The Important Reason Olivia Munn Won't Work With Just Any Makeup Artist

Dying to unlock the beauty secret that Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, and Miranda Kerr all swear by for a smooth, clear, lit-from-within complexion? Ask and you shall receive, but brace yourself for disappointment: It’s water. While plenty of dewy-skinned celebrities claim that H2O addresses their anti-aging needs better than Botox, Olivia Munn, on the other hand, is a fountain of original beauty secrets. From Japanese sweet potatoes to beef jerky (and a little bit of Proactiv for good measure), she has some surprising, and sometimes straight-up weird, tips for staying fresh-faced.

But in a new interview with Byrdie, the actress shared another beauty secret that often goes overlooked: a really, really good makeup artist. And not just any good makeup artist, but a makeup artist who knows how to work with your features and make you look like the best version of yourself. For Munn, that’s Patrick Ta — and not just because he’s responsible for the red-carpet faces of Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Jenna Dewan Tatum, and more.

“Being multicultural has affected my definition of beauty, the way I see beauty, and how I feel beautiful tremendously,” the star, who’s half Chinese, told Byrdie. “Over the last year, I actually started working with Patrick Ta, who is an Asian-American makeup artist, and that’s when I really appreciated how makeup can transform you in different ways.”

Munn explained that she, as a multi-ethnic woman, hasn’t always had the easiest time finding looks that work for her. “There are some people who can wear any makeup style, and they will look beautiful. But for me, I can see drastic changes,” she said. “Like when I work with other makeup artists, sometimes they’ll do the same thing to me that they’ve done to a lot of white girls, and it doesn’t work.” She went on to say that she feels “so much more beautiful” when she works with someone like Ta, who knows how to accentuate her unique features.

Now, Munn said, she has a better understanding of what works for her. It doesn’t matter how many Japanese potatoes you wolf down if you fight against the unique features that make you beautiful instead of embracing them — and if you don’t drink enough water. (For what it's worth, she drinks three liters a day.)