It’s like finding that crisp white shirt that hangs perfectly off your shoulders. That delicious pastry you make a pitstop for every morning. Or that romcom that never fails to make you laugh. That’s what it means when you’ve perfected your make-up formula; when you’ve simply found a look that just sticks.
Just ask Dua Lipa. Throughout her Future Nostalgia tour and the Barbie craze, Lipa’s social media feed was like a beauty bible for the likes of me. She was doing it all; from serpent shadows to abstract arrangements of glitter and vivacious strobes of violet on her lids. Heck, I so worshipped that fuschia pink mane transformation, even if it was for all of one Puma campaign. Then one day, that ravishing streak of experimental make-up looks sort of fizzled away. In its place, was a persistent head of burgundy locks and different variations of one make-up look—as perfected by her make-up artist Katie Jane Hughes—that encapsulates the pop star: sun-kissed radiance and subtle edge all rolled into one. She still looks like an absolute bombshell. Yet maybe I’ve found myself missing that sky of technicolour that once painted her vanity.
But in a world where superpowers exist, Dua Lipa would be a mind-reader. At the cusp of a fading summer, the eternal It-girl dropped a very on-brand photo dump, accompanied by one telling caption: ‘This one makeup look I can’t stop doing and other miscellaneous things’. And suddenly, it all clicked. That the now-immortalised make-up look she keeps wearing wasn’t just Hughes’s vision, it was Lipa’s too. With those partially kohl-rimmed eyes; those softly-dusted freckles over a sun-induced blush; that nude brick lip keeping things pared-back and minimal.
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In a single sweep, she pledged her allegiances. If we’ve arrived in an era where outfit repeaters are celebrated, then a serial make-up repeater rightly deserves a spot on the podium too. After all, haven’t we all entertained the same happy problem? Between obsessing over that igari blush look and non-stop reapplications of our favourite lip gloss, one’s make-up is akin to a soldier’s armour. That failsafe, reliable thing that adorns us with a strange sense of protection to put our best foot forward. If anything, Lipa proves that even the best of us will deign to forgo a ‘perfect’ make-up look that’s been fine tuned to a tee. And she’s certainly not the only celebrity who thinks so. Below, a sleuth of our other favourite faces who’ve clearly figured out their facial chemistry, and are simply in an era of going with what works.
1 / 11
Sabrina Carpenter
There’s never a day when you won’t catch Sabrina Carpenter serving her now-signature Bratz doll make-up. Why stray away from it, when those pink glowing cheeks, brick-lined lip and flouncy blowout do her so well?
2 / 11
Megan Thee Stallion
Smooth operator. There’s one thing Megan Thee Stallion never tires of: an overlined pout, matched with a fantabulous gloss to plump her lips, even on the most casual of days out.
3 / 11
Hailey Bieber
The OG glaze girl that started it all. From Clean Girl to strawberry make-up, there’s a reason the Rhode Beauty founder’s Lip Peptide Treatment is her number one seller.
4 / 11
Greta Lee
She may be a fashion chameleon, but Greta Lee—and her make-up artists—understand that there’s nothing wrong with adapting variations of a look that’s already designed for a goddess. Lit-from-within, flawless skin is the actor’s ultimate formula, and it’s often paired with a soft bronzy flush that defines her cheekbones.
5 / 11
Dove Cameron
As if it were made for her, Dove Cameron’s condensed lashes and wing liner adorns the singer-actor with all the It-girl edge she needs.
6 / 11
Rosalía
From workouts to flower bouquet runs, you’ll always catch the Spanish songstress with two things: her trusty pair of sunnies, and a smoochy, glossed-up pout.
7 / 11
Rosé
Most K-pop stars often have a legion of make-up looks to deliver depending on their comeback concepts, but Rosé’s arrived in a league of her own. From those bleached brows to match her blonde mane to her aegyo sal make-up and inky wing, it’s clear this is the one look she feels most confident about traipsing around the world in.
8 / 11
Gabbriette
No one’s doing those thin arches like Gabbriette, and a soft, smudgy liner always seems to follow closely behind them.
9 / 11
Taylor Swift
And she’s got that red lip classic thing that you like. Trust Taylor Swift to never leave her scarlet pout behind—be it when she’s rocking out on her Eras Tour stages or on a red carpet.
10 / 11
Daisy Edgar-Jones
The current leader of boho chic? Daisy Edgar-Jones, whose bronzy mien, dusting of pastel blush and light, nude lips have been her way forward for 2024 so far.
11 / 11
Charli XCX
The epitome of brat for Charli XCX? An itty bitty top, a pack of ciggs, and well, a gravity-defying cat flick that’ll take her through all those hot summer nights, sweltering raves and non-stop parties. Just so she can keep on bumpin’ that.
