Kaley Cuoco wore a pink Christian Siriano gown to the Emmy Awards while pregnant with her second child, a daughter, with fiance Tom Pelphrey, and her longtime makeup artist Jamie Greenberg built the night's beauty look entirely around it.
"We were going for girlie, pink, she's having a girl, she's due soon, that kind of vibe. Ethereal, glowy. Pink and girlie," Greenberg told the Daily Mail.
The 40-year-old actor, widely known for her role on The Big Bang Theory, is expecting her second child with Pelphrey. Pelphrey won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series that night for his performance in HBO's Task.
Getting ready felt less like a job than a night in with friends, Greenberg said.
"She's the most fun. She's so fun. She is cracking jokes. We order food. It's hanging out with your girlfriends. We're no more than two hours. We take breaks. We watch some TV. We're gabbing and catching up," Greenberg said.
Greenberg used light therapy, layers of pink and strategic shine to carry the color from Cuoco's face down to her collarbone. Here is how she built the look, step by step.
A customized light treatment to start
Before opening her makeup bag, Greenberg used the CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Face Mask Series 3, priced at $569, to brighten Cuoco's complexion. The mask's customizable light settings let her tailor the treatment to the actor's own skin rather than relying on a single preset.
"It just came out and it's completely customizable to your own skin. You can personalize the colors. It's kind of revolutionary. The greatest part of it, we did a lot of brightening. Her skin looked calmer and brighter," Greenberg said.
She followed the mask with the d'Alba White Truffle Aromatic Spray Serum, $26, misted on to spread a light veil of hydration across the face. The spray helped the skin hold its fresh finish without a thick layer of cream underneath, supporting the soft, dewy base Greenberg wanted for the pink look.
A layered pink blush and a hero highlighter
One pink was not enough for the color story. Greenberg used two shades, Radiant Rose and Pink Bliss, from the Yensa Super Serum Silk Buildable Cream Blush, $32, to give Cuoco's cheeks a layered flush that echoed her Christian Siriano dress and the baby girl she is expecting. The cream formula kept the color looking fresh against the luminous base, while the two shades added more dimension than a single flat sweep of blush.
Greenberg did not stop the glow at Cuoco's cheekbones. She carried a champagne-gold sheen from the Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Glassy Highlighter Balm Stick in Glassy Champagne Quartz, $30, onto the eyes and across the collarbone, connecting the face makeup to the skin exposed by the dress.
"We put it all over her cheeks and a little on the eye and her collarbone. It's such a great product," Greenberg said. The balm texture leaves a glossy sheen rather than an obvious stripe of shimmer, suited to the ethereal finish she was after.
Lashes built in two steps
For the eyes, Greenberg first applied the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara, $26, which wraps each lash to pull the fringe upward without loading the eyes with heavy color. That gave Cuoco clean length and a natural base before false lashes went on.
She finished with V by Velour LayZ Gal Pre-Glued Underlash Clusters, $15, placed beneath Cuoco's natural lashes. Because they sit underneath, their base stays hidden and the finished fringe appears to grow directly from the lash line.
"Of course my lazy gal lashes from Velour. They have glue on them. They're underlashes. You just stick them on the under part of your lash. They look so natural. You can't see where they begin and end," Greenberg said, calling them her secret weapon.
A rose-nude lip to close the look
Greenberg finished Cuoco's makeup with the Make Up For Ever Artist ColorGlow Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in Wherever Walnut Glow, $26, a warm rose-nude that stayed within the night's pink palette. The color goes on sheer and builds with each swipe, giving her lips definition, moisture and shine without the heaviness of an opaque lipstick.
