Scrolling through the Instagram feed of makeup artist Mary Phillips is the virtual version of flipping through a glossy beauty editorial. It might actually be better, because the (verified) online portfolio features every budding glam trend as it happens, modelled first on the faces of A-list clients like Priyanka Chopra, Hailey Bieber, and Kendall Jenner.
We caught up with Phillips recently to chat about her 2020 makeup predictions — specifically, her favourite looks of the moment on Jenner — and she spilled her best-kept (and actually doable) tip: Focus on the eyes (that's lashes, lids, and liner) and groomed, yet feathery brows.
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Phillips' philosophy is to begin by perfecting the structural details of the face — namely, the eyebrows and lashes — then add tiny pops of colour afterwards. "I always start makeup with a good brow cleanup," Phillips explains of her process. "I use my fingers to fan the brow hairs up and full, then use slanted tweezers to pluck any strays that fall outside the natural brow line. But I always tell people: If you're unsure about removing a hair, don't."
Following brow shaping, the second piece of the equation comes from to the space directly below the brows. "I always define the lashes, too, because it's the bottom part of the frame," Phillips says. "I'll apply individual [false lashes] or Armani's Eyes To Kill mascara for length, then use a crimper to give the outer lashes extra lift."
Then, the pièce de résistance, according to Phillips, is a touch of colour on the lash line or lid. "I think a flick of coloured eyeliner looks amazing on everyone," she says. "The coolest makeup look I've ever done on Kendall was this bright-green graphic eyeliner look. It's super fun to play with pops of colour on the eyes because the details are so minimal."
As far as the big eye makeup colour trends for 2020, Phillips says she's loving matte pastels. "It's pastel eyeshadow for spring," she predicts, adding that her product of choice is off-label (and in the family). "Funnily enough, on Kendall, we've been using Kylie's Matte Liquid Lipstick as eyeshadow. I swatch a pale pastel pink lipstick on my hand, then use a brush to add it to the eye as a liner or wash of shadow. It's a different, super angelic vibe."
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