Make-up artist to the stars Kay Montano tells GTG how she created Jennifer Lawrence's look for the BAFTAs 2013
GTG has a new girl crush: Jennifer Lawrence. The Silver Linings Playbook star and face of the new Dior campaign is always red carpet ready and at just 22, she’s already wowed us more times than we can remember with her fresh-faced beauty and award-winning performances.
Sunday night at the BAFTAs 2013 was no exception as Jennifer stepped out looking stunning as ever, with a dramatic smokey eye, beautifully glowing complexion and slicked back hair. But who created this masterpiece? None other than GTG's resident make-up artist and masterclass expert Kay Montano .
We asked the queen of make-up for an exclusive peek at how she created Jennifer's look for the red carpet along with her top tips for getting that glossy, A-lister chic
Photography by Kay Montano, Hair by Johnnie Sapong
Base
I applied a very light veil of MyFace MyMix Foundation,£15.99 (available in London at BeautyMart in Harvey Nichols) in Med 01 mixed with Eve Lom’s Intense Hydration Serum, £75 ( www.evelom.com ) to make it really transparent. Jennifer has the MOST incredible skin, it would be a crime to cover it.
I brightened the under eye area with Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in #2, £18.50 ( http://uk.spacenk.com ) (number one in the getting away with smokey eyes department). Then I mixed Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand, £25 ( www.smashbox.co.uk ) with Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Calypso Coral, £18 ( www.bobbibrown.co.uk ) on her cheekbones to accentuate her striking face shape and give sweetness to the rock-starlet eyes.
Jurlique Rose Silk Finishing Powder, £24.50 ( www.jurlique.co.uk ) was used on the T-zone (NEVER mattify cheekbones!) and under the eyes to make everything stay put and soften the high wattage flashes of the paps’ ‘reveal’ on the next day’s front pages.
I warmed the edges and contours of Jennifer’s face with the brilliant Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, £38 (available in-store at Liberty and Space NK from 1st March 2013) which has a beautiful, soft glow.
Eyes
Jennifer looks great with her eyes ‘widened’ and tilting upwards with lots of blending. I began this look by applying Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen, £12 ( www.pixibeauty.co.uk ) in a wide smudge under her eyes and as a starter for the shape extending up and outward slightly, softening it in with my fingertips. Next up was Topshop’s Waterproof Liner in Ebony, £5 ( www.topshop.com ) applied in a wide line all along the top lid - this comes in waterproof too.
KM rule: Always make the top lid darker than the bottom; it’s just as dramatic, but way more flattering - not so ‘dragged down’ looking.
Blend in the the pencil with a stubby brush and apply Lhasa by NARS, £18 ( www.narscosmetics.co.uk ) over the eyelid and Bobbi Brown’s Eyeshadow in Steel, £16.50, ( www.bobbibrown.co.uk ) into the socket line and outer corners. Blending is both the trickiest and most important bit. It took me years of practice and it’ll never be a doddle. Even armed with a militia of great brushes, you just have to blend until it looks right - there’s no other way around it. Besides, what looks good on Jennifer’s shaped eyes, yours, and mine is totally different. So have fun, practice and experiment.
I added extra depth to the outer corners with Glow in the bottom right of the Aerin Limited Edition Holiday Style Palette, £45 ( www.esteelauder.co.uk ) which doubled up as a fabulously glam mirror for Jen to use.
Lashes are a big thing for Jennifer; she absolutely loves them and I’ve always used individual ones on her. For maximum drama I used the blackest mascara I have, Black Magic Mascara by Eyeko, £18 ( www.eyeko.com ), I stood above her and brushed on from root to tip and underneath her top lashes to ensure thorough coverage with separated lashes - no black stalks on my watch.
Then I applied lots of Medium Flare individuals (Eylure do good ones, £4.54 at www.eylure.co.uk ) changing to shorter ones towards her inner corner.
I subtly filled in her brows but to stop this look being too ‘Kardashian’ and old fashioned, it’s best to keep eyebrows soft, brushed, natural and lighter than the eyes. Jennifer is only 22 and I wanted her to stay looking that way. Hard eyebrows are a little ageing I find, but mostly it’s a style thing; unless it’s Audrey or Edie, I find painted-on eyebrows very dated and not very pretty.
Lips
Like most of us this time of year (thanks to central heating), Jennifer’s lips were dry from perpetual long distance flights so as soon as she was in hair I put the highly emollient Aerin Rose Lip Conditioner, £20 ( www.esteelauder.co.uk ) on her lips,making her red carpet ready for the final touch of MyFace Cosmetics Lipstick in Vintage Pink, £10.99 ( www.myfacecosmetics.com ) applied ‘straight from the bullet’.
Jennifer Lawrence wears another gorgeous evening look by Kay Montano