All season long we've watched Kaitlyn Bristowe get teary on The Bachelorette—and for good reason. She started the show fighting for the right to even give out roses (remember Britt Nilsson?). And then she had to deal with everything from "brokeback bachelors" to the never-ending feud between her final two men, Shawn and Nick.
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Yes, we've come to expect the weepy weekly confessionals from Bristowe, but did you ever notice how amazing her makeup always looks, even after those dramatic rose ceremonies? We talked to Bristowe's makeup artist, Gina Modica, to get the scoop on the soft-focus beauty look that she created for tonight's finale (8 P.M. EST on ABC), and exactly what she uses to keep everything in place when a sob sesh is just a limo ride away.
Tell us about Kaitlyn's look for the finale tonight. What were you going for?
Kaitlyn chose a pretty blush Mac Duggal dress for the episode, so I wanted to do something that was also soft and romantic. She doesn’t usually like anything too overdone, so we stuck to creamy formulas and natural tones. She is not an actress. She is a regular person, so I always go with what is comfortable for her. And she actually does her own hair and styled it in loose waves for the finale, which also went well with the makeup look.
It must have been an anxious and exciting day for her. What was the atmosphere like as you got her ready?
We shot the episode in the evening, so we started prepping her in the afternoon. Kaitlyn loves her music, so we always have something on in the background. We try to make it just like a normal day for her, even though there are always 100 people buzzing around trying to get everything set for filming. We want to be calm in that situation for her because she’s obviously nervous.
The makeup for the finale filming has to be extremely long-lasting. With that in mind, how did you prep her skin for the cameras?
The looks that I create on Kaitlyn often have to stay on for up to 10 hours. She her has regular skincare routine, but I gave her the Glycelene Rejuvenation cream ($95; glycelene.com) because it has a little bit of a primer in it. It also has a soothing cucumber extract and is very moisturizing. For her face, I've found that Temptu airbrush foundation works best ($200; temptu.com). It lasts forever and it is really easy for touch ups. It has a light, silicone base, so her skin still has that natural, dewy finish. Next, I used a Clé De Peau Translucent Powder ($105; cledepeaubeaute.com) to set everything and Too Faced Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach ($30; twofaced.com) on her cheeks for a little bit of iridescence.
Eye makeup must be even trickier because you know it has to withstand a few tears. What formulas did you use on her?
I like the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots. They are cream shadows, but they never crease. On Kaitlyn, I used a pearly nude shade called Bare Study ($21; maccosmetics.com) as a highlighter on her brow and another darker nude shade called Painterly ($21; maccosmetics.com) all over her eye. In her crease, I did a gray color called Blackground ($21; maccosmetics.com) for a little bit of contour. For eyeliner, we use Make Up For Ever Waterproof Aqua Creamliner in black ($22; makeupforever.com). You could sleep with that on and it would stay put!
It was a rocky season for Kaitlyn—did you always have waterproof mascara on hand?
Actually we used Kaitlyn's favorite, which is L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara ($8; lorealparisus.com). I don't even think it is waterproof, but it works! We also used Ardell False Lashes ($3; walgreens.com) on her for every episode, so we do order those in bulk. I prefer the individuals, not the strips, for a more natural look.
She has worn a lot of bright lip colors during her time on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Is that a go-to for her?
She does love a bright pink lipstick! But since she has really great lips I don't think she needs a lot of color. Tonight, you will see that she went really natural with Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in Penelope Pink ($32; charlottetilbury.com). Over that, I swiped on a shimmery nude gloss by Charlotte Tilbury called Blondie ($22; charlottetilbury.com). Honestly, she looks good in every color.
Check out Bristowe's makeup look and see if she picks Nick or Shawn tonight at 8 P.M. EST on ABC.