I Spent 2 Hours with Kate Bosworth’s Makeup Artist—Here’s Everything I Learned

While
Pati Dubroff is, indeed, the artist behind the amazing makeup
looks frequently gracing the likes of Kate Bosworth, Margot
Robbie, Julianne Moore, Priyanka
Chopra, and more, Dubroff’s impressive professional resume is
hardly relegated to the “saved” archives of our Instagram feeds.
Having fallen in love with the world of makeup at the age of 10,
over the years, she’s hustled her way up, though, and beyond makeup
artist stardom. She’s worked alongside editorial heavy hitters like
Annie Leibovitz; on set for publications like Vanity Fair, Harper’s
Bazaar, and Vogue; and assisted iconic makeup artist legends like
Kevyn Aucoin and François Nars. (For reference, any makeup artist
would kill to have that kind of experience under their belt.)

So when I had the opportunity to spend two hours with Dubroff
inside the cozy doors of Violet
Grey’s West Hollywood flagship, it took me less than a tenth of
a second to accept. As part of Violet
Grey’s inaugural committee seminar with Armani Beauty, Dubroff
walked an intimate group of attendees through her process.

The goal: to see firsthand how Dubroff preps her A-list
clientele for the most demanding of red carpets while typing and
recording as much intel as possible without having an actual
aneurysm on Violet Grey’s plushly carpeted floors. (Though
considering the
beauty nirvana housed inside the brand’s walls, I’m sure it
wouldn’t be the first time an unsuspecting shopper has
fainted.)

Ahead, I’m sharing eleven of the most interesting takeaways from
my time with Dubroff, each of which is jam-packed with even more
tips, tricks, and product recommendations to help satiate your
beauty appetite. Keep scrolling! You’ve just hit the beauty-junkie
jackpot.

Although Dubroff explained that the time she’s able to dedicate
to skin prep and makeup depends on a) how much she’s given and b)
how detailed or elaborate the makeup is going to be, she shared
that if she’s given two hours with a client (the norm), she’ll
delegate a good 40 minutes to skin prep: “As long as the skin is
good, everything else is gravy.” Keep scrolling for the
step-by-step pre-makeup skincare ritual she always performs on her
A-list clientele.

The
first thing Dubroff does when she gets to her client is to situate
them for 15 to 20 minutes with this bio-cellulose treatment mask
from 111Skin. The brand has other formulas, but Dubroff says this
silver one is the O.G. and her all-time favorite. It gives the skin
glow and vibrancy, plus the hairstylists she works alongside
appreciate that the excess serum along the hairline doesn’t
endanger styled strands. Oh, and nothing goes to waste—Dubroff
wipes the excess serum sitting in the package and on the mask all
over her client’s upper body and then rests the mask on their neck
while she does their makeup.

However,
if you prefer a cream mask versus a sheet-style mask, Dubroff says
this luxurious medley of rose, magnolia, shea butter, and vitamins
galore is another amazing option to ready your complexion before a
big day or night.

While
Dubroff says this is, indeed, an extravagant step, it makes a
significant difference in the lift and contour of her clients’
faces. Basically, it allows you to give yourself a nanocurrent
facial at home, promoting lymphatic drainage, collagen production,
and increased circulation. And, on a certain setting, it can also
eradicate acne-exacerbating bacteria. She massages clients’ faces
with it for about five minutes, working up and out with the
contours.

Post-nanocurrents,
Dubroff reaches for this cult-loved facial massager from celeb
esthetician Joanna Czech. It’s designed to de-puff, lift, and
alleviate muscle tightness, and Dubroff likes to store hers in the
fridge or a cup of ice pre-makeup for extra cooling and tightening
perks.

Dubroff
says she’s obsessed—no, really, OBSESSED—with this holy-grail
moisturizer from Augustinus Bader. It comes in two formulas—rich
and regular—but unless a client is super prone to oily skin or
it’s insanely hot outside, she always opts for the rich option, as
it gifts skin with ample hydration and a pretty sheen. She only
applies it to the perimeter of the face and on the high points of
the face like the cheekbones.

If
she needs something lighter, she’ll moisturize a client’s skin with
this damage-preventing, science-backed serum instead. (It’s spiked
with strategic amino acids, vitamin C, antioxidants, and soothing
calendula.)

To
supplement the skin with an extra boost of hydration and nutrition,
Dubroff loves to mist the A-list with this dreamy elixir from
Hungarian skincare brand Omorovicza. It also smells beautiful (ah,
neroli and rose!).

Remember
how Dubroff only applies moisturizer on the outer points of the
face? That’s because she reserves the center portion (aka the
oil-prone T-zone) for this mattifying primer from French brand
Bioderma.

Last
but not least, the lips. Dubroff likes to nourish and plump her
clients’ lips ahead of makeup wit this handy, dual-sided pen from
111Skin. (One side is a luxe conditioning mask, and the other
features a collagen-boosting serum for plumping and contour
improvement.)

You may have heard this strategic foundation tip around the
block, but Dubroff provides some helpful context as to why it’s so
important in addition to the specific protocol for choosing and
applying your formulas. Here’s the sitch: First, match one of your
colors to your neck (this will be your lighter color); then match
your other color to the side of your cheek (this will be your
darker color).

Then
using a brush (Dubroff loves the below from It Cosmetics—she
calls it her “workhorse”), apply your darker hue around the outer
corners of the face and do a light wash on the neck as well.
According to Dubroff, a neck that’s painted too light can read
“wider,” while a darker neck recesses and looks thinner. Afterward,
go back in with a small brush to add the lighter-colored foundation
the center portion of the face.

If you’re able to get enough coverage with your
foundation alone, Dubroff says to skip concealer altogether AND to
leave your nose free of product—the reason being it’s
almost impossible for you to completely camouflage away the look of
product there, and it allows natural skin or freckles to shine
through a bit. Alas, if you do need some extra coverage in the way
of concealer, reach for a shade that’s somewhere in between your
two foundation shades—she uses Armani’s—and tap, buff, and
swirl it using a small brush wherever your problem areas are.

Where to apply your blush is probably one of the biggest makeup
conundrums known to humankind. Luckily, we have a makeup artist
legend to help. According to Dubroff, the best goof-proof protocol
is to use two different shades of blush, a lightweight cream or
liquid formula, and a high-quality stipple brush like her favorite
from Pat McGrath Labs for application. This allows the result to
look airy, plush, and natural, and placement-wise, don’t get to
close to the nose OR the eye. The apple (bearing in in mind what we
just said) is a good target.

Put
both shades on your hand, swirl in your brush, and then apply by
buffing (and swirling some more) onto your cheek.

As Dubroff explains, curling your lashes is like drawing the
curtains or blinds in a dark room—it immediately brightens and
emphasizes your eyes. Unless you’re one of the few blessed beings
with naturally curly lashes, Dubroff says to always curl before
starting in on your eye makeup—she always has her clients do it
themselves and swears by this model from Utowa.

Fun fact: Dubroff shared the brand is the
brainchild of Hiroshi Uemura—the son of the legendary makeup
artist and cosmetics tool genius Shu Uemura.

“I hate eye shadow,” Dubroff told us. “Or I don’t HATE it, but
it’s definitely not my favorite—I like all things creamy for
eyes.” For the perfect shadow look sans powder, Dubroff recommends
taking a creamy eye pencil (preferably in a brown hue) and
outlining the crease, outer corner, and lower outer corner of the
eye. Then, buff and blend it all in with an eye shadow
brush. Never, she says, go beyond the outer corner of the
eye—it’s the top eye makeup mistake she sees as a makeup artist,
and it immediately makes the eye look “sad.” Dubroff says
she’s always telling people to use a little concealer to clean up
the edges and outer corners.

Next,
Dubroff took Armani’s Eye Tint Eyeshadow in a matte shade and
patted it in the center of the lid to fill in the ground not yet
covered with the pencil. Since she’s not a fan of eye primers, this
is like the perfect substitute while adding a subtle hint of
color.

Afterward,
she applied a shimmery tint directly on top of where she applied
the liner on the outer corner—but not the crease—and along the
lower outer lash line where the pencil was applied as well. She
also patted the shimmery tint on the inner corners of the eye, a
little bit on the center of the lid, and even a touch on the
cheekbones for some cohesive highlight. For Dubroff, the process
for eyes is all about using the same texture (e.g., liquid or
cream) but differing finishes.

According to Dubroff, nothing looks more unnatural or dated than
a frosty highlight job right underneath your arches. If you put
highlighter anywhere near your eyes, dust it ABOVE your brows or
perhaps just dust whatever is leftover on your brush (like that
shimmery eye tint!) and put it right under the middle of your arch
for the most flattering payoff.

“You absolutely need to give foundation some time to
just sit and chill out after you apply it, and before you go in
with your powder,” explains Dubroff. And if you can, try
to forgo powder altogether; she says it’s the product that
immediately ages us. That said, if you’re oily or know you’re going
to get oily, make powder one of your very last steps before heading
out the door, and keep it strictly through your T-zone. Another
case for delayed powder application? If you make a mistake later on
with your makeup and you’ve already powdered, you’re pretty much
stuck and unable to fix it without making a complete mess.

First of all, Dubroff isn’t a fan of the overlining trend, so
let’s just get that out of the way. Second, never, never line your
lips first thing. Instead, she relies on using two different shades
of lip color to create the optical illusion of extra fullness
before going in with a lip pencil as the second step.

She explains that this allows you to see where the lip needs any
extra “reinforcement,” and you should opt for a pencil that’s the
same shade as the base of your lip. (The second shade can be deeper
and applied in the middle of your pout for that aforementioned
optical illusion effect.)

Oh, and never line the entire lip line—skip the corners and
leave some space on the bottom and top outer areas because if
completely connected, it will likely bleed to the sides of your
mouth, and you’ll be left with what Dubroff refers to as “Joker
lip.”

This is one of the most sought-after beauty products for a
reason—it’s simply the best. Not only does every model and
actress use it to wipe away stubborn makeup come the end of the
night (it’s gentle and effortlessly dissolves even the most
stubborn formulas), but it’s also the best antidote for makeup
mistakes. Dubroff keeps this cute travel-size version with her at
all times. It doesn’t leave behind icky residue, and it seamlessly
erases any errant makeup mistakes—but absolutely nothing else
making it perfect for mess-free clean-up.

Just like Dubroff sends her celebrity clients off with the bare
minimum products for touch-ups, make sure you do the same for
yourself before heading out for the day or night. Of course, what
you’re able to bring will be contingent on how much space you have
in your bag, but Dubroff’s send-off kit usually includes
the lip pencil she used, your lip color, a powder-dusted puff
wrapped in tissue, and a few Q-tips.