Sabrina Carpenter’s Makeup Artist Breaks Down Her TikTok-Viral Flushed Glow

@cgonzalezbeauty/Instagram

It feels like it’s impossible to scroll through TikTok without stumbling upon audio of Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song “Feather” (which is fine by me, as it is incredibly catchy). But if you’re on the beauty-obsessed side of TikTok, it’s not just the singer’s music that has the app in a chokehold—her signature makeup look has also become a sensation in its own right.

The app is filled with hundreds of videos either recreating or trying to track down products from Carpenter’s look, some with millions of views. And it’s easy to see why. Her glowy skin, vibrant pink blush, softly-lined eyes, and full, pouty lips are the perfect embodiment of 2024 makeup—many TikTokers have pointed out a doll-like quality to her makeup that we collectively can’t get enough of. She looks glamorous and feminine yet cool, and, most importantly, her skin looks like real skin.

In an effort to perfectly recreate her flushed glow, we went straight to the source, and chatted with Carpenter’s go-to makeup artist, Carolina Gonzalez. Ahead, Gonzalez tells us how to copy Sabrina Carpenter’s signature look, including her exact blush and lip liner.

@cgonzalezbeauty/Instagram

The Look

If Gonzalez had to sum up Carpenter’s signature makeup look in one word, it would be glowy. “We just think ‘baby’ and glow is what we really go for,” she tells Byrdie. This glowing base, paired with a barely-there liner, fluffy lashes and brows, and a gorgeous lip, is the blueprint for Carpenter’s “doll-like” look.

“[The look] is very early 2000s in a way, but in a more modern way,” continues Gonzalez. “It’s very popstar. But it’s also [real] skin—it’s not a full-on contour, cut crease kind of a thing. I think that resonates; it’s cooler, and it’s fresher.” She adds that the look is not only easy to replicate but universally flattering thanks to its youthful, healthy vibe. “It just makes girls feel pretty.”

@cgonzalezbeauty/Instagram

The Skin

Seeing as the look is all about a glowing base, skin prep is key. Gonzalez’s products of choice include the 111Skin Black Diamond Cream ($995), which she uses on most of her clients, as well as the Obal Oil ($50), which she likes because it’s sensitive skin-friendly. The final step is a spritz of the Heritage Store Rosewater Spray ($12), and then she moves on to makeup.

For foundation, the only option is Armani’s Luminous Silk ($69). “It’s light enough; it’s buildable if I need to, but we tend to do a sheer coat of that.” Gonzalez uses a fluffy blush brush to apply the foundation before tapping it in with her sponge. The final step is going over everything with her fingers to make sure the base is even, and to “give it that real skin texture.” She finishes off the complexion with some Armani Luminous Silk Concealer ($42).

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The Cheeks

The star of Carpenter’s look is generally her glowy, bright pink blush, but there’s more that goes into the cheeks than just swiping on some blush and calling it a day. “I warm up the skin before I do the cheek, so it gives shape to the face,” says Gonzalez, adding the Carpenter also likes to be a little more tan. She swears by the Armani Luminous Silk Glow Liquid Bronzer ($48) since it’s sheer. “It’s important that everything looks like skin,” she says. “I don’t want to detect where things start or end.” She takes the lightest shade across Carpenter’s forehead and then down her jawline and neck to contour and add warmth. “Very important for me, everything has to be super blended—when you can’t blend anymore, blend some more. Trust me, you could always blend more.”

@cgonzalezbeauty/Instagram

Gonzalez will change the actual blush shade depending on the look, but she almost always starts with the Armani Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer ($42) in 8, a pink shade that adds pigment and a pearly sheen, which she builds up in a few layers. Then, she’ll add an extra pop just on the tops of the cheeks with the Luminous Silk Glow Powder Blush ($39) in shade 51, 52, or 60.

As far as placement goes, "I would say it's on the cheekbone. And then, from there, I feather it out. I don't go in the apple of the cheek; mid-cheek outward is what we do. And a little under the outer edge of the eye and kind of up to the temple." The Fluid Sheer adds plenty of glow, but she'll also add a balmy highlighter on top of everything if she needs it.

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Armani Beauty
Armani Beauty
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The Eyes

The duo does switch up Carpenter’s eye looks—like a white shadow on New Year’s Eve or subtle sparkle at the VMAs—but her standard go-to is a slightly smudged, subtle wing. “Usually, I do her wing liner in 99, which is an eye tint by Armani because it’s very black, but it also can go very feathery. I use this tool called a Shadow Moon. It’s amazing. It allows me to smudge it—I do a sharp line but smudge the top. So we do that, but very delicately.”

@cgonzalezbeauty/Instagram

For brows, Gonzalez keeps them feathery and fluffy using either the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Wax ($26) or the WB CO. Soap Brows ($17). For lashes, she uses a coat of Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara ($35) before going in with some Velour lashes—recently, she’s been liking the brand’s new Xtensions Clusters ($30).

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The Lips

Lips are another area where the duo tends to play, but Gonzalez says that lately, Carpenter has been into more of an ombrè look. Gonzalez’s formula of choice? Armani’s Lip Power ($45) as both a liner and a lipstick—for Jingle Ball she used shade 207 as a liner and 111 in the center. “It’s like kind of an ombrè, and I do a lighter color in the middle,” she says. “I place it with a smudger brush. I feather it out that way and make the illusion of a bigger lip for her.” Gonzalez adds that the singer has been experimenting with a darker lip as well, but her usual go-to for Carpenter is a mauvey-rose like Lip Power in 107. To finish it off, she’ll use a glossy lip balm like the Mario Badescu Lip Mask ($14) for some shine.