Skin first! Kelsea Ballerini’s beauty look for the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards served up all kinds glitz and glamour, but according to her makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan, it all started with some A+ skin prep. 

“Prepping your skin is important because it creates a base for the rest of the makeup,” Deenihan tells Us Weekly in an exclusive interview. “Using products that keep the skin hydrated without getting oily will prolong the life of your makeup.” 

To give Ballerini, who is nominated for Female Artist of the Year, an insane glow, Deenihan employed a range of product from Murad. But there were two MVPs from the line that kept the “Country Song” singer’s face beat looking fresh all night long. 

First up? The Murad Invisiblur Protecting Shield, $65, which was key for preventing makeup from transferring onto a face mask. “I use it as a primer — it’s not only the perfect prep for makeup, but also hugs the foundation,” Deenihan says.

The second holy grail product is the Murad Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, $62. Right before stepping foot on the red carpet, Deenihan “sweeps a little eye cream over the concealer.” It’s her favorite hack to “bring life back to the makeup and keep it fresh!” 

When it came to makeup, monochromatic was the name of the game. “Since red carpets are few and far between these days, we really wanted to have some fun and as soon as we saw the color of Kelsea’s gorgeous, custom Dolce & Gabbana gown, we knew we just had to incorporate the color into her look,” Deenihan tells Stylish. 

Not only did she use some extra fabric from the dress in her hair to spice up her ponytail, but she also matched her eyeshadow to her gown. 

The product responsible for the gorgeous teal shimmer? The NudeStix Magnetic Luminous Eye Color in Rustique, which has a light reflecting pigment (it seriously looks like glitter!), intense color and no fallout. 

“Using a small crease brush, I blended the color into the crease and slightly outward to follow her natural eye shape,” Deenihan tells Us. “I then lined the bottom lash line with Rustique, blended that out and added a couple generous coats of the NudeStix lash lengthening mascara.” 

NudeStix wasn’t just responsible for the shimmery eye, though. The brand’s complexion products were also used for the rest of Ballerini’s glam. 

Deenihan used a “thin veil” of the Tinted Cover Foundation, the NudeFix Cream concealer to “brighten under the eyes,” and Nudies All Over Face Color in Bondi Babe “to enhance Kelsea’s gorgeous tan.” 

For highlight, contour and blush, she used the Nudies Tinted Blur Stick in Light 3 “on the top of her cheekbones,” Medium 6 “under the cheekbones,” and Magnetic Plush Paints in Sunset Peach “along the apples of the cheeks and up toward the outer corners of the eyes.” 

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Samantha Holender