Despite what celebrities and magazines of yore would have us believe, drinking an exorbitant amount of water won’t give you glowy skin. Instead, the small group of people who make up Hollywood’s elite maintain regular, intense skin regimens. Even fewer of them get time with makeup artist Patrick Ta.
Glow-maker to Salma Hayek, Joan Smalls, and more stars, Ta has now bottled his interpretation of the ideal radiance-boosting foundation formula: Major Skin Hydra Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation. “When I’m working with clients, I found myself always making a cocktail mixture of different ones to get what I wanted,” he says. “I wanted to make sure that every aspect of the formula fit the look I love to create for my clients—a ‘lit-from-within’ effect.”
Ta’s 30-shade collection promises buildable coverage and long-lasting wear. “It’s loaded with lightweight, high-shine emollients that provide a radiant finish,” says cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam. The formula omits silicones, she adds, which allows it to play well with other products.
The new base product also boasts hydrating and skin-smoothing ingredients, including humectant hyaluronic acid and emollient squalane. The latter, Lam says, can replenish oil and improve your skin’s barrier.
As someone who strives for that I’ve-been-chugging-water-all-day glow (again, that’s not actually possible, but a girl can dream, right?), I was thrilled to get my hands on this formula in 15 Golden Neutral, a perfect shade match for me. For application guidance, I looked to makeup artist Joseph Carrillo: He suggests sweeping it on with a dense foundation brush in small, circular motions. “This ensures an even application,” he explains. “Then, use a beauty sponge to press the product into the skin, giving it a smooth, airbrushed finish.”
Just two pumps (that I dispensed straight onto my face) hid the redness I was having around my cheeks and nose, giving me a more even-looking complexion. I added an extra pump for fuller coverage, creating a complexion that looked like skin but better. Its finish is not wet, glittery, or greasy—it’s more like the delicate shine of a ribbon. (Very demure.)
The thin liquid took little effort to blend across my skin for a seamless finish—but tapping it with a beauty sponge as a last step did give me an even more airbrushed finish. After applying, I stood in front of the window to “find my light.” It took no effort whatsoever.
