Lifestyle Beauty & Style Celebrity Makeup The Best Beauty Tips from the 2025 Awards Season Red Carpet The makeup pros behind Kelsea Ballerini, Cynthia Erivo, Naomi Watts and more stars’ glam looks should receive trophies for having the best makeup hacks By Jackie Fields Jackie Fields Jackie Fields is a Deputy Beauty Director at PEOPLE. She has been working at the brand since 2005 and has 17 years reporting and writing, and eight years editing style and beauty content for the brand. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 4, 2025 03:05PM EST Comments Jessica Gunning, Cynthia Erivo and Naomi Watts at the 2025 Golden Globes. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty; Earl Gibson III/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; Christopher Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Awards season is in full swing and that means red carpets are overflowing with gorgeous looks. Whether you tuned into the Golden Globes, Grammy Awards or Critics Choice Awards in recent weeks, chances are you saw a classic red lip, winged liner and skin that glowed from head to toe. When the makeup artists behind these award-worthy looks aren't with clients, restocking their kits or catching up on some much-needed sleep, they're sharing their beauty secrets. Below, the best tips we've gleaned this season from the pros behind the biggest stars around. 01 of 12 Goal: Defined Eyes Kelsea Ballerini at the 2025 Grammy Awards; CoverGirl Eye Enhancer Eye Shadow Palette in Natural Nudes. Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty; Cover Girl Kelsea Ballerini’s makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan applied a bronze tone on her lids, followed by a gold tone (both from CoverGirl’s Country Wood palette) on her outer corners and in her crease. Then, Deenihan applied the deepest tone in the palette shown on the outer corners of the musician’s eyes, as well as underneath the bottom lash line, “to frame her eyes and make them pop with subtle definition,” she says. Buy It! CoverGirl Eye Enhancer Eye Shadow Palette in Natural Nudes, $7.50; amazon.com 02 of 12 Goal: Glowing Skin Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 Golden Globes; Summer Fridays Rich Cushion Cream Ultra Plumping Moisturizer. Earl Gibson III/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; Summer Fridays Cynthia Erivo’s makeup artist Joanna Simkin loaded the star’s skin with hydration to get her radiant effect. She applied Summer Fridays' nourishing Jet Lag Mask on Erivo's face and neck, followed by a thick coat of the cream shown, and let that all soak in. Buy It! Summer Fridays Rich Cushion Cream Ultra Plumping Moisturizer, $52; summerfridays.com 03 of 12 Goal: All-Over Radiance Nikki Glaser at the 2025 Golden Globes; Naked Sundays Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up Spray SPF 50+. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Naked Sundays Nikki Glaser’s makeup artist Jenna Kristina had a post-makeup hack to not only protect any parts of the comedian’s skin that wasn’t covered by her gown, but to also make it pop. She sprayed this clear SPF 50+ mist (which has a delicious watermelon scent) a few minutes before Glazer slipped into her dress. Buy It! Naked Sundays Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up Spray SPF 50+, $23; target.com 04 of 12 Goal: Winged Liner Kim Gordon at the 2025 Grammy Awards;. Kevin Mazur/Getty; Laura Geller Beauty Kim Gordon’s makeup artist Nichole Servin created the music icon’s “chic punk” liner look by applying this gel liner along her upper lids. Her Tip: “Where her iris begins, I drew the line straight out, not angled up. Doing this opens up the eye and makes it more punk rather than a demure, '50s cat eye.” Buy It! Laura Geller Beauty INKcredible Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Blackbird, $24; laurageller.com 05 of 12 Goal: Soft Lips Jessica Gunning at the 2025 Golden Globes; Femmue Lip Sleeping Mask. Kevin Mazur/Getty; Femmue Jessica Gunning’s makeup artist Mélanie Inglessis let a thick coat of this nourishing balm melt into the actress’s lips to hydrate and plump. It was the pro’s first step “as soon as she sat down,” then, when her makeup was near complete, the pro meticulously wiped it off and applied her lipstick. Buy It! Femmue Lip Sleeping Mask, $22; amazon.com 06 of 12 Goal: A Dewy Complexion Keira Knightley at the 2025 Golden Globes; Chanel N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Serum-in-Mist. Gilbert Flores/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; Chanel Keira Knightley’s makeup artist Kate Lee finished the actress’ makeup with a spritz of this serum. “This will bring all the elements of the makeup look together and keep everything looking dewy,” says the pro, whose tip is a reminder there’s more than one way to get glowing. Buy It! Chanel N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Serum-in-Mist, $100; chanel.com 07 of 12 Goal: Flawless Skin Demi Moore at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards; Dior Forever Skin Perfect Multi-Use Foundation Stick. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Christian Dior Demi Moore's makeup artist Rokael Lizama mixed this foundation stick with Dior Capture Day Crème on her skin because "the combination allows the foundation to sheer out slightly, making it blend seamlessly into the skin while still providing that signature blurring effect on pores and fine lines," he says. To get her look, apply the foundation stick directly onto the skin, then use a soft fiber fluffy brush (in circular motions) to buff on a small amount of the cream. Buy It! Dior Forever Skin Perfect Multi-Use Foundation Stick, $52; dior.com 08 of 12 Goal: A Long-Lasting Look Meg Ryan at the 2025 Oscars; G.M. Collin Bota-Peptides Serum. Frazer Harrison/WireImage; G.M. Collin Meg Ryan's makeup artist Jo Strettell applies serum with a foundation brush on clients' skin, rather than using her fingers. Here's why: "The warmth of your fingertips can melt a product. That’s fine for a heavy cream, but with something so lightweight, you don’t want to make it too warm." Her formula of choice for the movie icon's skincare prep was G.M. Collin Bota-Peptides Serum. "I really like the texture, it soaks into skin." After buffing it on in circular motions, she skipped moisturizer because the product is just that effective, and, to ensure there wasn't so much product on her skin that it compromised the makeup. Buy It! G.M. Collin Bota-Peptides Serum, $125; amazon.com 09 of 12 Goal: Sculpted Skin Zoe Saldaña at the 2025 SAG Awards; Augustinus Bader The Hydrogel Face Mask. Robyn Beck / AFP Zoe Saldaña's facialist Lord Gavin McLeod-Valentine used his signature method using Augustinus Bader products to get her glowing. After double cleansing her skin, and spritzing it with the brand's mist to lock in moisture, the pro applied some face oil and gave the actress a massage. Next, he applied this face mask to hydrate, illuminate and plump her skin. Then he leveled up the treatment by using cryo sticks on top of the mask to aid in lymphatic drainage. "The mask provides a natural hydrating barrier from the cold touch of the wands, ensuring the client benefits from the cold therapy with a higher level of comfort," he explains. Buy It! Augustinus Bader The Hydrogel Face Mask, $180 (for six); augustinusbader.com 10 of 12 Goal: A Perfect Base Chrissy Teigen at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party; Curél Japanese Skincare Makeup Cleansing Oil. Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Curel Chrissy Tiegen's makeup artist Kristine Studden started the star's skincare prep by double-cleansing her skin. The process, she says, breaks down and dirt, makeup, and oil to give skin a deeper clean without stripping it, creating the perfect environment for skincare and makeup application. Her power duo: this cleansing oil, shown, followed by the brand's fragrance-free foaming face wash. Buy It! Curél Japanese Skincare Makeup Cleansing Oil, $15; amazon.com 11 of 12 Goal: Glossy Cheeks Naomi Watts at the 2025 Golden Globes; Le Rouge Français Pasiphaé. Earl Gibson III/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; LE ROUGE FRANCAIS Naomi Watts’ makeup artist Mary Wiles dabbed a drop of this lip oil on the actress’ cheeks rather than using a traditional highlighter. She explains that with some shimmery products, “the particles are too big, so it's too much of a highlight, whereas this is more of a natural highlight that just creates that sort of natural glow [on] the skin.” Buy It! Le Rouge Français Pasiphaé, $32; lerougefrancais.com 12 of 12 Goal: Demure Cheeks Michelle Yeoh at the Critics Choice Awards; Beauty Pie Supercheek Cream Blush in Fresh Faced and Universal Pink. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Beauty Pie Michelle Yeoh’s makeup artist Soo Park used two colors to achieve her “flushed” look: the pink followed by the coral. Buy It! Beauty Pie Supercheek Cream Blush in Fresh Faced and Universal Pink, $25 each; beautypie.com Leave a Comment Close