Getting Ready With Karla Sofía Gascón For The Governors Awards

Karla Sofía Gascón won hearts and wowed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where she became the first openly trans actor to win the Best Actress prize for her role in the movie-musical Emilia Pérez. Her portrayal of the lead role has many predicting an Oscars nomination in her future, which would mark another historical first. Last night, she arrived at the 15th annual Governors Awards red carpet looking beyond elegant with luminous skin, shimmery eyeshadow, and “femme fatale” black liner. Celebrity makeup artist Vincent Oquendo gave Bustle inside look into all the products and techniques he used to achieve her soft-glam look. Using French makeup brands LaBomme Beauty and Yon-Ka Paris, Oquendo had an impressive arsenal of tools to create a makeup that was reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour, while still feeling modern and fresh.

Keep reading for all of Oquendo’s tips and tricks, plus the inspiration behind Gascòn’s sultry look.

What was the overall inspiration for the makeup look of the night?

Vincent Oquendo: For the Governor’s Awards tonight, we wanted to create a femme fatale feeling with sharp liquid liner to play up Karla’s enchanting eyes.

What was it like working with Karla to come up with the look?

VO: Karla and I are very collaborative when it comes to her makeup looks and she is trusting of my vision. I will usually present her with some options based on the event, the wardrobe, and what feels of-the-moment. We both really like a sleek statement eyeliner look, so tonight’s decision was easy. Emilia Pérez is an absolutely incredible film and Emilia herself is an amazing character. For the red carpet though, I try to keep Karla’s makeup strong and sleek with clean, precise beauty looks.

How did you prep her skin?

VO: As a professional makeup artist, skin prep is super important to create a beautiful canvas for me to do my best work. For tonight’s look, I started with Yon-Ka Paris’s Hydra No.1 Masque to hydrate and plump her skin, followed by the Yon-Ka Paris Phyto Contour Eye Cream to take down any puffiness. I always use Lumify Redness Reliever Eye Drops on my clients’ eyes during skin prep to make sure their eyes look bright and refreshed before applying any eye makeup. Skin prep is so essential to make sure the makeup looks beautiful and stays on all night, so I credit the long-lastingness to the Yon-Ka Paris Hydra No.1 Masque that I started with.

What were the hero products for her makeup base?

VO: For Karla’s base I started with the Yon-Ka Paris Age Defense Nude Perfect Fluid to prime the skin followed by Armani Silk Foundation. I finished the base with YSL Touche Éclat to conceal under her eyes.

What was used on her eyes?

VO: Without a doubt, the star of the show is Karla’s black liquid liner by LaBomme Beauty — I used their Angle Baby adjustable liquid eyeliner to achieve the perfect look. I then paired it with LaBomme Flare Highlighter in Starburst on her brow bones, eyelids, and even cheekbones.

What did products you use for her lip combo?

VO: I mixed two colors from LaBomme Beauty’s Madame Matte Liquid Lipstick range — “Send Nudes” and “She Cute” — which I pressed into Karla’s lips with my finger for a slight stain effect. I love that undone yet sexy look on the lips and skin.

Any techniques that were integral to the makeup look?

VO: The flexible tip of the LaBomme Angle Baby pen definitely makes eyeliner application infinitely easier, but, still, such a precise look requires patience and pointed cotton buds to make sure the eyeliner looked even and crisp.