How to Get J.Lo’s 11 AMAs Beauty Looks
Is it possible to create 11 beauty looks in about 180 minutes? It’s not easy but it can be done — just ask Mary Phillips. The longtime makeup artist of Jennifer Lopez was tasked with creating all of her beauty looks for her hosting gig at Sunday night’s American Music Awards. Lopez took to the stage in everything from a bright red lip to a sultry smoky eye and looked flawless at every moment. Phillips says she still gets a little nervous when tasked with such a big event, but for her, practice really makes perfect. “It’s really a mixture of [being] planned, but also being present in the moment, and I think to be able to do that, you have to be prepared,” Phillips tells Yahoo Beauty. “I have an amazing assistant that I’ve had and known for many years, Kristine Studden. She helps me stay ready for anything, we definitely speak our own language together.”
While it’s not super realistic to change your look that many times in a three-hour window, knowing how to build on a look or successfully change your lip color without a mess are good tips to know even if you’re not J.Lo. The star’s makeup moves will come in handy for party season. Phillips worked with a variation of nude tones for the majority of the night, and focused on building up the skin and the eyes with looks that were easy to alter. “One of the base rules of anything is that you can always build, you can always do more but once you go too far, it’s just hard to subtract from,” she says. When it comes to changing lipstick (which Phillips did during the show, pairing a canary yellow dress with a red lip and a burgundy lip with Lopez’s sheer star jumpsuit), she kept to a more “slippery finish” to make it easier to take off. She says to avoid using stains, matte finishes and any highly pigmented lip products if you’re going to be changing looks. If you’re not sure how easily a product will come off, try it out beforehand. “Don’t try things out or test products and how they work together ‘in the moment,’” Phillips cautions. “I’ve rarely seen it work out well.”
If Lopez is known for one thing (OK, besides that booty) it’s her flawless complexion. We’re convinced she hasn’t aged since her Fly Girl days but Phillips is also to thank for her glow — especially under those stage lights. She used a combination of blotting papers, powder and setting spray (Phillips uses L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray, $14) to keep makeup looking fresh at the AMAs. “Makeup looks best after it’s been on for a while, it really adheres to the skin instead of sitting on top of it,” says Phillips. “Work with things not against them. Everything looks much better that way!”
As far as her favorite look of the night, it wasn’t easy to pick just one — but we made her do it anyway. Her choice? The tenth look of the night with Lopez sporting a nude lip, bronze smoky eye and seriously amped up lashes. “She looks like complete perfection. It all came together in a way that I just love,” says Phillips. We have to agree.
Related:
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Talking Celeb Beauty and J.Lo with Makeup Artist Mary Phillips
