With her effortless vibe and fresh-faced approach to beauty, Phoebe Tonkin is a walking example of the notion that “less is more.” So it wasn’t totally surprising to hear that this adage was the underlying theme of the actress’s beauty look last night as she attended a dinner celebrating Chanel’s Gabrielle bag in Los Angeles. “She’s so easy to work with,” says makeup artist Kara Yoshimoto Bua, who prepped the actress’s look for the event. “I just focused on enhancing her skin and lashes.”
Still, a “less-is-more” look requires a certain amount of nuance—Bua relied on subtle tricks (and stellar products) to make Tonkin’s barely-there look pop just enough for the cameras later in the evening. And if you’re looking for some quick pointers, we’ll do you one better: Below, Tonkin and Bua give us an intimate peek (complete with their own snapshots) into how the look all came together.
Bua says that with Tonkin’s eyes in particular, her aim was a look that quietly smoldered. “I applied a few coats of Chanel’s Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Noir ($32) on the top lashes and Chanel’s Limited-Edition Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Vert Profond ($32) on the bottom to pop the green in her eyes,” she says. “To create a soft, smoky eye, I used a small eye shadow brush to blend in a bit of gray eye shadow along the lower lash line and up and around the outer corner of the upper lids.”
As for the actress’s skin, Bua simply wanted to play up her natural glow while preemptively combating any oiliness or shine as the evening progressed. “I love glowing, healthy skin, but to avoid looking oily, … blotting papers work really well to blot without adding more makeup,” she says. “The trick is shine control in the right places. I love to leave the cheek bones shiny and the bridge of the nose as a highlight. I added Chanel’s Huile de Jasmin Revitalizing Facial Oil ($120) to the bridge of Phoebe’s nose and on her cheekbones to highlight and really get that glowing finish.”
For Tonkin’s lips, Bua sent the actress on her way with Chanel’s Limited-Edition Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine ($37) in Golden to stash in her purse.
The look came together with a hairdo that was equal parts polished and low-key.
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