Tune In: How A Celebrity Makeup Artist & Certified Health Coach Preps Skin For The Red Carpet

When celebrity makeup artist and certified health coach Lisa Aharon gets her clients ready to walk the red carpet or perform onstage, the skin prep goes much deeper than just a primer. 

"Everything is internal. I almost feel like it's irresponsible of me to not offer that information when somebody asks me what product they should use on their face. I feel like I can't answer it until I have the other answers of what else is happening with you," Aharon says on this episode of Clean Beauty School. 

For Aharon, her beauty and wellness habits are all about balance. "There are so many parallels between skin care and diet. For example, I find that if I eat whole foods, manage my water intake, take my supplements, and I'm on track, then I can have a day or two where I'm drinking all the natural wine I want and having a big plate of Bolognese," she says. "Because I'm being consistent most of the time, these moments don't trip me up as long as I go back on track a couple days later." 

And the same is true for how she takes care of her skin. Aharon explains that she has naturally sensitive skin so can't tolerate too many fragrances, essential oils, or potent actives. 

Aharon is known for her clean, natural aesthetic—and rightfully so. Just scrolling through her Instagram page or looking at her work on her celebrity clients, you can see that she's a master of that soft, natural glow. 

"Natural-looking makeup is ultimately way less forgiving because you're not covering anything—instead you're working with it," she says. "You're doing just a bit of camouflaging or a little bit of color correcting."

When Aharon gets her clients ready for the red carpet, she puts in about 30 minutes of work—before ever touching a makeup product. 

"I do a lot of skin prep. It's an important step to get people relaxed, first and foremost. The prep should be fun, enjoyable and feel pampering—because usually, they're about to go do something that's not as fun, like being on a red carpet or stepping in front of a camera," she says of her technique. "So this is really their time to be pampered and feel good." 

For the skin prep, Aharon says she always starts by cleaning the face. "Just to make sure there's no trace of anything there," she says, before moving onto a sheet mask and a face massaging tool. "I love using Joanna Vargas Magic Glow Wand on the cool setting, to help de-puff and tone down any inflammation."

After massaging in the mask, she applies a warm compress to remove any residue. ("I just don't want it to mix with the next steps because it can be too much product," she says.) And then it's time to apply the appropriate skin care for the client's skin type, then work it in with a gua sha stone or the Jillian Dempsey Gold Bar ("I like to use that especially around the eyes to de-puff," she says.)