There are certain undeniable truths in life, and the fact that Eva Mendes always manages to look red-carpet ready, even mid–coffee run, is one of them. Between her roles as new mommy, A-list actress, and creative director of CIRCA cosmetics (and on top of taking over InStyle’s Instagram account today!
), Mendes’s schedule is far busier than ours—so at the launch of the makeup brand, we just had to get her secrets.“I don’t like spending a lot of time getting ready—I wish I was calm and poised, but I’m not,” the star tells InStyle. “I do everything in a rush, and I’m super-loud, but it’s all about knowing your face and having those five products that work for you.”
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Mendes takes the assembly line approach, and narrows her five must-haves down to concealer, lip butter, creme blush, CIRCA’s eye crayon ($10; walgreens.com), and foundation, which she often mixes with moisturizer for a sheer finish.
“It’s a military operation, ladies! I line everything up and have it down pat so I can get out of the house in five minutes,” she says. “Well … maybe not get out of the house, but I can do my makeup and look somewhat ready to face the world in five minutes.”
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Thanks to her many years of walking the carpet or working on-set, Mendes has picked up her fair share of pro beauty tricks, including a clever way for long face shapes to remix their blush. “Once I came to terms with having a long face, my makeup artist said that it’s better for me to apply blush going across the face,” she says.
“Go over the nose and across instead of directing the blush upward, like your mom taught you when you were little. It breaks up the face, and creates fuller cheeks.”Try the technique by picking up a creme blush, then begin dabbing a small amount of the product across the face from one cheek, over your nose, and onto the opposite cheek. “Don’t skip the nose—it’s kind of the trick to making it look more cohesive, natural, and sunkissed,” Mendes adds. “That tip really saved me. It makes a huge difference in photos.”
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