It’s about time we talk about Top Gun: Maverick glam because Jennifer Connelly’s on-screen makeup calls for some well-deserved attention! In an exclusive interview, makeup artist Vasilios Tanis tells Us Weekly’s Stylish the exact products he used on the movie star — and how to recreate the look at home.
Connelly — who plays Penny Benjamin, Maverick’s new love interest — stunned in natural glam throughout the action film, particularly a defined eye, bronze complexion and subtly groomed brows. “I wanted her to look like she actually did her makeup herself,” says Tanis. In other words, he didn’t want it to look “super, super perfect.” The goal was “beautiful and realistic.”
Before makeup, Tanis started with skincare. He relied on Talika Undereye Patches and Hydrating Sheet masks, which he applied before she was sent to get her hair done, to give the complexion perfectors time to work their magic.
After removing the masks, the pro gave Connelly a “mini treatment” using the Pause Well-Aging Fascia Stimulating Tool (which he kept refrigerated prior to use) teamed with the brand’s Eye Renewal Treatment and Collagen Boosting Moisturizer. “The products get worked into the skin with the cold tool, which activates the lymphatic system and reduces puffiness and swelling,” says the pro.
Then comes makeup. For a base, Tanis swears by MAC Studio Radiance Face And Body Radiant Sheer Foundation, which he used on set. “The thing that makes it so special is that it’s waterproof,” he says. “I always start with that because it’s going to give me wearability and durability because our shooting days are very long and you don’t wanna annoy the actor by constantly going up to them and touching them up.”
Another obsession of his is Payot Brume Eclat, which he’s been using on all of his clients since being introduced to it. “I use that all over the body or, later in the day, I might just give her like a very light mist over her face that gives her a nice glow,” he says. “That is my number one product for anybody’s skin.”
It’s especially a game-changer on the big-screen. “When the camera hits her with the light, you get a slight reflection, shot backed into the lens, but it’s not glittery, greasy, or wet-looking. It just looks like a lively, vibrant skin.”
For her eyes, Tanis used a light dusting of soft, neutral hues from one of Pat McGrath’s eyeshadow palettes as well as some from NARS. But what he calls his “secret weapon” is MAC Powersurge Pencil, “which is like a golden bronze that’s not too intense or noticeable,” he says.
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“If you put that in the water line of your lower lid and on the inside, the color creates an illusion that pushes your eye color forward, cause it works on the yellow undertone of everybody’s eye. Whether you have brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes, it’s just, it’s a really good product to use.”
Want to recreate Connelly’s look? Keep scrolling to shop the key products Tanis used to bring Connelly’s on-screen look to life.
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