Amidst stamping her passport over and over again, Dua Lipa's always serving summery, sunkissed glam. Whether she's boating in Mallorca, splitting the G in Dublin, dining in the south of France, or dancing on stage during her sold-out stadium shows in London—Dua's makeup always feels signature to her (which, ya know, is always reminiscent of what I'd wanna wear on a lavish vacation). Sometimes it's a sparkly lid, maybe it's a glowy cheek, occasionally she goes all-in on a smokey eye. As a beauty editor, I know that the key to makeup that looks really good are teensy details that might not even be clocked by the naked eye but make all the difference. And that's exactly what makes Dua's makeup look so good every time.
So when I went to Morocco with YSL Beauty (for whom Dua is the global brand ambassador) last month and got the chance to learn from their global makeup artist Sam Visser, I took full advantage to finally get the scoop on what her little details are. What is it that makes her eyes always so ethereal or her skin so sunkissed? He spilled his go-to tips for exactly how to get a Dua-level glow (ya know, without flying across the globe):
1. The Less Mascara, The Better
Dua's mascara never looks clumpy or too heavy. Rather, it widens her eyes and makes her look more awake, but without too much product. Visser's trick is to take a tissue and wipe nearly all of the mascara off the wand before you brush it through your lashes. This essentially just tints your lashes, he says, so it looks like you've just dyed them black rather than layered on coats of mascara. Your eyes end up looking fresher, whether you have on a whole smokey eye or just some under-eye concealer.
2. Bronzer + Blush = Blonzer
Ever wonder how Dua gets her cheeks so flushed? She actually mixes blush and bronzer. First, Visser applies a layer of bronzer from your temples, across your cheekbones, over the bridge of your nose, and across the other side of your face. Don't stop there, though. Feel free to tap some on your forehead and chin too. This gives a realistic sunkissed effect to your skin—like you just spent a day in the sun. Then, take your blush (he loves a soft-red shade for the summertime) and "dust it on your wrist first to diffuse most of the pigment," he says. That way, you're not packing on too much that you have to spend forever blending. Then, apply it directly on top of wherever you placed your bronzer. This creates a flushed, sunny effect that truly looks like you were just out in the sun all day (ya know, without actually causing sun damage).
3. Eye Blush
If you've ever looked at Dua Lipa's smokey eyes and wondered how they look so ethereal and soft but also sexy and sultry, you're not alone. I came into this meeting with Visser needing to know exactly the reason behind this defining feature of Dua's makeup, and finally, I got my answer. Once he's finished her eye makeup and blush, Visser takes the fluffy blush brush he used and dusts the remaining cheek color through the crease of her eyes, right under the beginning of her eyebrow. With a brush so large, it's barely noticeable to the naked eye and comes off so light and diffused, but adds just the softest touch flush to tie in her cheeks to her eyes. It brings a tenderness to an otherwise grungey-looking eye.
4. Keep It Simple
Not everything has to be complicated to look complex. "Monochrome adds harmony," says Visser, which is why he often sticks with the same shade across eyes, lips, and cheeks. He'll place blush on the eyes (as noted above) or lipstick on the cheeks (especially a glossy version for highlighter—he loves the YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick to add dewiness to cheekbones). He even says the key to a blended, soft look is using the same brush across the entire face for blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc. This way, all the products just melt into each other.
5. Powder Highlighter Is So Back
Lest we forget the days of a metallic wash of chunky glitter highlighters across our cheekbones in the name of glowy skin. We've largely replaced it with glowy primers and liquid dew drops, but Visser (and Dua) are a fan of how a powder can morph on your skin throughout the day and night. As you sweat, powders melt into your skin and start to blend with all of the other products you have underneath, creating a soft look that's hyper-realistic versus a shiny mess that many dewy liquids can cause. Visser obvi uses YSL's Hyper Luminize Highlighter on Dua, and I can attest that it's unlike the icky powder highlighters of my past. It doesn't cling to texture at all and works well with my powder and cream blushes and bronzers. And if you needed more convincing, just look at how good a powder is in flash photos—so if you're also taking Canon G7X pics like Dua...
Meet the expert:
- Sam Visser is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York, NY and the global makeup artist for YSL Beauty. He's known for his work with celebrities like Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Bella Hadid, and Alex Consani.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing makeup stories that range from drugstore concealers to lip stains. She's an authority in all makeup categories, but is an expert when it comes to drugstore mascaras after testing dozens of formulas throughout her life, plus constantly asking experts for their recs.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
