Season four of Netflix’s addicting series Emily in Paris debuts today, and to celebrate the show’s stars dressed their best for the Los Angeles premiere. Unsurprisingly, Lily Collins looked très chic with her recently chopped chin-length bob and black strapless and peplum sequin gown, but it’s her flawless glow that has our editors talking. Thankfully celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles isn’t gatekeeping a single product she used to create Collins’ iconique red carpet look.
Staying true to the French “less is more” beauty ethos, Stiles used “minimalist beauty brand” Merit Beauty for Collins’ makeup and skin care—including Merit’s yet-to-be-released Great Skin Priming Moisturizer. Officially launching August 22, this is Merit’s second venture into skin care (the first was the now bestselling Great Skin Instant Glow Serum [$38]), and it’s safe to say consumers are excited. Within five hours of the announcement, over 5,000 fans joined the waitlist for this peptide-, oat extract- and hyaluronic acid-rich cream.
Makeup artists and skin experts are already raving about the formula. Celebrity esthetician Biba de Sousa says the Great Skin Priming Moisturizer is “uniquely well-suited to provide both immediate and long term moisture to the skin” thanks to its “innovative” Great Skin Complex that’s “specially developed for time-release hydration.” She also calls it a “great primer” to wear under makeup.
In addition to Merit’s soon-to-be-launched moisturizer (you can join the waitlist here), Stiles had Merit Beauty’s whole arsenal of products on hand for Collins’ big night. To find out each step of Collins’ beauty prep, down to the exact shades used, keep reading.
Lily Collins’ Full Merit Beauty Breakdown
To create a smooth canvas with a lit-from-within dewy glow, Stiles used the Great Skin Instant Glow Serum and Great Skin Priming Moisturizer before going in with the The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick in Bone ($38) with Brush No. 1 ($32) for a “seamless application.”
Next, face makeup. “Using the Bronze Balm in Quince ($30) I added definition to [Collins’] cheeks before adding a flush of color with the Flush Balm in Cheeky ($30). I patted on a touch of highlight to the tops of her cheekbones with the Day Glow Highlighter Stick in Cava ($32),” Stiles explains.
Lily Collins’ brows are famous enough, but to enhance them even more, Stiles reveals she filled in “where needed” with the Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade in Dark Brown ($24). “I wanted to add a touch of sexiness to her look by adding a bit of a sultry eye,” Stiles continues. To create the look she used just one product, the Solo Eyeshadow Matte Eye Color in Nelson ($24). “I used a small smudging brush to buff in [Solo Shadow], adding a bit of tough glamour to the look. It’s like a stubby baby wing, the opposite of Emily’s sharp cat eye,” Stiles explains.
One final step to pull together Collins’ “sultry” eye look was a “soft swipe” of Merit’s Clean Lash Mascara ($26). And, of course, no makeup look is complete without a little lipstick. Collins is wearing the Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick in Baby ($26), a gorgeous neutral pink.
