Tools Needed: Tweezers; disposable mascara wand; brow pencil; clear brow gel.

What I Used: Anastasia Tweezers, Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil in Brunette, Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear

Directions:
1. Brush eyebrows down with a clean mascara wand.
2. Take the pencil and lightly follow the natural line from above your brow
3. Using the mascara wand, brush the hairs up again.
4. Lightly fill in any area that has holes or thinning hair. Feather the pencil with quick, gentle strokes going the same direction as your hairs.
5. Use a brow gel to keep unruly hairs in place.

TIP: Whenever working with the eyebrow, always start by tweezing any stray hairs.

My Mom never really wore that much makeup except for mascara, and I’m kind of the same. As kids, we both had these super big eyes and she also has the most insane green eyes. I distinctly remember my Mom going to bed every night with her makeup on and never washing her face, which you read when you were little never to do but I sometimes do the same thing now. I think it’s funny because I remember she told me that you can’t always do that but she also has the most amazing skin, so it didn’t seem to matter. She never really wore anything else. Never foundation because she was anti-foundation. I don’t wear foundation either but because I’m super pale, I wear Cle de Peau Concealer under my eyes.

I write about beauty sometimes in my articles, such as what’s going on backstage, which I think is really interesting. Oftentimes, the looks aren’t exactly what we consider classically beautiful, but rather what works with the design and the statement you’re trying to make. I’m still super obsessed with when Pat McGrath did those half sequins on the eye for Givenchy. When I was little, I would do something like that. We would get confetti and clear nail polish and stick them on our face. I still like to do that sometimes. I think it’s fun, quirky, and different. Beauty is a personal style. The cliche example is a red lipstick or it can be a feature or product that you associate with. For me and my family it’s our long eyelashes. My brother used to cut his but since I turned out to be a red head, mine are pale and I have to wear mascara. I always make fun of him because his are really dark, but mine don’t show up. I look like I have no eyelashes unless I wear mascara. It’s kind of fun because in a way, it also shows genetics, which is kind of nice because you realize that you share that of your mother’s.

This is a Provencal cloth bag from the south of France. All of my toiletry bags are the same print.

I have Neutrogena Oil Free Sunblock SPF 30. I wear it every single day, even when it rains which is why I’m this hideous pasty white color, but one day it will be beneficial. That is the most important product.

Clinique 101 Teddy Bear is a quad of brown eyeshadows and a little bit of white. I like the brown on the lid and I always, always try to get that look that I see on girls who have a little pink on their lids. I don’t think I have the right skin tone for it, though.

I also use lip gloss on my eye lids. I have the Sephora Totally Lucid shiny version. You can use a Lancome Juicy Tube too. I put a it right under the arch of my eyebrow and on the outer corner of my eye, as if I were crying or there’s a little tear when you catch the light. I don’t know why but I love it.

On my lips I always use the Perlier White Almond Lip Balm, which is really nice. No matter what lipstick you wear, your lips need a good moisturizer. I like the scent.

I always wear Diptyque L’Ombre dans l’Eau and I have this little travel one. It’s funny because I’ll be somewhere and someone will tell me they’ve smelled me before they see me because they know it’s my scent. For some reason I don’t smell it anymore but everyone always smells it on me when I kiss hello.

I think bows are so fun and I got I got this  this little girl ribbon in Marie-Chantal in London. I love that store. I use it to put my hair back or when I’m putting makeup on, it’s nice to have something pretty to wear and then take out. For me, part of putting on makeup is about the process; That’s another thing about beauty with my Mom. It was always about the vanity. I had a huge round vanity I inherited from my Mom. It had the huge mirror that you would sit at to put your makeup on and so to me, it was always about that. Even if I had no makeup, I would pretend. It’s about going through the motions and all the little things associated with it.

I always have a lollipop. This is one of my favorite lollipops, Lemon Meringue by Linda’s Lollies.

Bourjois Khol and Contour 16 Hour Eyeliner. I used to wear this when I was little and we would get it at the grocery store in France. I like to get it when I visit. I’ll either do a severe French actress eye or I’ll wear just mascara, though I never put mascara on the bottom lashes, but I’ll use this eyeliner along the bottom edge in between the eyelashes because I think it helps with definition.

Then I use the YSL Touche Eclat underneath my brow bone and on the inner corners of my eye. The gloss is for the outer corner and both are to help with eye definition. Then the Cle de Peau Concealer in the palest color imaginable is for under my eye. That’s about it. I spread it around and blend it in with my finger, wherever it’s needed. I use it like a foundation in places and dust a little loose powder to set it. I’m not very high maintenance.

Definicil Mascara by Lancome is my go-to, be all, end all with a Shu Uemura eyelash curler. I do my lashes in a very particular way. Someone taught me once to move my mascara wand from left to right and then circle it up as you do it. Shimmy your hand left to right and circle it up to keep the curl. I do multiple layers on the outer corner of my eye, way more than on the rest of the eye lid, which I don’t think that many people do. It’s the batty eye look that makes you look like you have wider lashes. I always curl my eyelashes and I always wear mascara. That was the first makeup I ever wore.

I use Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil in Soft Brown to pencil in my eyebrow. Having manicured brows are the most important thing.

Sometimes I’ll wear the NARS Cruella Velvet Matte or Lady Danger by MAC, which looks a little funny with red hair but I like it, depending on what I’m wearing. Or I will do a clear gloss. I’m really not a lipstick person. I like to keep my lips neutral because I wear a lot of mascara. It’s a nice balance.

I don’t always carry my makeup bag with me because sometimes I just put things in my pocket and I don’t even carry a purse.” — Stephanie LaCava, writer; @stephanielacava

After dinner, guests like Harley Viera-Netwon, Charlotte Ronson,  Julian Schnabel, and Dior’s Dianne Vavra gathered into an adjacent room to watch Holton make an original pour painting – from start to finish. He used 5 Dior Vernis bottles to create the shape of the pour (see images) and approximately 5,000 unique colors for the painting: Holton pours cups of paint onto a piece of material, layering each color over the other while the paint colors flow and weave into a beautiful and intricate shape on the canvas. Five of the colors used to create this piece were chosen by Holton and matched with Dior Vernis shades: Red Royalty #999, Gris Montaigne #707,Psychedelic Orange #545, Flapper Pink #453 and Nirvana #704.

How it begins – Holton, the wood, paint, and the Dior Vernis bottles.

The Process: Pouring

Dior Vernis pour 1: Flapper Pink

Dior Vernis pour 2: Psychedelic Orange

Dior Vernis pour 3: Red Royalty

Dior Vernis pour4: Gris Montaigne

Dior Vernis pour 5: Nirvana

The finished pour painting

*Beauty Fact: “In 1962, Dior was the very first Couture House to launch its own brand name nail lacquer to match its already iconic lipsticks. A Dior slogan from the period captures the popularity of the new product: “Today, the four shimmering letters of Dior have come to the tips of your ten fingers.”

*Holton Rower Pour Painting on display at The Hole from April 28 – May 26th, 2012.

Empty paint cups

A new color and type of flower was sprinkled on the table every 10 minutes throughout the meal.

Ali Wise and Charlotte Ronson

Interview Magazine’s Lauren Tabach-Bank, Logan Horne and Ali Wise

Style.com’s Beauty Editor, Celia Ellinberg

Me…

One such lucky Met Ball attendee was Vogue Booking’s Editor Valerie Boster. Valerie is a very good friend of mine so when she asked that I do her makeup for the gala, I was… to put it mildly, flattered. And, of course, I documented the steps to share with you. So, here it is: the making of a Met Ball Beauty.

Valerie Boster, Vogue Bookings Editor.
Dress: Jason Wu
Hair: Pierre Michel (a side pony with lift at the roots and an intricate criss cross design in the back).
Makeup: Sarah Howard (focus on eyes with a a bronzy complexion. We were going for a contemporary spin on the 1960s cat eye).

Step 1: I prepped the face with Chanel’s Hydramax + Active and spot treated really dry areas with Make Up For Ever’s HD Elixir.

Step 2: I combined Dolce + Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation with Make Up For Ever HD Foundation and a pump of Burberry’s Fresh Glow. I mixed all three together and applied to the face with a foundation brush. (I’m all about blending, mixing, and layering!)

Step 3: I applied spot treat under eye circles and areas that need added coverage with RMS “Un” Cover-Up.

Step 4: I used Smashbox Eye Shadow in Sand to the entire lid, from lash line to brow bone. This is an eggshell white color. It opens eyes and covers all uneven skin tone all the eyelid.

Step 5: Now that the skin has had some time to dry, I dusted Serge Lutens Blusher, which is actually the perfect shade of matte bronzer, over the face, focusing on areas that would look naturally sun-kissed: cheeks, mainly, with a light sweep on forehead and chin.

Step 5: Using a blush brush, I applied Kevyn Aucoin’s The Creamy Glow in Liquifuschia to the cheeks. This is the perfect pink to bring life into the cheeks.

Step 6: Back to the eyes, I used tarte’s emphasEyes Clay Shadow Stick in Bronze and applied to the top lash line, smudging up and out (but not smoking), and lightly to the bottom lash line, smudging some more. This product is amazing because it is one part cream shadow, one part eye pencil so it is efficiently malleable.

Step 7: The cat eye. I used my go to liquid liner, Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black. Waterproof is essential to ensure all evening wear. For a video tutorial on how to do a vat eye, click HERE.

Step 8: I applied St. Tropez Skin Illuminator to areas of the face that I wanted to accentuate: cheek bones, bridge of nose, above the lip, and then a light pat all over the face.

Step 8: I layered Dolce & Gabbana The Blush in Provocative on top of the Kevyn Aucoin cream blush, again to ensure lasting abilities.

Step 9: I applied tarte EmphasEyes High Definition Eye Pencil in Dark Brown to the lower water line. This brings out Valerie’s green eyes.

Step 10: Lancome’s Hypnose Doll Lashes in Black was used for the top lashes, paying extra attention to the outer lashes. This increases that batty lash look.

Step 11: Finally, I swept MAC’s Extra Diminish Skinfinish Superb, a shimmery rose-bonze face powder over cheeks, nose and décolleté for a goddess finish.

RULE OF THUMB: When layering products, always use a cream before powder. Powder adheres to cream.

Dry Lips: To ready Valerie’s lips for a night of smiles, we had to get rid of the dead skin (her lips were very chapped). I had her scrub with Fresh Sugar Lip Polish for a good five minutes and, as you can see below, lips were perfectly smooth and flake-free.

*Valerie used her own lipstick but we agree on a “French pink” pout (in between bubble gum pink and barely there pink).

We went to Mexico to visit my Mom and Dad’s family and I have these two aunts on my Dad’s side that were meticulous about their beauty products and their inspiration came from the most iconic beauties of their time, like Madonna. They were perfectly well-groomed all the time, their hair was super important, and going out and getting their makeup done was something they always did. My Mom’s sister, who is about 15 years older than me, was also another person I looked up to in terms of putting on makeup, getting ready, and deciding how I wanted to look. Very beautiful but natural. But I’ve always been a fan of lipstick. I remember when I was in middle school and in Mexico, everyone was wearing a red lip and that was the one thing I was allowed to put on. A subtle red lip, for some reason, didn’t bother my Mom. Red lipstick was one thing I loved to wear when I was younger and I still love to wear now because I feel like it makes a difference in my face. My skin can get a little yellow-y-green and lipstick always helps to balance my skin tone.

When I was growing up, My Mom and I would always look at pictures of young Princess Caroline of Monaco and when my Mom was growing up she was looking at pictures of Grace Kelly — women that have timeless, classic beauty. Princess Caroline was someone I always saw in European magazines and I thought she had this really striking beauty. I still do and I think she’s aged incredibly well — someone that hasn’t tampered with her face. She still has that iconic, beautiful face. Marisa Tomei was also someone I’ve always admired, that looked great when I was younger. Demi Moore, I remember, was so beautiful too. I also remember my aunts showing me pictures of Maria Felix, who is this big Mexican movie star, and she always had these full eyebrows and a powerful lip, which I always thought were so striking. I remember when I was 17 years old I saw  Cindy Crawford here in New York, she was so pretty and natural looking. For me, seeing someone like that after growing up in Texas was totally cool. She has this amazingly healthy body with pretty, long brown hair and perfect cheekbones.

During my summer interning at Aeffe, a fashion editor came in and she was doing a pull and I thought, “Wow, what does she do?” I found out she worked at Women’s Wear Daily and did pulls for different stories. The next summer I thought, I definitely want to do that, so that’s exactly what I did. And now, many summers and jobs later, I’m at W Magazine. A lot of the times I’m not on set or on shoots, but when you go on set you realize how crucial every single component of the shoot is and with beauty, there is just so much. Obviously it’s the hair and makeup and people get very hung up on having very specific makeup teams, but it’s so important because it really sets the tone. You can do so much with hair and makeup. The beauty component is almost as important as the clothes. If you have the beauty component figured out, it makes the shoot ten times stronger.

My mom taught me to curl my eyelashes with a spoon. My Mom used to say that it was ten times more effective than a curling iron, so everyone in my family does it. It’s a very old-fashioned tip but I remember my Mom and my aunts doing it all the time and I still do it, especially when I want something long-lasting. Being on set, every makeup artist has Embryolisse in their beauty kit as well as Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleansing Solution.

In my makeup bag, the number one thing for me is moisturizer because I have really dry skin and I need to wear something that is super moisturizing and heavy. I’d like to wear La Mer everyday, but I don’t. My skin needs a lot of water and moisture, so right now I’m using NARS face cream. I like it because it’s thick but it doesn’t feel like you have any cake-y residue on your face. Because I have really dry skin, it has to be heavy in moisture but not feel clumpy and NARS works really well for me. I also use it as my primer before putting on makeup.

After using moisturizer, I use under eye concealer. The one I have right now and have been using for awhile is Chanel Correcteur Perfection Concealer. I tend to like the liquid ones more than the matte ones because I think there’s better coverage.

I also have the Chanel Orchid Rose Powder Blush, which I absolutely adore. A friend of mine, who’s blonde told me I had to try this blush. I tried it and loved it. It looks good with different skin tones — olive skin, white skin, red skin – and everyone who has tried it, loves it too. It’s a really good shade, a nice pink.

Sometimes I like to use the NARS Multi-Purpose Stick in Lamu. I like it because it’s easy. Sometimes you want a glow and a sun-kissed look; like someone pinched your cheeks.

I have a Tweezerman eye lash curler. I wasn’t a big fan of mascara before because I have allergies and my eyes always feel itchy but I recently read in Allure that if there’s one thing you should always put on every day, it’s mascara. I don’t have a lot of eyelashes, so I really need help in the mascara department. I really like Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara by Lancome. It’s very thick and it actually helps me quite a bit. I figured that was something I was going dedicate myself to do everyday — put on mascara and curl my eyelashes. It makes my Mom happy.

Depending on the day, I’ll use an eyeliner pencil. For the day, I use a matte brown eyeliner by Korres. I was just reading, but I don’t know if it’s true, that brown eyeliner makes you look younger than black. Sometimes, if I want something a little bit more dramatic I’ll use a liquid eyeliner — my Lancome Artliner Eye Liner Pinceau Mousse in black. This guy that did my makeup once at the Bloomingdale’s counter, told me use it at night. I use it on my top lashline but I sometimes put it on the bottom because it gives a nice smokey look without having to put on eyeshadow, which I really don’t know how to use.

I love NARS lip liners. I alternate between two — Morocco and Kenya. I use those almost everyday. Kenya is a little darker, if I want a spice feel and Morocco is more natural and if I want a matte brown look. I’ll use it with a MAC lipstick that’s a true nude called Myth.

I like Poppy Lipstick Queen in Berry Sinner when I want a deep matte red. I also have Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte 21. This is an evening, dark, creamy red because it’s really dramatic. I can’t use classic red because they look really bad on me.

Lately I’ve been using Gemma Kidd Pro and it’s a face palette with an apricot corrector, a berry lip and cheek blush. I put this on when I want a little sun-kissed look. It’s very easy to use. You can use it as a blush but it also has a color corrector and a dewy glow for all over radiance.

Usually if I do a lip, I’ll put a shine on my eyes and a bit of eyeliner on the bottom — nothing dramatic at all. I use Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Mystic Eyes for eye shine. I use the little brushes that come with it and I just play around, to be honest. I use the lighter colors on my brow bone and on my lash line to add a little bit of something.

If I use bronzer, it’s the Chanel Bronzer, but never a powder. I wouldn’t even know what to use it for.

At night, I’m more aware about putting cream on and I just discovered Natura Bisse Eye Booster. My sister uses it and she has great skin. I’ve also been using an Aqua Gel from NARS that’s part of their skincare line.

My makeup bag is a small Prada one. I probably need a bigger one, to be honest. I carry it with me all the time and if there are three things it in, I’d pick the under eye concealer, a lipstick, and a mascara… and an eye lash curler. Well, that’s four things.”

–Karla Martinez, W Magazine Fashion Market and Accessories Director; Co-founder of loungewear line Piamita; @wmagkarla