Lily Collins’s beauty looks revealed by Emily in Paris make-up artist
The line-up includes some IndyBest-rated make-up favourites
The wait is over, the second part of Emily in Paris season four has finally been released on Netflix. If you’re watching and lusting over Emily’s (played by Lily Collins) make-up looks, we’ve got some good news for you.
In an interview with the lead make-up artist on set, Aurelie Payen, she unveiled the entire 19-strong line-up of products used on the actor, including some of our much-loved IndyBest buys. From Charlotte Tilbury to Benefit, Payen’s expert application spanned multiple price points and even featured a sub-£10 red lip.
Without further ado, if you’ve enjoyed Emily’s ‘Roman holiday’ make-up as much as her client-pitching power outfits at Agence Grateau, keep reading for all the foundations, blushes and mascaras she wore throughout the show’s latest season. Not to mention some tried and tested reviews from our team across the formulas we’re already familiar with. Bon shopping!
Benefit brow microfilling brow pen: £26, Lookfantastic.com
Offering a helping hand when it comes to filling in sparse areas of the brow for a fuller, fluffier finish, Payen told us that when preparing Lily’s brows for the show, she loved using this brow pen, explaining that it has “three branches” for an individual hair stroke effect. Benefit’s brow collection has been well received by our team, so we have no doubt this one will be up there with the best of them.
Anastasia Beverly Hills brow freeze extreme hold laminated-look sculpting wax: £23, Lookfantastic.com
In addition to the Charlotte Tilbury brow gel, Payen used ABH’s brow freeze wax on Lily’s beautifully thick brows. The make-up artist said it “is really good if you want to make [the brows] thick. It just stays and they won’t move at all.”
When reviewed by our team, our tester said: “With just a thin layer, we were able to lift our brow hairs at the front straight upward, fan out those along the top and strategically place any on the bottom line to create the illusion of fullness.”
Charlotte Tilbury brow fix sculpting gel: £25, Sephora.co.uk
“To set the brows in place, I use the Charlotte Tilbury clear brow gel,” explains Payen. She particularly loves it because it’s clear, leaving no white residue. We’re already fans of the brand’s supermodel brows and, with a formula that sets out to tame unruly brows while maintaining a feathery finish, we’re certainly pleased to have Payen’s hero brow gel on our IndyBest radar.
Read more: Emily in Paris make-up artist shares exact products used for Sylvie’s chic looks
Huda Beauty #fauxfilter luminous matte liquid concealer: £18.20, Sephora.co.uk
Along with two other concealers, Payen reaches for Huda Kattan’s #fauxfilter concealer when she “wants to have a little bit more thickness to the products”.
You don’t just need to take Payen’s word for it, because this exact formula landed a spot in our review of the best concealers. “Huda Kattan is famous for creating snatched make-up looks, completely concealing under-eye bags and lightening up the area to add dimension. It’s no surprise then that this concealer does exactly that, without looking cakey,” praised our writer.
Chanel le correcteur de Chanel longwear concealer: £34, Boots.com
As one of the more expensive concealers, Payen acknowledges that “there are so many concealers today that really work,” and, indeed, the artist recommended Huda Kattan’s mid-range #fauxfilter concealer above. Payen explained that she used many different concealers in the fairest, palest shade [for Lily].
Chanel’s correcteur concealer offers a light-reflecting formula to brighten under-eyes with a weightless feel for less of a clarity feel when worn over long periods.
Clé de Peau beauté concealer stick: £44, Lookfantastic.com
Another pricey pick from Payen with Clé de Peau’s concealer stick, this product does, admittedly, offer buyers the added benefit of hyaluronic acid and argan oil for a nourishing, hydrating feel. Not to mention boasting a three-in-one functionality as a concealer, highlighter and primer.
Chanel vitalumière aqua ultra-light skin perfecting makeup SPF: £46, Boots.com
While a more luxe product, Chanel’s vitalumière has had a cult status in the world of foundation for as long as we can remember (more than 10 years, certainly). We didn’t even blink when learning that Payen opted for it as one of her multiple face base picks.
“Chanel, the vitalumière, is a very light foundation and I do love mixing textures but not having very heavy textures,” she explained, before divulging she layers the Chanel product with Clé de Peau beauté radiant fluid foundation natural (£92.80, Lookfantastic.com). This is clearly the secret to Lily’s glowy complexion in all of the scenes.
With its weightless feel and glowy finish, we can certainly see how vitalumière would work perfectly for this approach to application.
Chanel no. 1 de Chanel lip and cheek balm: £40, Boots.com
Payen not only used this blush on Collins, but she also instructed Sylvie’s (played by Phillippine Leroy-Beaulieu) make-up artist to use it on her too. The Chanel lip and cheek balm, while expensive, works in three ways across the face to give you a bit more bang for your buck. “With the fingers, just tap a little bit. You can do blush and lips and it will give this kind of sun-kissed look to your cheekbones. And if you want, you can put a little bit more in the eyelid too, so you have a full make-up,” shares Payen.
Danessa Myricks colorfix liquid metals 24k: £22, Cultbeauty.co.uk
One of the two colours behind Emily’s season four, episode four eyeshadow at Laurent’s club opening, Payen explained how she mixed this and the yellow-gold shade from Danessa Myricks (£22, Cultbeauty.co.uk) to create Collins’ striking green eyes. With an unrivalled amount of pigment, these little tubes may not come cheap but they’ll last you a lifetime (one dot of product goes a mile).
Lisa Eldridge kitten flick liquid eyeliner: £25, Spacenk.com
When it comes to eyeliner, Payen had her answer raring and ready to go: “I love Lisa Eldridge’s kitten flick eyeliner, it’s a black one. She’s amazing. I love her make-up and I love this one in particular.”
High praise, indeed. While it’s not one our team have put to the test, it features a concentrated pigmentation and matte finish for the ultimate cat eye or winged liner. Not to mention it promises “flow ink technology” to prevent a crumbly, broken application.
Dior diorshow pump ‘n’ volume mascara: £29.75, Boots.com
Landing a spot in our review of the best mascaras, our tester found it “didn’t budge after 14 hours”, so it’s no surprise that this is the mascara Payen uses to give Lily her fanned-out, lengthy lashes. She told us that it’s one of her favourites for all of her clients.
Sephora collection rouge is not my name matte lipstick: £11.85, Sephora.co.uk
One of Payen’s picks that we were particularly enamoured by given its wallet-friendly price point is this Sephora red lip, which was the artist’s go-to product for the first season of Emily in Paris.
With the promise of smooth coverage, eight hours of staying power and no cracking or smudging – so the brand says – who are we to judge if it was good enough for Emily when she first went to Paris?
Dior rouge Dior couture colour lipstick velvet finish: £39, Johnlewis.com
A product we were so excited to discover (given ‘Emily’s’ love of a bold lip), we wrote a whole ode to this exact Emily in Paris red lipstick, Payen divulged that when it comes to red specifically she loves the Dior 666. It offers a deep rouge that rivals the cult status of Chanel’s rouge allure and emanates a timeless French charm.
Lisa Eldridge true velvet lip colour: £27, Spacenk.com
One make-up artist recommending another make-up artist’s products has a bit of a full circle, warming feel to it, and Lisa Eldridge’s products really are ones to shout about. “I used a lot of matte lips from Lisa Eldridge,” revealed Payen, referring – we believe – to her fellow artist’s true velvet collection (it’s the only one that offers the non-glossy finish to which Payen refers).
The lipstick boasts a creamy and nourishing formula while being designed for all lip colours - from pink to brown - with a talc-free ingredient list to minimise ashiness.
Victoria Beckham Beauty posh lipstick in pop: £37, Selfridges.com
Emily’s exact lipstick from season four, episode 4, Payen explains that she loves Victoria Beckham’s products, with the posh lipstick range selling out in various shades due to its popularity with beauty obsessives. The texture is said to be hydrating and leaves a light sheen (but not gloss) that applies with, as the brand describes it, a medium coverage.
Anastasia Beverly Hills dewy set setting spray: £27, Lookfantastic.com
Not quite premium priced nor budget, we here at IndyBest enjoy the aspirational – yet achievable – cost of Anastasia Beverly Hills products, so to discover that yet another of the brand’s products made it onto Payen’s Emily in Paris make-up roster brought a big smile to our faces.
Dispersing in a perfect fine mist to give hydration and allow all your make-up to meld together (in the best way), the dewy setting spray gives a radiant finish and can be used to give your face a quick burst of life once your make-up begins to dull throughout the day. We love a multitasker.
Charlotte Tilbury airbrush flawless finish setting spray: £32, Sephora.co.uk
A popular one here among our team, not to mention make-up artist Aurelie, of course, Charlotte Tilbury’s airbrush flawless range never fails to impress. In our review, our tester said: “We found that our bold smoky eye didn’t budge at all. Whether we were in the rain or doing a workout, the setting mist kept everything in place, from morning to night.”