16 Time-Saving Products the Grammys' Head Makeup Artist Has in His Kit
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One of the lessons we learned from Grayson is that perfecting a celebrity's skin is the first line of business when he's pressed for time.
"If you get the foundation and skin looking amazing, you've completed more than 80% of the look," he explains. For that reason, he reaches for this industry-loved foundation from Koh Gen Do, which he credits for having great colors, good coverage, and unbeatable blendability. All of this makes it easy to build over other creams or liquid foundations a celebrity may be wearing.
"This concealer from Laura Mercier is a necessity because it covers, conceals, and sets," says Grayson. "And the smallest amount of formula sticks to skin. It comes in a variety of shades which makes it easy to evenly cover any facial discoloration that might have to be touched up."
"This is one of my favorite application tools for quick touch-ups," Grayson adds. "It's so easy to smooth, cover, blend, and match foundation color with this spongy egg."
According to Grayson, these handy little blotting papers from Boscia are the best for absorbing unwanted oil efficiently while also reducing the amount of powder needed to tone down shine.
"This is a multipurpose product that can be applied as a foundation or concealer, and when used with the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Primer ($52), it can be adjusted and applied as thin as a tinted moisturizer," divulges Grayson.
"What l love about this foundation is that the colors can be mixed and matched for an entire rainbow of complexion," says Grayson. Plus, he appreciates that the formula plays nicely with all skin types—from dry to oily and combination skin.
"I love using this second-skin makeup as a thin veil of primary coverage to balance tone, reducing the amount of cream or liquid foundation needed to get the job done," Grayson tells us.
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Courtesy of Bruce Grayson
"I'm always adding products to my kit, but I'm excited about trying the new Instaclean Beauty Blender cleanser," says Grayson. "It's a waterless way to clean your BB sponge and brushes. It has lavender in the formula, which is a natural disinfectant."
"I also added the new MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Lipsticks to my kit," he adds. "They are more moisture-driven than traditional matte lipsticks and have a unique texture. They may be the perfect product for a retro lip at this year's Oscars."
"I'm excited about the new Vibe Cosmetics Vibe Rants High Volume Liquid Lipstick. The reds are outstanding and highly pigmented. I love the shade Va Va Vibe. They also have some really cool nude shades," shares Grayson.
"I added Make Up For Ever's New Ultra HD Light Capturing Self Setting Concealers to my arsenal this year as well," he adds. "They're really good and come in a rainbow of complexion shades."
"Lastly," Grayson concludes, "I added Alba 1913's Metropolitan Skin Guard Concentrate to my kit. It's a super-concentrated formula that instantly hydrates and brightens skin, and best of all, it protects skin from environmental stress, perfect for a day backstage at the Staples Center for the Grammys!"
According to Grayson, foundation is the most important part of a quickie makeup application. And as he brought up before, if the skin tone looks good, then most of his job is already done.
"I try to quickly buff in a moisturizer—not a primer—with a brush because I can cover a lot of face in no time," he says. When skin is moist, Grayson explains, it speeds up the foundation process and the faster you can glide foundation on without any skipping or grabbing, the sooner you can move on to the next steps.
"If I'm really in a time crunch, I mix moisturizer into the foundation, but that can be risky, as some foundations bead and roll when a moisturizer is added to them. I like the Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C 24 Moisturizer because it absorbs into skin quickly," he says.
Next up, eyes! Grayson likes to use MAC's kohl pencils to line eyes since they apply and smudge effortlessly. For mascara, he'll use a latex sponge pressed against the eyelid to protect it from any splatter—an old trick he saw makeup artist Mathu Andersen use once and which Grayson still uses to this day for fast mascara fix-ups.
"I use a waterproof mascara like the above formula from Lancôme because I feel it dries faster," he explains.
Grayson can expertly tackle all three steps (concealer, powder, and blush) in one fell swoop, and it's usually the last finishing touch he's able to add.
"I can move pretty fast with a Beautyblender and highly pigmented concealer like Laura Mercier's Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer ($29) painted on with a wide Royal & Langnickel S.i.l.k. Pro large concealer brush. Then, I use a stiff wide powder brush to dust a tiny amount of translucent powder, and then apply blush. Time's up!"
Next up, FYI—makeup artists say these nine beauty products aren't worth the splurge.