We had the opportunity to sit down with celebrity makeup artist Emily Jimison, who has glammed and groomed some of the most recognizable faces from Los Angeles to Nashville, to ask her all about how she preps her client’s skin for a flawless makeup application. From red carpets to editorial cover shoots, Emily has worked with diverse clients and skin types. We loved these pro tips she shared with us, and hope they help you find the best skin prep routine for yourself, too!

After asking who her favorite people to work with were, of course, we asked how she begins her artistic process. This answer may surprise you; she says that "glam" is less about makeup and more about skin prep. You could use the most luxurious, high-end products, but if the skin isn't prepared properly - the makeup will not sit as well or last. She went on to say that step one is to always ask what type of skin the client has – whether oily, combination or dry. This helps dictate what type of products to use, whether you would want them to be water-based (oily/combination) or emollient-rich (dry/mature) products to help your makeup set beautifully and avoid cracking or caking.

Emily explained that hydration should ALWAYS be a skin prep step before applying makeup. Not only for red carpet events, but for your daily makeup as well. Even if you have oily skin, adding a layer of hydration provides a barrier between your skin and your foundation. Take things a step further by incorporating a kit like double hydrate. This duo plumps and softens the skin to help prevent your makeup from clinging onto dry patches or textured areas of your skin. One of the best kept secrets for glowing, baby smooth skin.

Adding a moisturizer for both the skin and lips is yet another crucial step to help your skin be properly readied for makeup application. Hydrators and moisturizers work hand in hand to make skin appear plump, youthful, and healthy and when used together are more effective and longer lasting after application. Moisturizing not only adds another layer of protection for your skin from cosmetic products, but also actively treats and softens your skin as you wear it. Look better with and without makeup, who wouldn’t want that?!

Some of the essentials that Emily keeps in her skin prep kit consist of a water-based facial mist, a hydrator, moisturizer, and a lip primer. All of these steps are the key to successfully achieve a flawless makeup application. When asked what Amarte products she can't live without, she said her favorites are:

Hydrator - Aqua Veil Pure Hydration Serum

Moisturizer - Wonder Cream (for dry/mature skin), Aqua Cream (for oily/combination skin)

Facial Mist - Aqua Mist Toner

Lip Primer - Pop Deco

Shop Emily's Amarte Skin Care favorites now and see for yourself how proper skin prep completely changes your makeup routine for the better!

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Tips, tricks, and skincare advice from an experienced dermatologist.