Known for her gleaming, sun-kissed skin that she sports all year round (yes even in the winter), Filipino-American model Kelsey Merritt is one of our go-to pegs for a natural tan.
In a video with Vogue, Kelsey showed us a makeup routine that works both day and night—it’s even the same look she used for her Victoria’s Secret casting in New York. Since she is always on the go, she narrowed down her routine to doing only the basics, not much frills, and below are 3 things we learned from her:
1. Listen to what your skin needs
Kelsey first prepped her face with a moisturizer and sunscreen. “I moisturize depending on how my skin feels…Just listen to your skin and see what it needs,” she said.
Kelsey used a soft cream because she feels like her skin is not dehydrated. After that, Kelsey moisturized her body using coconut oil then aloe vera gel from her own aloe plant for the roots of her hair. Lastly, Kelsey exfoliated her lips using a damp towel for a smoother surface for her makeup products. She topped it off with her favorite lip balm, Image Ormedic.
2. Your flaws could be your best asset
We learned from Kelsey that instead of hiding your flaws, you can work with them. As for her, the freckles she has are her favorite part of her face. She worked it out by not hiding them with her Georgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation which also accentuated her tan skin.
Kelsey next contoured her skin then she put Glossier Stretch Concealer under her eyes and on her active pimples and marks. Kelsey also put on her Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush after all the cream products.
3. Learn from the pros
As for Kelsey’s job, she’s lucky to work with a lot of professional makeup artists. Through time, she learned techniques that worked best for her skin. First, she learned that the simplest way to put on eyeshadow is to start in the middle and work your way up. She used one shade of tan eyeshadow on her eye that she spread and blend all over her lids.
Another thing she learned from the pros are the areas of her face that have to be highlighted like her nose, brow bone, and above her upper lip.
“I’ve been told by a lot of makeup artists that this is an Asian gene, where my eyebrows just go down,” Kelsey said so she worked her naturally lush eyebrows with brow gel. She finished her eye makeup with Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Mascara. “Makeup artists always tell me to apply mascara this way like wiggle at the bottom and drag it up.” She topped her look with a face mist that gives it a glow and hydrated.
Kelsey’s VS-ready makeup routine is really simple that everyone can easily recreate on their own. Watch the full video below: