Actor and producer Reese Witherspoon hit the Critics Choice Awards 2024 red carpet with a radiant, edgy look courtesy of ILIA Beauty, and her glowing skin is the star of the show. Nominated for her role in The Morning Show, Witherspoon’s look plays with the no-makeup soft glam that’s lighting up 2024, but gives it a playful edge, thanks to the brown and rose tones in the smokey eye celebrity makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan used to compliment the gown’s sweet look.
“Reese is wearing a gorgeous, chic Celine dress with a bow accent, so we wanted the makeup to counteract the sweetness by having a little edge,” Deenihan explains. “We decided on a warm smokey eye and a deep coral lip.”
Nailing the skin-like finish we’re all obsessed with, Deenihan prepped Witherspoon’s skin with ILIA’s newest launch, The Base Face Milk, for a smooth, lasting makeup application that leaves skin hydrated and soothed.
“Its vegan formula soothes and hydrates the skin, leaving it ready for makeup,” Deenihan explains.
The Perfect Skin-Like Finish
Thanks to Witherspoon’s beautiful skin and the soothing Face Milk, Deenihan was able to avoid foundation altogether. ILIA’s fan-favorite Skin Tint and Serum Concealer were more than enough to even Witherspoon’s skin tone and brighten her eyes.
“For a thin veil of color and to even the skin tone, I applied Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in ST3 Balos to the entire face using my fingers, as you would a serum,” Deenihan explains. “To brighten under the eyes, I then applied the True Skin Serum Concealer in SC.5 Arrow Root. The serum concealer blends beautifully into the skin giving the perfect amount of coverage while still giving a skin-like appearance.”
To complete and set the look, Deenihan turned to ILIA’s Soft Focus Finishing Powder using the Finishing Powder Brush to gently sweep on product for the perfect finish.
“This loose powder is incredibly fine and lightweight and ideal to give the skin that soft filter-perfect finish,” Deenihan says.
Get the Look: Witherspoon’s Soft Smokey Eye
In a night filled to the brim with no-makeup makeup looks, Witherspoon’s warm smokey eye was an attention-grabber. And the best news is that it only takes one eyeshadow palette to recreate the entire look.
“The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette in Warm Nude gave me every color I needed to create Reese’s look in one beautiful palette,” Deenihan says. “I started by applying Cocoon, a warm matte nude, to the entire lid. I followed that by sweeping 1979, a matte terracotta shade, to the outer corners of the lid, the crease, and below the bottom lash line and blended with a medium blending brush to soften the edges. I then used Lineup, a matte rich brown, to deepen the outer corner of the eye and using a very small blending brush, added it at the lower lash line.”
Once the shadow was set and blended, Deenihan expertly applied a warm brown in Witherspoon’s waterline to add definition and fullness.
“To make her lash line look smokey and full and to make her blue eyes pop, I applied the Clean Line Gel Liner in Dusk, a warm brown, to her waterline,” Deenihan says. “Before applying mascara, we curled her lashes. For the most voluminous lashes, I added a few generous coats of the Fullest Volume Mascara.”
