4 Makeup Artists Share the Products They Use on Their It-Girl Clients

Every decade has It girls, a group of celebrities and socialites regarded as trendsetters and culture shifters. In 2023, this cohort of mega-influencers includes the likes of Hailey Bieber, Sofia Richie Grainge, and Lori Harvey. With millions of followers across their social accounts, all eyes are on what they say, do, and wear. This fact rings especially true when it comes to the beauty looks they adorn. If they praise a product on their account, it's destined to go viral. If they test out a new makeup technique, it's guaranteed to spark tons of buzz.

The emergence of the It-girl makeup aesthetic perfectly illustrates their far-reaching influence. The beauty trend—which has nearly 70 million views on TikTok—refers to this group of celebrities' collective affinity for natural makeup. "The It-girl makeup trend consists of fresh, dewy skin that is softly sculpted and lightly bronzed with a neutral eye and lip color," explains celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips. "Having natural, brushed-up fluffy brows and even adding some faux freckles helps to complement and complete the look."

Beyond its adoption by society's It girls, this makeup approach feels of the moment as people continue to flock toward "less is more" beauty looks (think latte makeup, cloud skin, and sun-bask skin). "People are fascinated by this trend because they can easily achieve it; plus, it’s an ideal everyday look," notes celebrity makeup artist Melissa Ocasio. "Unlike a cut crease that seems to be a challenge for many people, this look is beginner-, intermediate-, and expert-friendly." Phillips echoes this sentiment, adding, "This makeup style is effortless and timeless. It focuses on simply enhancing one's natural features, embracing natural freckles and brows; it’s beautiful and works for everyone." 

Ahead, the makeup artists responsible for bringing It-girl makeup to life share exactly how they achieve the look on their celeb clients. Find all their product recommendations below.

Mary Phillips

Complexion

Phillips starts by prepping the skin with the Rhode Glazing Milk to achieve a natural-looking, glowy complexion. "Then, I apply La Mer's Crème de la Mer all over the face and décolletage for rich, healing hydration," she says. From there, she moves on to underpainting. "I like softly sculpting skin using cream contour and highlight from the Make Up Forever HD Skin Cream Contour and Highlight Sculpting Palette."

Phillips is a fan of Lancôme's Teint Idole line for foundation and concealer. "I lightly buff the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Care & Glow Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid onto the skin and lightly add the Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Full Coverage Concealer in any area that needs extra coverage," she explains. To add warmth and dimension to the face, Phillips will swipe the Nudestix Nudies Bronze Color Stick onto the eyes, lips, and cheeks. "Lastly, I gently tap and press the L'Oréal True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer on highlight areas to get an illuminated glowy finish," she shares.

Brows

Phillips says the key to full, fluffy brows starts with shaping. "I like to start shaping the brows using my trusted Tweezerman tools," she says. "I start by brushing up the brows with the Tweezerman Brow & Lash Brush and precisely trimming any hairs that are too long. Leaving the brows as natural as possible, I will tweeze any unwanted hairs with the Slant Tweezer." Afterward, she'll fill in sparse areas of her clients' brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ultra-Slim Precision Brow Pencil "using ultra-fine, hairlike strokes."

Lips 

Phillips's current favorite lip liners are the Make Up Forever Artist Color Pencil Brow, Eye & Lip Liner in Wherever Walnut and the Victoria Beckham Lip Definer in No. 2. For lipstick, she says the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is a must-have. "It naturally stains lips [and has] a hydrated, balmy finish that looks great on every skin tone." On days when she wants clients to have a high-shine lip, she uses the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment. "It stays glossy while hydrating the lips," she says. "It also layers beautifully with other lip products."

Melissa Ocasio

Complexion

Before applying makeup, Ocasio likes to prep her clients' skin using the Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream Face Moisturizer. "This moisturizer will leave your skin feeling hydrated instantly and helps with improving the quality of skin over time, as its primary ingredient is Vitamin C," she says. "I prefer cream-like moisturizers over lotion-based moisturizers because, in my experience, they provide the most hydration." She'll then apply Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Face Primer to prime the skin for foundation and concealer. "This primer immediately gives the skin a sun-kissed glow after applying a hydrating moisturizer and enhances the finish of the foundation," Ocasio adds. 

After applying base makeup, Ocasio likes to enhance her clients' natural glow using the Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Highlighting Powder. "This is another product option for a glowy finish, ideal for oily skin," she says. "My favorites are from the Laura Mercier collection because they are buttery and easy to apply with your fingers or a brush." Her finishing touch? Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, noting that it helps you maintain a glowy look throughout the day.

Brows

When it comes to brows, Ocasio is an avid user of Anastasia Beverly Hills products. She says the brand's Brow Wiz Ultra-Slim Precision Brow Pencil "helps create fine hairlike strokes where needed to create the illusion of a fuller brow." She also likes using the DipBrow Waterproof, Smudge Proof Brow Pomade, as it "helps to fill in the brow without looking too harsh."

Eyes

To create a neutral eye look, Ocasio says she relies on Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette. It includes 12 lightweight matte eye shadow shades—ranging from brown to black—that flatter all skin tones. For lashes, Ocasio often uses Lilly Lashes Swanky style and tops them off with M.A.C. Cosmetics Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara. If she wants to take her client's look to the next level, she says she'll apply KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner.

Lips

Ahead of creating any lip look, Ocasio likes to moisturize her clients' lips using the M.A.C. Cosmetics Lip Conditioner. From there, she'll line the lips with pencils from M.A.C. Cosmetics or Make Up Forever. "These are my go-to brands," she says. "[Any lip liner] in the [neutral] family is a must-have, and these brands have a diverse shade range." Ocasio also frequently uses Dior Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss to top off the lip color she applies. "It evenly coats the lips with its soft applicator brush and does not feel tacky," she notes. 

Etienne Ortega

Complexion

Ortega's go-to prep product is Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream with Squalane to boost moisture and reduce fine lines. For foundation, he frequently uses Givenchy Beauty Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow Foundation to give the skin a dewy look. He also considers cream blush a key part of the It-girl makeup look and loves using Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, which gives the skin a "beautiful hydrated look."

Lips 

"You can't go wrong with a lip liner and clear gloss," Ortega says. "I've been using a lip liner from my upcoming beauty line and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. They have such a variety [of shades]."

Brows

Another fan of Anastasia Beverly Hills, Ortega uses the brand's suite of products to achieve stunning full brows. "I'm loyal to Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Waterproof, Smudge Proof Brow Pomade and Brow Freeze Extreme Hold Laminated-Look Sculpting Wax," he says. 

Mali Thomas

Complexion

Thomas is incredibly intentional about how she preps her clients' skin. "[I use] Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Vitamin Enriched Face Base and Eye Base to set the stage for your makeup and give you that inner glow," she says. "I'm someone who does not like primers at all, so the fact that Bobbi Brown created a moisturizing primer is genius. There's nothing on the market like it." 

After applying the two products, she'll use the brand's new Vitamin Enriched Skin Tint. "[I use] skin tints year round," Thomas shares. "I [especially] love to use skin tints in the fall and winter because that's when you really need extra hydration. This product is super easy to apply, and there are 18 shades that can match every skin tone."

Brows

Thomas says she also prefers to use thin brow pencils like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ultra-Slim Precision Brow Pencil on her clients to achieve the most realistic look. "Another thing to consider when purchasing brow products is tone," she explains. "I'm a dark-skinned Black woman and I love a bold brow, so I gravitate toward products in soft black tones that closely resemble my natural hair color. If someone has blond hair, you'd want to select tan, ash, or caramel tones so it doesn't look gray on your skin."

Eyes

"With It-girl makeup, I also like to focus on the eyes," Thomas shares. She says she tends to opt for neutral eye shadow, noting that brown shades look great on all skin tones. "The Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks are great for [a look] like this," she adds.

Lips

"When it comes to lips, I can't seem to get away from brown lip pencils," Thomas says. "I love using Tower 28 OneLiner Lip Liner + Eyeliner + Cheek Pencil and Nabla Cosmetics Close-Up Lip Shaper Pencil. Their brown lip pencils aren't too red or oaky, so [they don't] look grey on the skin."