Whether memories of floating in Capri’s crystalline Marina Piccola are still fresh in your head or taking it easy looked more like ambling through your local farmers’ market on a hot day, the time spent outside this year did us good. “Your skin is still glowing from the summer,” says Hudson Valley–based makeup artist Alice Lane, who’s famous for making models and celebrities look phenomenal (the clearest skin, artfully accentuated lips and eyes) for runways, red carpets, photo shoots, and Met Galas. “That’s why fall is the perfect time to have fun with blush and bronzy things—to play up and extend that fresh radiance.”

The key, she says is easy pigments that enhance—rather than cover or alter—your natural tones and features. (Lane clearly takes her own advice—at forty-one, she has a new modeling career going and is currently shooting a campaign with designer Alex Mill.) “Always use creamy textures,” she says. “They’re easy to refresh, and it’s the melting of everything together that’s so beautiful and soft. You want to avoid harsh lines between, say, your lipstick and your face.”

Lane’s secret weapons—subtle highlighter, strategic concealer, and creamy tints, all of them clean—are the easiest-ever way to wake up your entire face. “The same way we want to take care of our insides and eat clean, let’s put things that are good for us on our faces,” she continues. “When you’re using makeup that’s nourishing, how can you not feel beautiful?”

1 Be sparing with concealer
(and generous with face oil)

No matter what you perceive the state of your skin to be—even if you’re blemish-prone—be sparing with concealer. “A little is all you need,” says Lane. “My favorite is the Chantecaille eye and face stick, which also works as foundation, and the one from RMS is really good and comes in a ton of shades for all skin types. You want whatever you’re using to have a creamy texture, which keeps it from turning a blemish into a dry mini mountain,” Lane says. “I dab it on with the tiny brush from Gucci Westman to cover redness under the nose, soften undereye circles, and spot-treat breakouts. You can use your fingers to blend it in, but applying it with the brush helps you not overdo it.”

RMS Beauty
“Un” Cover-Up
goop, $36

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Westman Atelier
Spot Check Brush
goop, $38

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Applying concealer or foundation over noticeably dry skin creates a more unnatural look. Lane’s solution is the instantly brightening, deeply moisturizing, and skin-balancing face serum from Vintner’s Daughter. “I can’t talk enough about it—I’ve used it for ten years now, and it works,” she says. “Recently I couldn’t resist tampering with this spot I had, and of course I gave myself a little red scar. I put a little blob of Vintner’s on it before bed. People are surprised at the price, but it’s just amazing. I don’t waste a drop; I smooth any excess into my hair.”

Vintner’s Daughter
Active Botanical Serum
goop, $185

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2 Blush flatters everyone

A flourish of warmth makes you look more rested and healthy. Sheer, moisturizing pigments are the most forgiving, and they blend and layer easily. “Blush is one of the reasons I became a makeup artist,” says Lane. “I saw the Terrence Malick film Days of Heaven and wanted to make people look like that: dewy with a gorgeous, subtle flush at their cheeks.” Smooth your favorite shade over the apples of the cheeks until the color fades to a low-key glow. For a slight sculpting effect, blend the blush at a slight upward diagonal angle.

Pale Pink

Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
goop, $48

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Faint Peach

Tata Harper
Vitamin-Infused Cream Blush
goop, $42

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Sheer Blackberry

Balmyard Beauty
Baby Love Balm Lip + Cheek Tint
goop, $32

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3 Give yourself some “sun”

Lane sweeps on cream bronzer with a big, soft makeup brush for a mellow, luminous sheen. “Before the brush loaded with the bronzer touches your face, circle it over the back of your hand,” she says. “That warms the bronzer up for the most even, natural effect. Then look in the mirror and imagine your brush is the sun. The idea is to hit the high points of your face, across the forehead, nose, and cheekbones, with maybe a touch on your chin and a little along the collarbone. Smooth it on gently and take your time. I touch my face like I touch my eleven-year-old son’s—with love.” She uses highlighter to create a similar refreshing effect: “I like creamy sticks because they’re easy to use and the moisture is flattering, especially if you’re over forty and very smiley so you get the lines, like I do.”

4 Brush your brow hair

Whether your brows are sparse or abundant, streamline their shape with a bit of product. Gently brush clear brow gel through in the direction of the hair growth and use a tinted pencil to fill in holes and add definition. “I often groom my brows by smoothing a little castor oil through them,” says Lane. “When I was growing out my hair after shaving my head, I’d massage a mix of castor and rosemary oils into my scalp. I keep a kid’s toothbrush or a small adult one in my makeup bag for brushing oil through my brows and adding a little gloss.”

5 Balm is easier and prettier when
you’re wearing a mask

“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the mask situation, but lipstick with masks just doesn’t work. Keep it fresh,” says Lane. “I love the balms from Olio E Osso—they nail it with super light shades that work for every skin tone across the board.”

Olio E Osso
Lip, Cheek & Lid Balm
goop, $28

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6 Define with false lashes

“Instead of liner, I sometimes add faux lashes to make a client look natural with a special sparkle,” Lane says. The false ones from LoveSeen are uncanny in how much they resemble your own lashes—but longer and more fluttery (we love how comfortable and weightless they are). Lane also likes how balms—like the colorless All Heal balm from Wise Ways Herbals that comes in the cutest little tub—luminize lids. The sheer lid tints from Jillian Dempsey deposit the prettiest wash of color and come in softly flattering shades.

7 Negativity shows up on your face

“When you’re doing your makeup in the mirror, don’t scrutinize every little thing. Of course you’re not going to think you’re beautiful if you’re in inspection mode,” Lane says. “When I’m getting ready, I’m like, ‘Oh, hello, Alice! How are you today?’ Living truthfully plays into it, too—I think liars tend to frown, because they’re trying to recast the truth.” Not that frown lines necessarily bother her. “I’ve tried doing stuff to my face,” she says. “I have absolutely no judgment about what anyone gets done. But I was like, This is something I cannot keep up with!”

Skin Care Is the Easiest Way to
Look Amazing with Less Makeup

Before any makeup, Lane insists on nourishing her clients’ skin with
a supercharged polishing and moisturizing routine.

1. Exfoliate

“I love the goop exfoliator. Sometimes I massage it on as I’m soaking in a bath, so that the steam helps it sink in. Then I smooth it off with a washcloth. I have such sensitive skin that scrubs don’t usually work for me, but I do this one twice a week, and it’s so softening. I’m taken with the ritual. I’ll be on my deathbed and I will still manage to do it.”

goop Beauty
GOOPGLOW Microderm
Instant Glow Exfoliator
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2. Tone

“Right after washing my face, I let my skin dry and pat on the Vintner’s essence. It’s not to be underestimated, that stuff. It’s brightening and tone-evening, and I swear when I don’t use it, I notice myself breaking out more.”

Vintner’s Daughter
Active Treatment Essence
goop, $225

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3. Moisturize

“This face oil smells sooo good, and I like it for waking up my skin in the morning. I use the Vintner’s serum at night—it’s been the smell of bedtime for me for ten years now,” says Lane. “Depending on how I’m feeling and what my skin needs, I might use the goop face cream instead of oil. How lucky am I to have these options? Then I give myself a face massage to work in my moisturizer. I like using my fingers, but you could do it with a roller, too—people love those.”

4. Mineral sunscreen

“Just because it’s not summer, people forget that you can still get burned in fall,” says Lane. “It can catch you by surprise. Wear your sunscreen! And wear a hat, I’m a big hat wearer. I love the Princess Diana baseball hat vibe.”