Daniel Chinchilla, Ariana Grande's makeup artist, showed me how to create a very Ariana-like makeup look, and let's be real, who does a cat eye better (or more often!) than him? He shared his tips for making the look last all day long and even sent me to her concert later that night to prove it. Spoiler alert: This look did not budge. Ready to try it for yourself yet? Here's how!
Step One: Skin Prep
On a clean, makeup-free face, Daniel applied a light amount of Josie Maran Argan Oil, which sinks right into the skin for instant hydration. "When you're starting makeup, hydration is so important because your face will look cakey and heavy if your skin's not really moist." After that, he applied Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light, which is going "to make your makeup last all day, and it gives you a really smooth surface."
Step Two: Eye Prep
Next, Daniel prepped my eyelids. Using MAC Paint in Bamboom (a "peachy warm" shade), he put a tiny amount onto my lids and blended upward. He also recommends the colorless Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, which works well with any colored shadow. It's waterproof and water resistant, which "stops your eyeshadow from creasing and getting oily and it makes sure that it stays."
Step Three: Eyeshadow
Now for the hero product of this look, the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Palette. Daniel pressed the warm, bronzy Hazlenut all over the lids, then blended the softer brown Milk Chocolate into the creases to avoid any harsh lines. Next he used White Chocolate, a "bone color," right under the brows, and finally added the deeper Haute Chocolate to the outer bottom corners, to begin winging the eyes out. "It's all an illusion, so you can literally change your eye shape with how you apply the eyeshadow. Go lighter on the inside and darker as you go out." He also applied it all before foundation and concealer, to avoid any fallen flakes from creating unwanted darkness below the eyes.
Step 4: Foundation and Concealer
For foundation, Daniel buffed on the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation with a dampened Beautyblender sponge. This makes the application "foolproof," he explains, because "there's no way you're going to have any streaks." For concealer, he went under the eyes with MAC Pro Longwear, a "skin-like" silicone-based concealer. As far as the shade, he recommends going one or two shades lighter than your normal skin tone "to really brighten and wake the eyes up."
Step 5: Set
Using Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, he set the foundation and concealer by stippling (or dotting) the product on with a flat powder brush. This motion is key for setting your makeup, since you are putting powder only right where you want it to go, not smudging it all over your face. Setting your makeup with powder helps create a long-lasting look, because "you're almost turning your liquid or your cream product into a solid. It's super important in the longevity of your makeup."
Step 6: Bronzer, Blush, and Highlighter
Now to get that healthy, fall glow. Daniel applied Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Medium right under the cheekbones for a subtle contour, making sure to use only a small amount of product to build as he goes. Next he applied the Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Coral onto the apples of the cheek, almost directly over the bronzer to "marry" the products together. "While the bronzer will give your face warmth and shape, the brick will brighten it up and add a little pop of color." And finally, he added Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder in Bronze Glow as a highlighter right on the cheekbones.
Step Six: Cat Eye
Time for the main event, the cat eye. Using the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, he ran the creamy, waterproof pencil along my waterlines. "The brown shade is softer, it gives you definition, and it warms up the eye. It's a lot more forgiving than black…you're not going to have raccoon eyes." Then, using a thin pencil-like brush (Make Up For Ever 212 Medium Precision Smudger Brush) he created a "soft, natural winged eye" with the darkest shade in the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, Triple Fudge.' He directed the brush upward "from the end of the eye going up toward the end of the eyebrow," which acts like "an instant eye-lift." A common cat-eye mistake, he explains, is creating a winged eye that goes out more toward the ears rather than up toward the brows, which "makes your eyes look droopy." The goal is to "bring the eye up and give it a little bit of sexiness." After creating this wing on both eyes, he applied Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, wiggling the wand back and forth as he brought it upward.
Step Seven: Brows and Lips
If your brows are naturally sparse and have less shape, go in with a brow pencil to build them up. If you have fuller brows, go in with a powder like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Soft Brown to fill in where necessary. He defined the ends of the brows first and then worked inward, to keep it all looking soft and natural. For the lip, we kept it neutral with the Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude, which has a light peachy tint to it.
And there you have it! A warm, fall cat eye that will make your eyes pop, just like Ariana Grande!
