It's Friday night, and you're going hard in the club. You take a bathroom break, set your tequila soda on the counter and take a look at your face in the sticker-crowded mirror. What you see is not what you saw when you left the house: Your eyeliner's now halfway down your face, your lipstick's leaking, too. Luckily, there's another woman in the bathroom with you, and she's fixing her makeup. She seems to be well-equipped, actually. She's got a full spread in front of her, and her face looks fresh as hell.
"Mind if I...?" you inquire. She turns and you realize it's Katie Jane Hughes, both Instagram and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's favorite makeup artist. "Of course!" she exclaims, and she proffers what's there. Everything she has fits in the mini kit she brings to the club, but it's all product that works for everyone. Tomorrow morning when you wake up and remember who you are, you'll realize how lucky you really were that it was Katie Jane Hughes sharing that mirror with you.
In all seriousness, here are Katie Jane Hughes' can't-live-without kit mainstays:
Weleda Skin Food
"My main multi-purpose cream is definitely Weleda Skin Food. I use it for any dry bits on the skin, or as a highlighter if I need to just to amp up the shine on the skin on the cheekbones or the legs. I would also use it under a full coverage foundation to create a really dewy base. You could put it on under double wear and it would look light as a feather. I use it to clean up makeup mistakes—if I've gone outside the lips a little bit I'll take a Q-tip, twist it into a bit of the Skin Food, and the use it like a magic eraser."
My Mini On Point Buds
"The best Q-tips for makeup are these from My Kit Co. They're the tiniest, tiniest cotton swab ever with the sharpest tip. You can do so much with them. They're so particularly pointy and fine. They're amazing."
Nars Wanted I Cheek Palette
"I love multi-use palettes. I don't like creams and powders in the same component, but the new Nars blush palettes are awesome because I can use any of the shades on the eyes, the cheeks, everywhere. Nars powders tend to be my favorite formula-wise."
La Mer Sheer Pressed Powder
"I really ike this powder because it's super soft and barely there. It's compact and not too bulky, which I love because the amount of product I have to carry is crazy."
MAC Upward Lash Mascara
"The mascara I've been using most lately is this one from MAC, because it gives you this gorgeous twiggy lash—really separated. But not weird, just pretty."
Troy Surratt Auto-Graphique Eyeliner
"The Surratt liquid eyeliner is awesome. It doesn't bleed, it's really black, and really pretty, and really easy to use."
Got2b Ultra Glued Styling Gel
"To make a cool, spiky brow, I use this gel for the hair. I'll just put it on a spoolie and brush it through the brow."
MAC Lipglass Clear
"I always carry this Lipglass from MAC. It's one of my go-to glossy skin things—I'll use it everywhere. It's sticky, but it really looks better than anything else on camera."
White Rabbit Cotton Pads
"These are the best ever cotton pads, and I just buy them on Amazon. It's like a big sheet folded up so you can use it for DIY masks, too. But it is cotton, so you don't get any of those shitty lint bits on the face."
Glossier Haloscope in Moonstone
"My #1 highlighter. I love it because it just looks like skin."
Lanolips Lemonade Lip Treatment
"I love that the lanolin in this balm is derived from such a natural, pure place—sheep's wool. Super hydrating. Love it."
—as told to ITG
Photographed by Katie Jane Hughes.
Now, peek Jillian Dempsey's perfectly packed makeup bag for travel.
