Julia Roberts’ Makeup Artist Taught Me This Lip Trick—and Now I Use It All the Time

What do Julia Roberts, Amanda Seyfried, Katie Holmes, Salma Hayek, and Connie Britton all have in common? Beyond being stunning, successful women in Hollywood, they all share beloved makeup artist Genevieve Herr. While there are a bunch of talented glam artists to choose from, Herr is best known for her ability to enhance natural beauty—it's the reason she's been doing Julia Roberts' makeup since 1995. At a recent Lancôme event, I was lucky enough to sit in her chair. Here's what I learned.
Instagram trends like "unrecognizable makeup" may come and go but Herr keeps things classic by opting for a light-handed approach and focusing on elevating—not changing—her clients' best features. "It's all about enhancing what you already have; not changing your face," she says. "Everybody has something to offer."

Now, full disclosure, I love makeup. It's my job to test and write about the transformative powers of blush, mascara, and contour so I don't always opt for a super natural approach. But after only a few minutes in Herr's chair, I was blown away by her skills. Natural? Yes. But the end result looked like the best version of me and I've been trying to recreate it ever since.
3 Red-Carpet-to-Real-Life Makeup Musts
After 35 years of award shows and photo shoots, Herr swears by these tricks.

Create a radiant canvas
If there's one thing most makeup artists agree on, it's that good makeup starts long before any makeup even comes out. Instead, it starts with smart skincare prep. If your skin is dry or has some dead skin build-up, makeup won't apply smoothly. Herr recommends using a sheet mask as a moisturizing, pre-makeup treatment followed by a hydrating serum or cream that helps to plumps the skin.

Reach for a buildable base
I'm a full coverage foundation girly through and through so when Herr applied Lancome's new skin tint, I was hesitant. She says using something that's flexible that you can apply with your fingers and build as needed melts into skin for a natural, glowing finish. Another secret: Mix two to make your ideal match. She grabbed two shades, blended them on the back of her hand and swiped it onto my skin—it was an exact match.

Only line your lips halfway
This lip liner technique was my favorite takeaway. I love the idea of a fuller pout but dislike how fake overlining can look. Herr says to choose a dark lip liner (she used a Lancôme liner in Mahogany Mauve). Then start by tracing the center of your bottom lip, blending it out toward the edges. Next, move to your upper lip and start lining slightly above the points of your cupid's bow. Instead of following your natural lip line, cheat the line out ever so slightly (if you mess up, simply clean up with a cotton swab), stopping halfway down toward the corners. Herr explains that when you extend the liner down to the corners of the mouth, it causes the lips to droop and looks clown-like. After lining the lips, she diffuses the color with her fingers, then tops it with a pinky lip gloss or oil. This trick totally enhanced my natural lip shape, and I've been following this lip lesson ever since.