A-list makeup artist, Katie Jane Hughes, hails 'elegant vinyl skin' the most flattering beauty trend yet. Here's how to get the look
Brit MUA Katie Jane Hughes, who works with Ashley Graham and Rosie H-W, is best known for her own Insta makeup - those eye-catching pops of colour, her campaign for real skin textures and that mega-watt skin glow that beams from every post.
"It’s the mini skincare steps that add up to the glow," she reveals as she stopped by the GLAMOUR office for an Insta takeover.
And here's here essential must-glows. Feel free to thank us later.
Get strategic with skincare don’t spread all over
"I don’t use products over the whole surface of the face, I use selective skincare and concealer placement. I’ll put a serum everywhere based on the texture. If it’s oily, I won’t as I don’t want the shine everywhere, but if it’s a gel, I will. If it’s a rich, dewy, balmy cream, I’ll put it all around the areas I want to highlight so I'm building my highlight from the base up. Place moisturiser where you find makeup dries during the day and not where it slides off. That way you are building for the makeup you want to apply on top."
Highlights start with exfoliator
"Every other morning I swipe over with Elemis Resurfacing Pads and buffer over high points for a bit longer where I want that shine, to give skin a glass-like reflectiveness. Then, I’ll put my moisturiser in those zones. I’ll even drop a bit of oil into it if I want it to be shinier."
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Try the once-a-day cleanse
"I cleanse every night before I go to bed with Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm and I love to let my natural oils develop over-night. I read that Salma Hayek only washes her face once a day at night-time, and I tried and loved it. I do think people panic and over-do it with their skin. When I used to work at Space NK I asked the facialists, why is my skin breaking out and they were like, 'You are doing too much'. Your skin follows your cleansing routine so once you get this right, everything falls into place.
Go light on layers
"When you do makeup, think of all the layers on top of each other. You have to go on lighter than the last layer because you’ll pull things around and make streaks if you don’t. You want to skim brushes as light as a feather. Use small brushes for everything and remember the closer the bristles are to your finger, the harder you’ll press. Hold further down the length of the brush for a lighter touch.
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Pores are OK
"The biggest DM question I used to get was, ‘How do you get rid of pores?’ and I was like, ‘You can’t.’ Yeah you can do facials all the time and really look after your skin, but if you’ve got visible pores, your skin’s probably oily, which means your skin is going to age slower than a person with small pores. Big pores have their pros just as much as small pores. I think for a long time Facetune and similar apps, have made us immune to over-edited faces and we’re chasing this insane, smooth and poreless skin and it’s not realistic.
Skincare makes the best makeup remover
"I use my face cream to clean up makeup mistakes. Dip an angle brush into a tiny bit of cream, take off the excess and then you clean up your eyeliner.
Go extra gloss for ‘Elegant Vinyl’
"The word vinyl makes me think of plastic, Kim Kardashian dresses, that latex dress and hyper-glossy makeup, but then I wanted to bring it into an elegant, chic space. I brushed on a gloss, the Beauty Blender Glass Glow Shinelighter, with a brush to the high points of the face, or you could use a face oil too."
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Want to get the look? Here's her makeup and skincare must-haves...
Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads, £39, Elemis
“I go through these peel pads like crazy - they are worth their weight in gold. I get through a pack every two months.”
Stretch Concealer, £15, Glossier
“I wear Glossier Stretch Concealer every day. I basically use it as foundation.”
Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads, £39, Elemis
"I'll use this Elemis Cleansing Balm forever and a day."
Matte lipstick in Marrakesh, £17.50, MAC
“Marrakesh lipstick from MAC is my favourite thing in the world - it’s so chic.”
