American Fiction’s Tracee Ellis Ross put on a show for the SAG Awards red carpet in a custom Balmain ensemble. Her look consisted of a sweetheart neckline, structured corset with the designer’s signature gold buttons down the front and a column skirt. And while we love her jaw-dropping look of the night, we can’t stop looking at her glowy skin, thanks to Ross’s makeup artist, Molly Greenwald. And, with the help of hairstylist, Eric Williams, they made sure the camera paid attention to her face card.
“The look with Tracee always begins with fresh, plump, hydrated skin,” Greenwald tells ESSENCE. “We decided on beautiful glowing flushed skin and some soft intensity around the eyes to balance her intricate structured hair and custom Balmain look styled by Karla Welch.”
Greenwald started with light layers of hydration on Ross’s skin by using the Aesop Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrosol and applied a healthy amount of the Cedar & Citrus Lip Salve to her pout. Then, she applied the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel all over Ross’s skin as a light moisturizer to give it very minimal complexion makeup and finished off by pressing a little bit of the Damascan Rose Facial Treatment to highlight her cheekbones and nose to leave a natural glow.
Greenwald also shares with ESSENCE that you must “prioritize freshly cleaned, plumped, hydrated skin,” to recreate Ross’s SAG Awards look right at home. “I can’t emphasize enough how much a well-cared-for canvas is the essence of the whole look.”
Aside from bringing the look together, Greenwald loves working with the Girlfriends star and gets excited about red carpet beauty in general. “She’s amazing to collaborate with and she has such excellent taste in fashion,” Greenwald says. “I love watching the red carpet. The excitement of it all is when they get dressed up the most, it’s fun, it’s live, it’s got that extra special pizazz that only award shows can have.”