Elizabeth Olsen’s Makeup Artist Is Spilling The Secret To Her Dewy Skin

The start of a new season is always exciting, but it’s a particularly electric period for beauty lovers. Summer makeup can feel a little one-note — fall, though, opens up all sorts of new opportunities to try out fresh finishes, just-launched products, and interesting new color combinations. The fact that the next several months are especially packed with social engagements means ample chances to try them all out, too. Not sure where to begin? Consider Elizabeth Olsen’s dewy makeup from her movie premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s luminous and fresh-faced, strategically utilizing color to create a look her makeup artist, Gita Bass, describes as “effortless glamour.” Fortunately for fans, Bass generously shared the exact products and process used to bring it to life.

Olsen was at the Canadian film festival for a special screening of her new movie, The Assessment, as well as a number of promotional events, panels, and interviews tied to its release. For the actual premiere itself, Olsen opted for a velvet-textured, gold-shouldered Schiaparelli dress, the sort of garment that could overpower even the most heavy-handed glam. Accordingly, Bass complemented the gown rather than competed with it, giving Olsen a luminous yet defined makeup moment that might be on the actor’s best-ever red carpet moments.

The beauty theme of Olsen’s entire press tour was built around radiant skin, Bass exclusively tells TZR. “Her amazing Schiaparelli dress brought enough drama with its exaggerated sparkly shoulders, so we kept the makeup soft and fresh to contrast,” she explains. “This kept the look cool and young, and not overdone. The keys features to her makeup were flawless skin, a strong brow and a maroon stained lip.”

Bass says that skin prep was a key step in creating the look, particularly important as “smooth, well-hydrated skin will hold makeup for hours.” First, she layered on Beau Domaine The Fluid Cream, which she says absorbs quickly and acts as a base for the products that follow. Next up are a pair of GM Collin Instant Radiance Eye Patches for immediate de-puffing and brightening.

“With minimal makeup, adding a warm glow to the skin really helps to add life to the face and prevents you from getting washed out by the red carpet flash,” Bass explains. “To achieve this, I added a few drops of LaBomme Liquid Highlighter in Starburst to the cheekbones, nose, chin, forehead, and eyelids.” On Olsen’s lips, the goal was a color that simulated a light wine stain — “soft, sexy, and not too perfect,” Bass shares. “I applied the Le Rouge Francais Lipstick in Hanasu straight from the tube and blotted it to create a soft stain, then used a small brush to slightly blur the edges for a lived in finish.”

To get Olsen’s look at home, Bass suggests using cream-based products and applying them with fingers instead of brushes. “This helps keep the makeup look sheer and natural as it melts into the skin,” she explains. Clearly, the artist knows her stuff.