(Celebrity)
The Secret To Andie MacDowell’s Glow Is This Easy Makeup Hack
It’s actually so genius.
There is no shortage of fascination surrounding Andie MacDowell — every sighting of the actor leaves fans, admirers, and the general public often wondering, How does she always look so utterly flawless? The answer truly lies in her authenticity. The 63-year-old seemingly celebrates every stage and decade in life, even recently showcasing her brown-turned-gray locks proudly as a new part of her signature beauty look (which includes radiant skin and that memorable rom-com smile). The decision to grow out her silver strands was definitely a power move — whether intentional or not — as it makes a statement about embracing every part of the aging process.
As TZR’s fall beauty issue cover star, MacDowell flaunted her now-famous gray curls along with a fresh, dewy complexion, and even took on one of the most polarizing beauty trends of the year: “wet” hair. Through all the beauty moments captured, however, MacDowell manages to drive home the minimalist mantra of less is more, proving that nothing is more impactful than a simplified and streamlined look.
TZR spoke to lead makeup artist Stephen Sollitto and hairstylist Marcus Francis, who created MacDowell’s look for the TZR shoot. They offered a few key tips to achieving the star’s glowing complexion, statement lip, and, of course, her iconic waves — in all their silver glory.
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Look 1: Voluminous Side Part
Recently, the side part has been dubbed “cheugy” (aka old school) by Gen-Zers, but for most beauty fanatics who lived through the hairstyle’s golden age in the early aughts, the side part is alive and well, and stylish as ever — just refer to MacDowell. If you’re looking to embrace the look, Francis recommends using a curling iron to shape the front sections of hair. “This lifts the face shape and creates a nice balance,” he says. Simply part the hair on the side of your choosing and take a front section (on the side with more hair) near where your cheekbone sits, and wrap your hair in the curling iron, holding it close to the root, without burning yourself, of course, then allow the hair to fall naturally for a voluminous finish.
To achieve the volume of this hairstyle, Francis first blew out MacDowell’s curls using a Dyson blow dryer to provide a clean, even slate, so to speak. This allows for more uniform curls to be created with the iron. (For those who don’t have naturally curly hair, blow drying may not be necessary — feel free to start on completely air dried hair.) He then used a 1-inch curling iron to wrap a mix of small- and medium-sized sections of hair. He left the ends uncurled to create a more natural, undone look. “I placed a bend in curls around her cheekbones to accentuate them,” Francis says.
Look 2: Your Skin But Better Foundation
It’s a common myth that a glowy, clear complexion is only achieved by a myriad of skin care products. While this may very be true, MacDowell’s gorgeous skin is actually a result of a genius beauty hack. “To achieve a barely there complexion, I love diluting foundation,” Sollitto reveals to TZR. “I applied the Chantecaille Rose de Mai Face Oil [on her face] and then, with a wet sponge, I glided over Andie’s skin with Makeup Forever HD Foundation, tapping where I wanted to deposit more coverage.” Sollitto explains that using this method on mature complexions helps to “pull the skin coloring together without gathering in fine lines too much.”
To further enhance her natural glow, Sollitto used the Beautyblender Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer to slightly brighten the under-eye area, and finished off the look with his “go-to” highlighter, the Col-lab Highlighting Filter.
Look 3: Bold Statement Lip
“Sometimes, deciding a shade is as simple as applying it and seeing if you like it,” says Sollitto. This was exactly the case for MacDowell’s subtle yet bright lip, courtesy of Dior Beauty’s Rouge Dior in shade 141. The bold, berry-hued pout seen on the actor is the perfect option for those who are eager but hesitant to rock a statement lip, as it’s a nice vibrant hue but not quite a stark true red.
Equally effective for the color-apprehensive woman is this bit of advice from Sollitto: “To any woman using a new shade, I say try it,” he says. “We worry so much what people will say when we sport a new red lip or a dash of bright shadow, and truthfully, everyone else is too worried about their own red lip or their own bright shadow to truly stare at yours. So wear it and enjoy it. Color brings happiness.”
Look 4: Sleek Wet Look
Leave it to MacDowell to make a visually striking case for one of the most polarizing hairstyles of all time. While most people grew up being told to not go out with wet hair, fashion and beauty experts, and celebrities (including Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian) turn to the sleek wet hairstyle when they want to have a sexy beauty moment.
Though seemingly easy (it’s just wet hair, right?), this hairstyle can be tricky to perfect. The secret is that this look has nothing to do with wet hair at all. Francis explains that he began by blowing out MacDowell’s damp curls with a Dyson blow dryer, fixed with the narrow nozzle attachment, before using a curling wand to create loose waves. “It’s best for hair to be evenly damp throughout for a blowout, so I sprayed the dry parts of her hair with water. I parted her hair into three sections and kept those sections tied to keep the moisture in while blow-drying the rest of the hair,” he tells TZR. To achieve the “wet” finish, Francis combed a combination of water and styling cream through MacDowell’s styled hair, section by section, using his fingers.
While the pattern and texture of MacDowell’s curls seem to be the main character in this beauty look, her glistening gray hue is equally impactful. To keep grays on the more silvery and shiny side, Francis suggests blasting the hair with cool air after blow-drying each section to help seal the cuticle. “Doing this keeps the follicle smoother, even when wavy, and the light reflects off those gray strands and really glisten beautifully. The same can go for any color hair if you want it to shine and pop,” he tells TZR.
Top image credit: Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh coat, Tiffany & Co. by Elsa Peretti earrings
Photographer: Christine Hahn
Stylist: Petra Flannery
Hair: Marcus Francis
Makeup: Stephen Sollitto
Manicure: Zola Ganzorigt
Bookings: Special Projects
Videographer: Sam Miron
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