The annual themed Met Gala was this past week, and while Selena Gomez wasn’t the most “Manus x Machina” of the bunch (see Zayn’s robo-blazer or Beyonce’s all-latex gown), she was certainly fresh-faced and stunning.
Billboard spoke exclusively with the singer’s makeup artist, Hung Vanngo, to get the inside scoop on his three no fail tips for a Gala-worthy beauty look.
1. Outfit first, makeup second
“Always go with the design of the dress first. The theme was more futuristic for this event, but Selena and I discussed the look with her stylist, and we wanted to keep it more simple. Minimal-looking makeup never fails, and it will always make you look radiant, young and not overly-done.”
Pro Tip: Vanngo used Chanel Vital Lumiere Foundation in 40 B, and a tiny bit of NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer in Custard on Gomez. To set the look, he used NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder.
2. Don’t be afraid of not doing the classic cat-eye.
“For this event, I did a thicker, short black liner but kind of smudged it out. I didn’t want to overly extend the liner out because I didn’t want it to be too much of a cat eye. Everyone’s doing a cat eye, but this was a bit different. To help keep the theme, we did a more metallic wash all over the eye and even under it on the lower lash line, and then topped it off with lots of lashes.”
Pro Tip: Hung didn’t use eye shadow for this look. Instead, he used MAC Glitter Reflects Gold and a couple medium-length individual Ardell lashes at the outer corner of her eye and finished it with two coats of Dior Diorshow Extase Mascara in Black Extase.
3. Makeup won’t work if you don’t have beautiful skin
“Selena and I work well together because we both think beautiful skin can almost be as good as makeup. For this look, I did a little bit of contouring on top of her foundation (using Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Killer Cheekbones), but the fresh, dewy and youthful skin is what’s most important.”
Pro Tip: To get Gomez’s dewy complexion, Hung used a smattering of Kiehl’s products. First he prepped her face by leaving the Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque on for 10 minutes, and then he patted this concentrate on just her cheeks and forehead for extra moisture and radiance and finished off with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream and Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment.