Meet the 5 beauty pros that get A-list celebrities red carpet ready
They are the magicians, confidants, best friends and troubleshooters who can whip up a custom nail colour on demand or secure an updo into place after a last-minute wardrobe change. From Gwyneth to Beyoncé, these are the hair, nails and makeup pros who work with Hollywood’s elite. Meet some of the beauty pros celebrities rely on for red carpet season.
Adir Abergel, Hairstylist
Star power: Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, Kristen Stewart
Signature look: Undone, effortless hair with a structural quality. “The hair I create never feels like it’s unattainable,” says Abergel.
Stats: The Los Angeles native has established himself as one of the most sought-after celebrity hairstylists in the business. He created Sandra Bullock’s sleek look when she took home her Oscar in 2010 and, this season, Abergel has been styling Reese Witherspoon’s hair. “It was more modern and deconstructed than what she’s worn in the past,” he says about her loose waves at the Golden Globes. Despite his loyal A-list clientele, he remains humble. “I still take classes about hair and learn new techniques. I look at magazines—I study other people’s work.”
Best beauty advice: “I look at hair like architecture. If the foundation isn’t there, the house will fall. I’m always using some kind of liquid volumizer on the root.”
Secret weapons: “John Frieda Luxurious Volume Root Booster Blow Dry Lotion has incredible memory and you can still run your fingers through your hair,” he says. “Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray is a great foundation builder that gives you the maximum amount of volume and hold, and I apply Leonor Greyl Voluforme from roots through ends. It creates soft volume.”
Kate Lee, Makeup artist
Star power: Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Rooney Mara, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Signature Look: Runway-meets-red carpet
Stats: A Chanel celebrity makeup artist for nearly a decade, Lee has done the makeup for a host of European runway shows, including Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. The eight different makeup looks she gave Anne Hathaway when she co-hosted the Oscars in 2011 were a major feat, and this year she worked with long-time client Keira Knightley for the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Lee is so in demand, she’s often booked a year in advance.
Best beauty advice: For a perfect canvas, exfoliate regularly, says Lee. Her favourite complexion polisher: Chanel Gommage Microperlé Éclat, a soothing gel-cream formula that gently buffs skin.
Secret weapon: She swears by Emerging Scientific Organics Phytocell Detox Mask, which features French green clay to draw out impurities.
Cristina Radu, Aesthetician
Star power: Tilda Swinton, Rosamund Pike, Brad Pitt
Signature look: Luminescent skin
Stats: Radu opened her Beverly Hills skincare clinic 13 years ago and has since amassed a loyal following. “I really customize each client’s treatment to the season—their allergies and whatever issues they’re concerned about,” says Radu. She also considers things like bone structure and genetics. “Within two to three minutes, I have a good idea of how I am going to take care of your skin. I look at pores, oxidation of the skin and elasticity.” Once a client is in Radu’s chair and under the bright light, she applies serum, up to three different masks and various other products from the seven European skincare lines in her treatment room. Unfortunately, for us mere mortals she refuses to divulge which ones.
Best beauty advice: “Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate,” says Radu, who recommends doing so gently for a longer time, rather than more rigorously for a shorter period. She’s also famously against using anything acidic when it comes to her treatments and at-home product recommendations for clients. “I don’t use retinol, glycolic acid or retinoic acids,” she says. “Nothing that would imbalance the skin.”
Secret weapon: Radu uses the Transderm device on clients to deliver hydrating serums—which she custom selects for each person—through electrical pulses that penetrate deep into the skin.
Tom Bachik, Manicurist
Star power: Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Heidi Klum
Signature look: Detailed perfection. Just ask Beyoncé, who once told Bachik that try as she might, she can’t ever find a flaw with her nails after he’s filed, buffed and painted them. “It’s a meticulous manicure,” says Bachik of his work.
Stats: As global nail designer and celebrity manicurist for L’Oréal Paris, Bachik travels with a roller case of nearly 300 nail polishes (he almost always customizes lacquer hues for his clients), plus rhinestones and extensions. He also creates and executes the mani-pedi concepts for major ad campaigns and editorial spreads. He recently did Lopez’s manicure for the Golden Globes, giving her long oval nails with rhinestones on the underside of the tips.
Best beauty advice: Whatever is good for the skin and hair is good for the nails, he says. “Have a great cuticle oil. Nails chip, peel and crack when they’re dry.”
Secret weapon: Bachik uses L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Glow Renewal Facial Oil on the cuticles and nail beds for intense hydration. It’s designed for the face, but Bachik likes the formula, which contains eight essential oils and absorbs into skin rather than leaving a messy oil slick.
Anastasia Soare, Brow Expert
Star power: Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum, Megan Fox, Julianne Hough
Signature look: Using her golden ratio technique, Soare creates eyebrows that perfectly frame a person’s features based on their bone structure.
Stats: Soare has two salons in Los Angeles, as well as two Sephora brow studios in New York. She launched the Anastasia Beverly Hills product line in 2000.
Best beauty advice: “Whatever you do, don’t tweeze your eyebrows too thin,” warns Soare. “it will instantly age you, make certain features of your face look bigger and throw your face out of proportion. Shape your brows according to their natural thickness and your bone structure.”
Secret weapon: Clear brow gel. “It’s a lifesaver whenever you need a little touch-up or want to look instantly polished.” The best-seller from Soare’s own line doesn’t flake or get that unsightly white crust along the tip of the brows, plus it’s packed with essential oils to help nourish the hair and skin.
, plus rhinestones and extensions. He also creates and executes the mani-pedi concepts for major ad campaigns and editorial spreads. He recently did Lopez’s manicure for the Golden Globes, giving her long oval nails with rhinestones on the underside of the tips.
Best beauty advice: Whatever is good for the skin and hair is good for the nails, he says. “Have a great cuticle oil. Nails chip, peel and crack when they’re dry.”
Secret weapon: Bachik uses L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Glow Renewal Facial Oil on the cuticles and nail beds for intense hydration. It’s designed for the face, but Bachik likes the formula, which contains eight essential oils and absorbs into skin rather than leaving a messy oil slick.
Anastasia Soare, Brow Expert
Star power: Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum, Megan Fox, Julianne Hough
Signature look: Using her golden ratio technique, Soare creates eyebrows that perfectly frame a person’s features based on their bone structure.
Stats: Soare has two salons in Los Angeles, as well as two Sephora brow studios in New York. She launched the Anastasia Beverly Hills product line in 2000.
Best beauty advice: “Whatever you do, don’t tweeze your eyebrows too thin,” warns Soare. “it will instantly age you, make certain features of your face look bigger and throw your face out of proportion. Shape your brows according to their natural thickness and your bone structure.”
Secret weapon: Clear brow gel. “It’s a lifesaver whenever you need a little touch-up or want to look instantly polished.” The best-seller from Soare’s own line doesn’t flake or get that unsightly white crust along the tip of the brows, plus it’s packed with essential oils to help nourish the hair and skin.){kind=link}