The backstage tricks celebrities learned from their glam squads

When your favourite celebrity graces the red carpet looking flawless from head to toe, it appears effortless. It’s almost as if they just rolled out of bed, grabbed a dress from their (albeit extensive) wardrobe, and hopped in a car to go have their photo taken.

What we don’t see, however, is the army of people behind them who spend weeks curating each iconic ensemble. From stylists to makeup artists, hairdressers, estheticians, and manicurists, it takes a village. 

These glam teams, while largely remaining behind the scenes, play a vital role in how a celebrity is perceived by the public. Their high-profile clients are well aware of this fact, so many celebs credit their team regularly and even play the role of student, learning beauty tips and tricks along the way.

Some behind-the-scenes talent like Mario Dedivanovic and Mary Phillips, have gained global recognition as a result. But they’re not the only ones sharing their backstage wisdom. From Emma Watson to Taylor Swift, here are all the beauty secrets the stars have learned (and shared) from their glam team.

Emma Watson

The Harry Potter star has walked many red carpets in her time and shared in an interview with Allure a nifty makeup hack she learned along the way. “Makeup artist Linda Cantello taught me this tip: If you make a mistake with your mascara, dip a cotton ball into some foundation to remove it and conceal at the same time.”

Taylor Swift

Let’s be real, we all want to replicate Taylor Swift’s makeup look, and with this advice, we’re now one step closer. The pop star is known for her signature red lip, but it’s the experts who taught her how to make it last.

“There are tricks I’ve learned from makeup artists on shoots,” Swift told Allure. "They put on the red lipstick, then blot it with a tissue, then they put powder over the tissue and sort of press it onto your lips. Then re-apply. It turns it into a stain that lasts much longer.” 

Drew Barrymore

Not only can we thank Drew Barrymore for creating an affordable celebrity beauty brand (Flower Beauty is stocked in Chemist Warehouse if you haven’t tried it) but she also shared this excellent glasses-friendly eyeliner tip, which her makeup artist taught her.

“I take an eyeliner and I start on the waterline of my eyes, which just gives some nice depth of colour and makes my green eyes pop,” she said in a YouTube video posted to her channel. “What really works for women in glasses is also doing the upper waterline, especially the corners, you want to drag it all the way around up top. When I've done this, at the end of the day I come home and I can't believe how much bigger my eyes look!”

Kim Kardashian

Whatever your opinion is of Kim Kardashian, you can’t deny that she changed the game when it comes to modern-day makeup — well, her makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic did. Dedivanovic and Kardashian share a close bond, with the reality TV star crediting him for her consistently flawless beauty looks.

When they’re not working together, Kardashian practices his techniques on herself, in particular, his under-eye brightening routine. In a video for Vogue, the Skims founder revealed that she applies a brightening power on top of her concealer. "It's honestly like the best," she shared. "This is the key to my Armenian dark under eye circle success. I couldn't live without it."

Hailey Bieber

Hailey Bieber and makeup artist Mary Phillips are a match made in heaven, consistently pushing out one flawless look after another. Phillips, who is also responsible for painting the faces of Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lopez, and Addison Rae, contours and conceals the skin before going in with foundation, a technique that Bieber showed off on her TikTok. “The Mary P contour trick forever,” she wrote underneath the viral video.

Shay Mitchell

Shay Mitchell is the poster child for flawless makeup and turns out, she’s learnt quite a bit from her glam team. Speaking to Byrdie, the Pretty Little Liars actress said, "Coming from working with some of the best makeup artists, it's been really interesting to see their techniques, you know? They all moisten their Beautyblender, and the way that they blend is like a whole thing on their own.

“I try and do what Ariel [Tejada] and Patrick [Ta] do—I haven't gotten there yet, but it's like a really light touch and it's, I mean, the amount of times that they've used a Beautyblender on my face, I would love to count it."

Lili Reinhart

We all want to know the secret behind Lili Reinhart’s luminous skin, and lucky for us, she let us in on exactly what she and her makeup artist use. 

"On [Riverdale], we actually use a mix of the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and Josie Maran's Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid, which creates a really gorgeous, glowy illusion that translates really well on camera," she told Byrdie.

Hopefully after learning all of the above, we too can look red-carpet-worthy.

Main image credit: @makeupbymario

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