Kendall Jenner’s favourite makeup artist dishes on summer beauty

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Mary Phillips’ hands have worked on some of the most famous faces in Hollywood.

Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz are just a few of the A-list celebrities who have spent some time in the American makeup artist’s chair.

Oh, and did we mention she’s also Kendall Jenner’s go-to makeup pro, working with the model for her red carpet looks — and even her L’Oréal Paris Global Ambassador glam? Yah, there’s that, too.

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With so much celebrity support, it’s easy to understand why Phillips has become one of the most in demand — ahem, and followed, with more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.6 million on TikTok — makeup artists working in the industry today.

A proponent of underpainting — the technique that sees contour and highlight applied under skin makeup such as foundation for a seamlessly blended appearance — Phillips admits she herself was surprised by just how viral her application approach truly went online.

“I never thought that underpainting would have been such the moment that it was, but I’m so happy,” Phillips says of the technique that has garnered nearly 60 million views for the hashtag on TikTok alone.

During a recent masterclass makeup event in Toronto — “Toronto has a special place in my heart,” she gushed — Phillips took some time away from fans to speak with Postmedia about how she navigates the ever-changing makeup moments we see online.

“I have zero clue on how to predict top trends,” Phillips says with a laugh when asked to pinpoint some the must-try makeup tricks of summer.

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“The ‘mob wife’ thing really caught me off guard. But I love all of these things. I love seeing all of it — like the broccoli freckles. Did you see that? They’re putting brown makeup on a piece of broccoli and then doing freckles, and that is amazing.”

Noting that the lack of predictability of viral trends keeps her job “exciting,” Phillips pointed to bold pops of colour as one of the makeup moments happening online and in real life that she’s most excited to see more of this summer.

With fresh skin and touches of glowing highlight, Phillips says she’s also happy to see the “clean girl” aesthetic going strong versus the heavily made-up makeup made popular on Instagram a few years ago.

“I feel like it’s kind of come full circle. Clean, fresh, glowy is back and I don’t think it’ll be going anywhere anytime soon,” Phillips says of the less-is-more approach to makeup. “And that makes me thrilled.”

Above all though, the celebrity-approved makeup artist says it’s important to choose trends, products and application methods that best suit you rather than simply following what everybody else is doing online.

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“There’s no right or wrong,” Phillips says of beauty. “I love the trends, but I think that you should still do what you want.”

When asked to pinpoint her most valuable makeup product, Phillips answered without pause. 

“I love the Voluminous Panorama Mascara by L’Oreal,” she says of the gold-tubed product that sees Jenner star in the campaign. “It is one of my kit staples. I love that mascara so much. It never disappoints, never flakes, lasts all day, and holds a curl.”

Phillips also points to the True Match Concealer from L’Oréal as another must-have item in her makeup bag. “If I had to just have one thing, it would be concealer,” Phillips says.

But the makeup pro says it’s not actually makeup that’s the real MVP of her routine. It’s skincare.

“It’s really important that the skin is nice and hydrated,” Phillips says. “People will spend so much money on a foundation, but it’s really like, if the skin looks good, then the foundation is just going to help it that little bit more.

“Great skincare is really important.”

Aharris@postmedia.com

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