With access to a team of professional makeup artists, it comes as no surprise that Blake Lively looked flawless posing on the red carpet at the CFDA Awards.
Never one to gatekeep her beauty secrets, the Gossip Girl actress shared before and after photos of her glam makeup compared to her fresh-faced, makeup-free look and revealed how she ditched her "painful" teenage habit.
© Taylor HillIn the first photo, Blake had dewy skin, a soft smokey brown eye with long lashes, and a full pink pout. The latter was an illusion that followed a new Gen Z trend, she revealed in the caption.
"When @cgonzalezbeauty does the Gen Z eye shadow lip trick to make your lips look huge…," she wrote, adding: "But then… You wash off your makeup & accept that you're a Millennial girl who, in high school used to wear lip gloss with alarming amounts of [chilli] peppers inside for a plump because we were THAT committed to bad ideas.
© Instagram"Turns out eye shadow is way less painful than Carolina Reapers. Thank you @cgonzalezbeauty for not turning my mouth into an episode of Hot Ones."
Lip plumpers have long been popular for those not blessed with naturally voluptuous pouts (myself included) who don't want to resort to cosmetic enhancements. But as makeup trends such as overlining and shadowing have developed, there has become more choice when it comes to achieving your goal of full lips.
© InstagramThe after photo showed Blake after she had carried out her evening skincare routine, removing all products to show her clear complexion and regular lip size.
During the evening, Ryan Reynolds' wife looked stunning in a fitted white dress with a ruched waist and a thigh-high slit that gave a glimpse of her stunning embellished heels, paired with a tailored white blazer draped over her shoulders.
Blake's skincare secrets
Blake admitted that she has resorted to doing her own hair and makeup for red carpet events in the past, but joked to Vogue: "It's never a good idea!"
When she does turn to professionals for help, the A Simple Favour star said she likes to develop a cohesive look. "I really base my makeup on the outfit, and the mood of what I'm doing," she said.
© Getty ImagesAway from the cameras and the star-studded black tie events, Blake prefers to keep her makeup minimal and focus on skincare instead.
"On a day-to-day basis, I just normally wear sunscreen, tinted moisturiser and nothing else really. Nothing really make-uppy," the It Ends With Us star explained.
READ: Ask Laura: How can I wear red lipstick in my 50s and beyond?
