The 5 Secrets To “No Make-Up” Make-Up, According To Lisa Eldridge
There are beauty wonderlands and then there is celebrity make-up artist Lisa Eldridge’s House of Eldridge, a pop-up in London’s Covent Garden, which takes the definition to new heights. With a lipstick lounge, bedecked in rich velvet fabrics (and a lip-shaped sofa – one for the Pinterest interiors board); a selection of her personal collection of vintage make-up, including thousand-year-old compacts and blushers from the 1920s; all of her eponymous make-up line available to try (along with expert colour matching); her beautiful jewellery collection; and soon, professional talks on all manner of subjects – there is something for everyone in the beauty dream world she has created.
“It’s something a bit different from a normal beauty stand in a department store,” she tells me over Zoom. “It’s not merchandised, just an insight into my world. There are over a thousand pieces from my vintage make-up collection, some of which I am selling, and areas with different themes. Plus there is a replica of my studio in the back – it’s exactly like people may have seen on Instagram where I used to film my YouTube videos.”
One of Eldridge’s calling cards is effortless, fresh make-up that is so imperceptible, no one would ever know her clients are wearing it. She works with everyone from Dua Lipa and Alexa Chung, to Winnie Harlow and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on their luminous complexions, and is equally glowy-skinned herself. So what are her tips on how we can emulate the look at home?
1.Prep is important
One of her top tips is to start with your skincare routine. “Making sure that your skin is well hydrated and moisturised is important,” she says. “Without that, you can’t get the products to behave the way you want them to.”
2.Work with your real skin
For a no make-up make-up effect, Eldridge advises applying your foundation only in the areas it’s needed – generally in the centre of the face. “For me, it’s around my nose, mouth and chin area and a little bit on the forehead,” she says, name-checking her new Foundation as a great product to try. “It’s not a tinted moisturiser or a full coverage formula, but something in the middle that you can sheer out if you want to. It self sets, so you don’t need to powder on top of it. I really like it because it doesn’t feel like you’ve got any make-up on, but it’s still got good coverage.” She applies with her fingers or a flat brush.
3. Don’t be afraid to mix formulas up
If you’re struggling to achieve the right (lightweight) consistency in your base product, Eldridge suggests adding some moisturiser into it. This trick also helps reduce that cakey finish when certain foundations cling to dry or flaky skin.
4.Highlight
A new wave of highlighters nourish the skin while imparting the ultimate dewy sheen for a look that says “healthy”, rather than overdone. “I always use a highlighter on the high points of the cheeks – a subtle one, that doesn’t have any glitter in it – and I apply it on the nose, in the corners of eyes, and on top of the lip to create a dewy look.”
5.Create an outdoorsy flush
A make-up artist essential, cream blush is the best route to go down for a natural flush. Eldridge swears by her own Enlivening Blush – in the shade Pink Soap – which she applies with fingers, building up thin layers to create the right texture and finish.
According to British Vogue
