really did no such thing. Kanako started by using Dr. Hauschka’s Clarifying Toner to soften the skin, followed by Odacité’s Peach-Cypress Facial Serum Concentrate for combination skin. This’ll make skin ready to receive makeup that’ll still look like skin.
Because Aurora wanted to minimize shine (flash photography, people), Kanako applied a bit of Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer to matte out the oil a bit. Feel free to skip this step and move straight on to concealer. Aurora is in-between shades so she used Glossier Stretch Concealer in Dark and Deep, mixed together on a foundation brush. Apply wherever needs concealer or evening—around the nose and on the cheeks to start. Always blend out.
Same deal goes for powder, should you choose to use it. Kanako blended RMS Tinted “Un” Powder in shades 0-1 and 2-3 together and lightly tapped over the concealer and on the t-zone. Good to note: the RMS powder has no shimmer for a very natural finish.
But photos don’t mean you shouldn’t have a little highlight—you just have to be targeted about it. To bring back some of that dew, Kanako used Glossier Haloscope in Topaz on Aurora’s “half-halo” from the brow bone to the cheekbone. This is for light reflection that looks natural, almost angelic in photos, as opposed to oily.
Aurora is one of those rare unicorns who hasn’t touched her eyebrows in years and they just get better and better on their own. To keep them in place, Kanako used a bit of Boy Brow to brush the hairs up. Makes your brows look more awake, if that makes sense.
On the eyes, Aurora is wearing Make Up For Ever Star Powder Pigment in Bronze Brown to play up the natural smoke that happens on her lash line and lids. Kanako also lined her waterline with & Other Stories’ Eye Pencil in Linen White—a good trick when you want your eyes to look bright and open but you only got three hours of sleep.
Lipstick is thanks to Nars Semi Matte in Morocco. A red with brownish pink undertones—Aurora’s perfect amped-up nude. Just remember to keep it with you, though, because the final step to any pre-awards ceremony look should be a glass of rosé. Or several glasses of rosé. Whatever floats your boat.
Video shot by Tom Newton. Edited by Carrie Barber.
The #GRWM series continues with Glossier's Emily Weiss' beach waves tutorial and Cherie Camacho's pre-skincare empanadas.
