Gucci Westman’s Easy Eye-Lift Trick Is the Chicest Look
Is there such a thing as a no-makeup eye-shadow look? “Go up, not down” is the simple advice that now has us regularly sweeping on a touch of eye shadow—yes, eye shadow—to wake up and subtly lift our whole look instantly. Makeup artist and founder Gucci Westman is the woman behind this easy trick that manages to make us look natural and sophisticated at once.
“If you apply dark shadow at that spot at the outer corner where many of our eyes turn downward a bit, the dark shade is going to emphasize that droop,” says Westman. “Instead, use a pale shade as a highlight at the outer corners of your eyes. Then apply a dark shade above it, sweeping up and out, in almost a winged shape. That upward shape makes it look instantly lifted.” You can use your fingers or a brush, says Westman: “This isn’t about precision at all—you’re just moving upward instead of straight across or down. It lifts the whole face.”
Westman’s modern version of a palette—three gorgeously blendable shadows that click together magnetically—makes the look incredibly easy. The cream-powder formula is such that it never falls out or crumbles, either.
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For Day
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For Night
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While the shadows work well when applied with your fingers, Westman created heavenly brushes that make it even easier (they feel incredible as you brush the shadow on, and the subtle veil of color they leave is so beautiful). “You can use one or both or just your fingers,” she says.
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Smooth It On
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Blend It Out
Westman Atelier Eye Shadow Brush II goop, $62SHOP NOW
And whether or not you try the eye-shadow-lift trick, Westman has a great routine for making skin look glowy, healthy, and fresh. (Watch her teach goop’s Jean Godfrey-June and Megan O’Neill to do it here; she also demonstrates the eye trick here.) Don’t worry about applying in a particular order, she says: “Every shade and texture in the whole line is designed to work together, so layer freely, experiment, and choose what works best for you.”
1
Always Start with Eye Cream
Whatever makeup you wear—whether it’s just a dot of concealer or a full-on face—looks a thousand times more natural on hydrated skin, says Westman. This move helps plump up lines and smooth the surface of the skin around your eyes, instantly waking them up. The new GOOPGENES eye cream is made with extracts of caffeine to firm, Schisandra to help with elasticity, and arjuna to help reduce the appearance of dark circles, bringing added visible benefits to the eye area. (In fact, after four weeks of use, 100 percent of test subjects saw significant improvement in eye-area firmness, 97 percent saw it in elasticity, and—of particular interest to many of us—91 percent saw it in crow’s-feet.*)
2
Use Foundation Only Where Needed
You don’t need to use tinted moisturizer or foundation everywhere, especially for everyday or even Zoom, says Westman: “Use it only where you need it, so what people see is your skin. You want people to say, ‘Her skin looks really nice’ instead of ‘Oh she has pretty foundation.’” Westman likes to work with two shades. “We have hundreds of tones on our faces—if you’re using only one shade, there’s less dimension,” she says. “To correct redness, I use a lighter shade on my T-zone, where my skin can get angrier and I have pigmentation.”
You can apply Westman’s foundation stick with fingers or a brush, and it works as concealer and as foundation. “I think the brush makes the finished look more refined,” says Westman. “I’m obsessed with these brushes—they’re cruelty-free, handmade by the oldest brush maker in Japan, and just so soft. We designed the handles to be shorter so that you can get closer to your face.”
3
Use Color Strategically
“Bronzer and blush can really open up your complexion,” says Westman. “You can use a powder bronzer like Super Loaded or a cream blush like Baby Cheeks, but either way, go over the cheekbones in a horizontal oval shape. I like to do it with the Baby Blender brush, but your fingers work, too. The pigment combined with the shape across your cheek gives you that je ne sais quoi. That ‘Why is her skin so good?’”
4
Define Your Lashes
Start by curling your lashes, then try a single coat of mascara. “The color’s jet-black, so many people need just one coat,” says Westman of her Eye Love You mascara. “Your lashes should feel longer and super shiny, not clumpy. And it naturally curls lashes a little and never flakes.” Stand back after the single coat, assess, and go back in for a second if you need it.
5
Add Glow
“I like to add highlighter to the areas where I want to catch light naturally—on the lips, tear ducts, corners of my eyes, and eyelids for definition,” says Westman. “You can put it on under foundation or on top of makeup at the end of the day for a quick zhuzh.” Apply Westman’s Lit Up straight from the bullet, using your fingers to blend. “It’s great for all skin types because it’s transparent—it’s not going to look ashy or white. It creates this beautiful glassy finish, which is a bit more of a sophisticated highlight to me.”
6
Customize Your Lip Color
This lip palette is exquisite to look at, and the colors themselves also wear exceptionally well. “I was adamant that it should last,” says Westman. The formula, made with cold-pressed cherry oil, marula oil, and peptides, feels super nourishing as you wear it. “You can mix any of the shades,” adds Westman. “The fuchsia and tomato shades give you this really pretty orchid color. The dusty rose shade is so pretty on its own. Whatever you choose, the contrast with luminous skin is just gorgeous.”
*Based on an eight-week third-party consumer-perception and clinical study conducted on thirty-three women ages thirty-five to sixty-five.
