The $48 Serum Lady Gaga Uses For Perfect Makeup-Free Skin

When one of the most famous women in the world posts a photo in which she’s wearing little other than a blinding, cushion-cut, 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond with an astonishing 82 facets, you’d think it would be impossible to focus on anything else. But as Lady Gaga just proved, there is something that can outshine all that bling — and that something is a makeup-free face that's as smooth and poreless as the diamond is big and bright.

The jewels are rare (very rare — the necklace has only been worn two other times, once by Audrey Hepburn), and so is a glimpse of Gaga’s freckles; we are talking about a woman whose version of camera-ready involves dark brows, dramatic cat eyes, bold lips, glitter eyeshadow, and a more-is-more-badass makeup philosophy, after all. But, as the newly-minted Oscar winner revealed today, beneath those show-stopping layers of glam is a seriously healthy-looking complexion.

So how does she keep it that way? We may have an idea. When speaking with Gaga’s longtime makeup artist Sarah Tanno ahead of her instantly iconic Oscars appearance on Sunday, the beauty pro stressed the importance of disciplined skin care. Among the current must-haves stocking her kit? “I love Ole Henriksen Truth Serum because it really boosts a nice, healthy glow,” she told Refinery29. “I press it into the skin with the Adore Cosmetics Palm Sonic to really help it absorb. It has a warm vibrating plate that pushes the product into the skin, then a cold one for any depuffing. You can sculpt the face with it — it feels so nice.”

To add a shot of hydration, Tanno turns to By Terry Baume de Rose Face Cream (“I use that all over the face for a more dewy look,” she said), or one of her latest obsessions, Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum. “Sometimes face oils don’t absorb into the skin and they become sticky,” she said. “But this one really absorbs so nicely and evens skin tone so well that I sometimes skip the moisturizer — I really don’t have to use much else.”

With the rest of the face out of the way, there's one last thing Tanno always does to ensure her clients like Gaga are ready for the red carpet (or just a makeup-free photoshoot): "Before any look, I really like to exfoliate the lips,” the artist said. “If you don’t have a tool to do that, a tongue scraper works really well. After that, I'll add on Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm. It's my ride or die — I can’t live without it."