Gwyneth Paltrow has long been the subject of a lot of buzz in the beauty world; after all, her infamous ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’ candle is just one among an array of unique products sold by her beloved wellness and lifestyle brand ‘Goop’.
Something that doesn’t seem to get the glory it deserves, however, is her signature makeup look. Striking the perfect balance between polished and effortless, Paltrow’s go-to offers some serious inspiration in the low-maintenance glam arena.
Luckily for us, however, Georgie Eisdell, the very woman who has the pleasure of painting Paltrow’s face on the regular, has revealed the exact steps (and products) she uses to master the ‘GP’ aesthetic.
“This is a makeup [look] that I would typically do on Gwyneth on any given day—we’re going to get our Goop on and I’m going to give you some GP vibes,” she explained via Instagram. Over to you, Eisdell.
Step 1: Coverage
“I’m going to start with Beauty Counter’s skin tint, rubbing it into my fingers to keep it nice and warm,” she explains. “[To apply] we’re going to start on the bridge of the nose and blend it out and up—you want to make sure you get into the hairline, around the ears, and underneath the paler part of the neck. I always cover my lips as well; it [may not] look great when you’re looking in the mirror as you’ll [temporarily] look a bit [lifeless] but we’re going to add some colour so it’s all good.”
Beauty Counter Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation
$58.65 at beautycounter.com
“Once that’s all blended, I move onto concealer, using Gucci Westman’s new foundation stick [as a cover-up alternative]. I love to use this to lighten up the area underneath the eyes. I don’t tend to use too much base or concealer on GP, because she’s got excellent, beautiful skin and she really doesn’t need it, [so a light touch is key to her look].”
Gucci Westman Vital Skin Foundation Stick
$109 at mecca.com.au
Step 2: Colour
“Now I’m going to bring a little bit of life back into the face with Jillian Dempsey’s cheek tint [in the shade] ‘Scarlet’,” she shares. “I’m going to just place it on the apples of the cheeks using my middle finger, and then a clean finger to blend it out. I’m also going to put a little of this on the lips, so they don’t look flat. I do [tend to rely on the trick of applying] foundation on the lip and then adding the colour, as I find the colour lasts longer and looks better.”
Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint in Scarlet
$45 at mecca.com.au
“Next is my all-time favourite product: bronzer. Gwyneth loves a bit of colour as well so we always use bronzer; I like to look like I’ve been to the Bahamas, even when I haven’t,” says Eisdell. “I’m going to use Beauty Counter’s bronzer in ‘Surf’ with a big powder brush. [Just] dip it in and shake off the excess, never blow on a brush, [as doing so is] very unhygienic. [To apply, sweep over the] contours of the face to shape, and then run what’s left on [your brush] through the centre to just add a bit more colour. Don’t forget about the neck, [either]; you can always add a little extra jawline [definition] by popping bronzer underneath.”
Beauty Counter Radiant All Over Bronzer in Surf
$54.45 at beautycounter.com
“[Then] I’m going to go in with Beauty Counter’s powder blush in ‘Nectar’, [applying it] on the apple of the cheeks for a pop of colour,” she adds. “I feel like everybody needs a little bit more on their cheeks; when you put your blush on you need to basically look like you’ve just done a Tracy Anderson workout (a long-time favourite of Paltrow’s, FYI). A flushed cheek just looks healthier and younger.”
Beauty Counter Satin Powder Blush
$41.89 at beautycounter.com
Step 3: Definition
“[Next we’re] moving on to brows. I’m using Beauty Counter’s brow pencil in ‘Medium’. [You want to] start with the [spoolie] brush, pushing all the brows up so they’re all going in the same direction. Then with a sharpened pencil, just go in and fill in any holes. I don’t want to go crazy [with] reshaping; we’re going to keep this pretty natural. But I do extend the brows every single time I work with anybody, even just a smidge—I find it just opens up and elongates the eye,” Eisdell explains.
“You [just] want to follow the natural line of the brow; you don’t want to be bringing it down or bringing it up when you’re doing something natural. If you do find you’ve gone a bit overboard, just grab the [spoolie] side again, brush the brow up and over and just push that product back out again.”
Colour Define Brow Pencil in Medium
$33.50 at beautycounter.com
“[For eyes] I’m going to use Victoria Beckham’s new eyeshadow palette in ‘Signature’, starting with the cinnamon shade—it’s a very GP vibe; just neutral, taupe-y, bronze-y goodness. [To apply], I’m going to look straight ahead and [start with the] brush in the middle of my eye, with my eyes open so I can see exactly where my shadow is going, [before] going back and forth like a windscreen wiper. I’m [essentially] moving my brush [from side to side] in a circular motion, [to ensure] there are no hard edges,” she advises.
“I like to bring a little bit of that [colour] underneath the eye as well, to smoke it out and make it a little sexy. [Next] I’m going to lighten up the eyelid just a smidge with a [nude colour]. [To finish the shadow look, blending is key]; we don’t want to see where any colour starts or finishes, so make sure all the shadows mesh together beautifully—basically anytime you think you’ve blended enough, just blend a little bit more.”
Victoria Beckham Beauty Smoky Eye Brick in Signature
$78 at net-a-porter.com
“I always love to do a bit of a sexy eye on Gwyneth, [so I like to add a touch of] Julian Dempsey’s black pencil on the outer corners,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be super perfect, [because I like to use a] smaller eyeshadow brush to blend it out anyway [for a touch of smoky definition]. It just adds a little bit more depth to the eye and sexes it up a little bit. [Finish with mascara]; be sure to get all the way into the outer corner. I love a little bit underneath the eye as well, as I find it opens up the eye a lot.”
Jillian Dempsey Khol Eyeliner in Jet Black
$32 at mecca.com.au
Step 4: Finishing Touches
“We don’t tend to do anything too crazy on GP’s lips—every now and again we’ll bust out a bright red or pink, but we do tend to keep it quite natural [with] stains and glosses. [For her signature look I like to use] Chantecaille’s lip gloss in ‘Charm’ [layered over the tint we added earlier]. It’s just a translucent pink lip gloss to add a little extra hydration and shine. And there you have a GP-inspired look.”
Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Charm
$58 at mecca.com.au
