“I didn’t know that being a makeup artist was a job until my mom got me Face Forward for Christmas one year. I was blown away by the way Kevyn Aucoin transformed faces—like how he turned Gwyneth Paltrow into James Dean. My dad, a chiropractor, was so encouraging. He came home one day and told me that one of his clients had a makeup line and worked on movies and TV shows. Her name was Eugenia Weston and she invited me to come on set and hang out in the makeup trailer, and, even better, assist her at her salon.
While working for Eugenia, I also went to aesthetician school. As someone who grew up with really bad acne, I wanted to learn more about skin and how to care for it, and how to help clients sitting in my chair. When I finished, I kept working at Eugenia’s salon—mostly doing brows. I also emailed makeup artists I admired and said, ‘Can I please assist you? I’ll take out your trash. I’ll walk your dog. I’ll do anything. I just want to learn.’
I got to work with a makeup artist who did Jessica Simpson’s makeup, and somehow ended up doing The Dukes of Hazzard with her. At that point, my only goal was to become a personal star request on a movie or TV show. I thought it would happen when I was 50, and it happened on my very first job. I remember thinking, ‘Well, I guess I need a new goal now.’
It wasn’t in my plans to have my own makeup brand. Underpainting is a really old-school technique—I didn’t invent it, but I’ve stayed true to it because it works for me. Then a beauty creator, Tara Sigari, made a video saying she’d researched the way I do makeup and referenced Kendall [Jenner] and Hailey [Bieber]. She tried it on half her face and compared it to traditional contouring and was shocked at how natural it looked and how much less product she needed. After that, I slowly started getting tagged in underpainting videos, and before I knew it, thousands of people were tagging me.
People were always asking what products and tools I used, and while I’d already been making homemade underpainting palettes for my clients to travel with, I’d never found the perfect formula and was constantly mixing products together. That was the beginning of my underpainting palettes—and the beginning of m.ph.
SKINCARE + NAILS
I try to do a laser every six months with Dr. Ehsan Azimi. I’ve done Sofwave for tightening, IPL for pigmentation, Fraxel for collagen, the list goes on. Then I also do a lot of microneedling and PRP with Dr. Jason Diamond. He also does my Botox, though it never seems to last long—I think my body just metabolizes it really fast.
I tried salmon DNA with Melissa Haloossim from Skin Thesis, and honestly, there was an instant difference. My skin felt and looked much more hydrated afterward. It’s definitely something you have to do often, but I’d probably only do it before a big event.
Growing up with really acneic skin was disorienting because I was doing all of the ‘right things’—cleansing my face well, using non-comedogenic products—but nothing helped until I started getting facials and went on Accutane—fortunately, I only had to do one cycle. For my day-to-day skincare, I’m big on switching up products so my skin doesn’t get too used to one thing. Rhode’s pineapple cleanser is one of my favorites. Then I either use SkinMedica’s TNS Advanced serum or Dr. Diamond’s Metacine Plasma. The Plasma is supposed to mimic PRP, platelet-rich plasma therapy—a key part of Dr. Diamond’s Instafacials. It’s expensive—I’m very close with his co-founder and head of brand, Tammy Goodarzi, so she gives me lab samples. I think it’s one of those products you miss when you run out. My skin feels so much more hydrated with it, but never greasy.
After that, I layer on SkinMedica’s HA5 Hydrator and SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic. A lot of vitamin C serums I’ve tried aren’t compatible with makeup, but I’ve never had issues with this one. If I’m on the drier side, I’ll add in the Secret Sauce from The Beauty Sandwich.
I’ve really leaned into Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream as I’ve gotten older. I don’t love a lot of traditional makeup primers and would rather invest in good skincare to wear underneath my makeup. I love a dewy, glowy finish, and The Rich Cream is perfect for that. I’ll also rehydrate my makeup with The Rich Cream—or classic Crème de la Mer. I take a fluffy brush, put a bit of cream on the back of my hand, and lightly buff it over my makeup. As long as you keep a light touch and don’t press too hard, your makeup stays intact. This trick has saved me so many times after I’ve been out all day working.
Sunscreen-wise, EltaMD’s tinted SPF 40 is my jam. Supergoop’s Protec(tint) SPF 50—I’m shade 26W—is another good one. I like that they give me a little something without having to wear foundation when I’m working or working out. That said, if I’m going to wear makeup, I’ll use EltaMD’s untinted SPF instead.
If I have a lot of makeup on at night, I’ll start with the oil cleanser from Victoria Beckham before going in with the Rhode cleanser. Then it’s Dr. Diamond’s Metacine Plasma again, followed by the Biomimetic Collagen serum. They also have a growth factor night cream with retinoids that I’ll use if I don’t grab SkinMedica’s TNS serum. I finish with the Secret Sauce.
And as a makeup artist, I wash my hands so much. But I hate having dry cuticles so I always have cuticle oil and Tweezerman nippers around. And there’s also nothing like Augustinus Bader’s Hand Treatment. I get my nails done every two weeks, and I always make sure they look good before I work with a client. My hands are just always in people’s faces and I never know who’s going to record a video while I’m doing glam. I’d be mortified if I had chipped polish or something.
MAKEUP
Underpainting can feel intimidating, especially when you see photos of lines all over a face, but it doesn’t have to be like that—and you can do it right over sunscreen. If I’m just running errands, I’ll throw on tinted sunscreen and do a very soft version of underpainting with my m.ph palette in Light. I’ll rub a half-moon shape of Contour 1 on the top of my forehead, a little of Highlight 1 on my cheekbones, and run out the door. It’s only when I’m heading to a big event that I’ll do the full technique.
For complexion, I’ll use my Le Skin foundation in 140W, a little concealer from the underpainting palette, and blush—first a cream, then a powder. I set all of my complexion products with Laura Mercier’s translucent powder. I’ve used it for so long, and it has never let me down. I also love Pat McGrath’s loose setting powder—I wear Light Medium 2. And I love Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush powder for touch-ups.
I shape my brows myself, but Mehae Kim laminates them. And I fill them in with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil in Medium Brown—I love how thin it is. If I want more of an eye look, I’ll use Danessa Myricks’s Colorfix Mattes. Pro tip: If you’re doing a very natural look, a liquid or cream eyeshadow is beautiful because it looks so effortless. Danessa’s have incredible staying power, and the nude shades create a beautiful canvas for more eye makeup. The Chanel and Tom Ford eye quads are incredible, too. The same goes for Victoria Beckham’s kajal eye pencils. And Armani’s Eyes to Kill is my favorite mascara. There’s a time and a place for Diorshow, which is thicker and gives you a more dramatic look, but Eyes to Kill is softer and looks much more natural.
I always have a lip pencil on. That’s partly because I have no color in my lips but also because I grew up in Southern California in the nineties—everybody was overlining their lips. A little on the Cupid’s bow gives you a subtle lift and shortens the space between the nose and the upper lip. It’s a very youthful look because everything is so close together when we’re young, but as we get older, gravity starts to pull things down. And I just love the way lip liner looks. There’s an attitude to it; it’s a little bitchy. I’ve been using my Overliner pencil in Skinny Dip.
The final step is adding a bit of color with a Lip Ciggy. Right now, my favorite is First Base because it’s that perfect subtle pink for summer. But Shoop has also been a go-to—it’s one of our new shades. It’s a sheer, very ‘90s brown that I'm obsessed with.
HAIR
Matt Rez does my roots every two weeks to cover up the lovely grays I get nowadays. Both of my parents went gray at a very young age, so it is what it is. Priscilla Valles does my extensions—I get a fresh set every two months. She’s a whiz and does everybody: Hailey Bieber, Margot Robbie, Dua Lipa, Angelina Jolie. And Cervando Maldonado cuts my hair and keeps my bangs in check. The first time I got bangs was because this guy in seventh grade told me I had a big forehead. His name was Manny; I’ve never forgotten his name—and he definitely gave me a little bit of a complex about my forehead.
I don’t have a shampoo wash schedule. I do a lot of hot yoga, so if I go to a class, I have to wash it because it’s disgusting. I switch up my shampoos. Lately, it’s been Milbon’s Moisture line or Ouai’s Medium Hair collection. I also love Ouai’s Super Sry Shampoo in Cape Town; it’s great. And if I’m slicking my hair back, I need Göt2B Glued Blasting Freeze spray. It’s the OG—there’s no comparison.
Mane’s It’s Giving Body hot round brush has saved my life. If my hair is a little dirty, I use a bit of dry shampoo and I can refresh my hair with the brush in seconds. Also, because I have a lot of grays, my hair’s texture is different now and this just smooths it right out.
FRAGRANCE
It was really hard for me to get out of very fruity fragrances. I grew up in the ‘90s—Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret body sprays were my jam. I was not leaving the house without being hosed down in Pear Glacé or Apple Orchard. We’d use them to cover the cigarette smell. [Laughs]
In the fall, I love Byredo’s Vanille Antique. Pretty much the rest of the year, I’m a Rose of No Man’s Land girl. Diptyque’s Eau Rose is another great rose perfume—it has lychee and artichoke, if you can believe it. I feel like that was my bridge into more womanly fragrances. I also love Byredo’s Young Rose and Lil Fleur. Lil Fleur has rose along with cassis, tangerine, and amber. I clearly like rose scents. [Laughs] But I will say that I really love Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry. I love cherries in general; I was a big fan of cherry ChapStick in my youth.
Le Labo’s Santal 26 candle is such a classic. I remember one of the first times I went to J.Lo’s house, she had Santal 26 candles everywhere. It felt very chic and rich. Diptyque’s Figuier is another good one—Hailey got it for me. And Matt got me Diptyque’s Sapin in 2024. I couldn’t get enough of it because my house smelled like pine but not necessarily like Christmas.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on October 24, 2025