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At this year’s Emmy Awards, Vanessa Williams went for all-out glamour. She chose a dress with lots of color and her hair was down, long and loose, for the first time in three years. To balance out the look, legendary makeup artist Sam Fine focused on a flawless skin with a pop of color in the cheeks and lips.

“It all starts with great skin,” says Fine. “It’s a long night, with long hours and we don’t get to go with them. Foundation and powder are so important.” 

To get Vanessa’s great face, Sam started with cream foundation. “Cream foundation will last throughout the night,” states Sam. Next, he used bronzer to contour the face, drawing attention to each feature.

Vanessa’s dress made Fine to do a little shopping. “Because Vanessa’s dress choice was such a strong color, this forced me to re-address the neutrals I had in my kit,” admits Fine. “I wanted to go for a little more color in the cheek, as well as the lip, so I needed to find the perfect coral-pink shade, because true pink can be hard to wear.”

To highlight Vanessa’s gorgeous eyes, Fine says the look wasn’t about color, but really carving the eyes. “I never match the gown and there was a lot of color elsewhere so I needed to balance it out with a neutral eye,” Fine says. “I used a gorgeous brown shade of eye shadow with a really great shimmer of pearl near the inner corner of the eyes. Then I lined the inside with a beige liner to bring life to the eye. Of course, a false lash, because you can’t hit the red carpet without one, then top it off with a few coats of mascara on the top and bottom lid.”

Products Sam Used:

- Cream Foundation (Sam loves Bobbi Brown’s Foundation Stick – an essential for great skin)
- Bronzer (Try a matte when creating this look, stay away from shimmer)
- Coral Blush (Knars in Exhibit A or Cargo in Laguna are among Sam’s favorites)
- Eye shadow (Use a trio with brown, shimmering pearl and vanilla to create this carved out eye)
- Mascara (Waterproof lasts longer and will come in handy during an emotional acceptance speech)
- Lipstick in a pink/coral (Sam went searching for the perfect shade with the right consistency and found it in Dolce & Gabana’s new line. The shade he chose was Goddess – make it your splurge purchase!)

Vanessa Williams Interview With Marta Walsh

Image via www.bellasugar.com