Royal and celebrity makeup artist Victoria Penrose has shared her top tips for perfecting your makeup look.
2024’s awards season is officially underway after already ticking off the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
And with even more star-studded events coming up for the rest of the year, the pressure is on all the A-listers to look absolutely flawless.
According to data from industry data platform Alt Index, it’s clear there is a demand for high quality makeup and skincare – as cosmetics brand e.l.f. Cosmetics saw a 10 per cent increase in website traffic in January.
With an estimated 43,000 people searching their website elfbeauty.com daily, the global makeup and skincare company also had a staggering 377 per cent increase in the last year. Meanwhile, searches on Google Trends grew consistently, with a 20 per cent increase over the past month.
A spokesperson for Alt Index said: “During this year’s awards season, it comes as no surprise that consumers are also looking to achieve that coveted celebrity-inspired glow.”
“Whether it’s recreating the latest red carpet makeup trends or replicating the skincare regimes of Hollywood’s biggest stars, e.l.f Cosmetics has proven to be a leading brand that shoppers can depend on.
“In January, the beauty brand saw a 10 per cent increase in website traffic, with an estimated 43,000 users actively engaging in their website daily.”
“Meanwhile, searches related to e.l.f Cosmetics on Google Trends grew consistently – as the company saw a 20 per cent increase over the past month and a 40 per cent in the last week.”
Now, celebrity and royal makeup artist Victoria Penrose has lifted the lid on her own red carpet insights in an exclusive interview with Alt Index. As well as sharing her top tips for perfecting a red carpet look, the artist touches on the realities behind working with the likes of A-listers Courtney Cox, Sophie Ellis Bextor and the Royal family.
When it comes to prepping for an awards show and a red carpet appearance, Victoria also explains why working with ‘attractive’ A-lister’s can often be an easy process, how much her makeup kit is really worth, and why ‘less is always more’ before putting yourself in front of the cameras.
What are the biggest projects you’ve worked on so far?
“I have so many. I’ve worked on all the big Royal events, the King’s Coronation, every baby that has been born, and Royal weddings. I’m incredibly proud to have worked on such huge moments like those.”
“I’ve been head of makeup for a lot of TV programmes, including the London Olympics, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world for my job, too.”
“Any time I get to see another part of the world, I’m so over the moon about that. As a makeup artist you would be working on up to 200 different jobs and events each year.
“Some of my favourite clients to work with have been Courtney Cox, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Joanna Lumley, Alex Jones and David Mitchell.”
How long does it normally take to get a client ready?
“Doing a celebrity’s make-up for the Oscars is straightforward work as a makeup artist. I also do hair, so it’s nice being in control of the whole look. It would normally take an hour and a half. It could be quicker, but you’re normally in a hotel room with not very good lighting!
“I’ll find out what they’re wearing on the night, what they’re into makeup-wise. You don’t think about it beforehand, you just make a start and get on with it as quickly as possible.”
“For an awards show, you normally have a lot of time to do your look, you’re hardly ever in a rush. These celebs are also very attractive people, so it’s easy to make them look good!”
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They might have a style in mind that they want me to follow – it could be a red lip, or a smokey eye – but it’s normally something similar to what they normally go for. We get very little say in what is right for them.
“It’s mostly what they prefer, and it’s a personal preference. The makeup is never complex or difficult to achieve. It’s normally just a version of them, but a bit more glam.”
What are your main tips for prepping the skin?
“Normally celebrity clients will have a mini facial before we start their makeup. We will try and prep the skin so the makeup goes on smoothly with no weird marks or blemishes.”
“We have to be really careful of what we put on their skin as we don’t want any risks of reflections in photographs on a red carpet.”
“They might have had suncream on their face earlier that had a glowing base, which can be seen even with makeup over the top. It’s all about making sure the base is clear and prepped properly beforehand.”
Roughly, how much money would go into make-up, hair, and skincare for one celebrity for an event like the Oscars?
“We will take our makeup kit with us to every event. The kit I take with me is worth up to £10,000 and it will weigh up to six pounds. It’s heavier than any case you’ve lifted in your life!”
“The kit has a section for hair products, which would consist of black hair products, hairdryers, straighteners, three pairs of different sized tongs, diffusers, and so many bottles of hairspray.”
“The other section would be for makeup, which would include three different brands of foundation in each skin colour, as the client might want dewy or matte.”
“We will have the same with concealer, lipstick, eye shadows, powders, different sized brushes, as well as skincare specific products.”
“Face masks, moisturisers, primers, eye creams, and then the products to remove the make up – cotton pads, wipes, cleansers.”
“I would also always have tampons, razors, waxing strips, and scissors. It’s a huge kit because you have to be prepared for anything.”
“Doing a makeup look for the Oscars costs you hardly anything as a makeup artist – it’s nothing. You would be using the tiniest bit of makeup in the grand scheme of things.”
“However, we would be paid anything from £150 to £250. The most you would make in the makeup industry is working on TV programmes for a long amount of time.”
What are your top five tips for perfecting a red carpet look?
“To be really quick. Quicker than you can imagine – because you will always have less time than they say you will have. You need to get used to building the face and blending at a good speed. Once you’ve got the basics on, come back to them and refine it.”
“You should always make sure all your products are matte. You don’t want any shimmer in them as it won’t look good on camera.”
“If you want to add some highlight to give a dewy look, put it in at the last minute afterwards as you can dictate where you want the light to hit the face – instead of having no control over it.”
“You should also line the lips fully with lip liner before putting any colour on the lip. It’s always good to make sure the client has the same lip product with them, so they can top up later on.”
“Always make sure to trim fake eyelashes. They should be smaller in the inner corner and get larger towards the end of the lash line.”
“Overall, for red carpet events, less is always more. You don’t need more makeup than normal just because you’re on a red carpet.”
