Clad in a Narciso Rodriguez wool crepe dress that sold out in minutes and the kind of glow that is not available for purchase on NeimanMarcus.com, Michelle Obama stood at the State of the Union Address last week to wave to the crowd. Strong, bright, bold—she embodied the speech that her husband delivered.
While voters can decide whether or not President Obama has indeed secured the future of this great nation, there is less room for debate about FLOTUS. Let's be real, pals. She looked flawless.
Since we, too, dream of poreless skin and airbrushed cheekbones, we begged makeup artist Carl Ray to give us the lowdown on her SOTU look. Which he did. Sort of. Because as Ray tells it, no gemstone-laced formula can make mere mortals glow like FLOTUS. No compact contains within it the secrets to such HD-ready wonder. Michelle Obama, Ray says, pretty much woke up like this.
When pressed, Ray encouraged wannabe MObamas to "eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, [and] drink plenty of water." He added that, like Michelle, we all should take care of our skin—"exfoliate it [and] wear an SPF." Beyond the rituals that seem to give all celebrities and no real humans perfect complexions, he added that he likes to work with primers and endorses "strobing" as a softer alternative to contouring. "What products do you like," we wondered.
"That can be done with powders or liquids or creams," he explained. "It can be done with fingers or it can be done with brushes or sponges." Ray diplomatically added that he likes all three, but conceded that, for him, "brush and fingers...work well." Tough break, sponges.
A non-partisan makeup artist, he wouldn't name the specific products that he used on the first lady. But he did say that uses "creams and powders and even some lotion formulas." Now you know!
When it came to her eyes—the windows to the soul, don't you know—Ray was more forthcoming. "I like black eyeliner and I like pencil," he said, noting her bold lids. "I like it with a combination of both. A pencil liner with a liquid felt-tipped pen on top really makes a really nice line." He added a few coats of mascara to finish the look, and, whispering state secrets, "some lashes as well."
"She was really popping that evening," he said.
And with the help of some protective sunscreen, several extra hours of rest, face wash, and some falsies, you can, too. Go forth! Radiate! And God bless America.
