Lisa Eldridge Takes Us Inside Her Makeup Bag

When it comes to makeup, the name ‘Lisa Eldridge’ is golden. The award-winning MUA is one of the most trusted voices in beauty, with a huge presence online – she was one of the first professional artists to make the move to YouTube in 2010 – where she shares her insider tips, tricks and recommendations with a worldwide audience. She’s also worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Chanel, Shiseido and Lancôme (the latter of which she is the current Global Creative Director).

And through it all, her love of makeup has never dwindled. ‘For me, makeup has always been more than mere glittering surfaces – it’s an important signifier of both creativity and humanity,’ she tells C&TH. ‘It also has transformative and affirmative powers.’

Below, Lisa Eldridge takes us through her makeup bag, her best piece of beauty advice and her take on the beauty trend cycle.

What’s Inside My Makeup Bag? With Lisa Eldridge

Lisa Eldridge

Let’s start with the bag itself – describe it for us.

It’s my dream bag: my own beauty bag made with Liberty fabric. It was so exciting visiting the Liberty fabric archive when I was making this bag. I was blown away by the sheer amount of incredible prints – book after book of the most creative designs, going back over a hundred years.

What’s your pre‑makeup beauty ritual?

A depuffing facial massage. My mum was always all about a great skincare routine, something she instilled in me from an early age. I remember watching her conduct her lengthy facial massage routine, thinking it looked ridiculous! However, the benefits quickly became apparent to me. (And you only have to look at her now to know it absolutely works.) I swear by a daily facial massage. I also love the reusable DIEUX Forever Eye Masks to help depuff my under eyes.

Let’s break down your makeup routine – face? 

I’ll apply a thin layer of my Enhancing Tint and use my Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil to cover some redness here, lift a shadow there – and I’m good to go!

Eyes? 

I usually don’t leave the house without curling my lashes and applying my Kitten Lash Mascara – these days in soft, warm rich brown Burnt Umber shade. I aim for lifted, defined, fanned out lashes.

Lips? 

Day to day, I go for fresh, pared back skin with a ‘my lips but better’ lip – my Baume Embrace in Epanoui is one of my favourites.

Which item instantly makes you feel made up?

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t leave the house without curling my eyelashes – it makes me look and feel instantly more awake. At the moment I’m using the Surratt Beauty Eyelash Curler.

One piece always in your handbag?

A naturally perfected, beautiful complexion underpins every look I create, so my Seamless Skin Foundation has a permanent place in my beauty bag, which I apply using my Patchwork Skin Technique – applying intuitively only to the areas I feel need coverage.

What about the hero product you can’t live without, and have used for years?

My True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Ribbon! It was one of my original and now iconic shades. It has a sort of magic pigment alchemy which means that it suits absolutely everybody and makes the face just light up. There have been so many moments and it’s become such a staple in makeup artist’s kits. Every time I see it I still get the same rush of pride.

Trend or timeless?

I love witnessing the cyclical nature of trends, but it’s important to recognise their transient and shifting nature – they come around way too thick and fast! Beauty trends have a way of coming round and round again, repackaged under different names. In the last few decades, a heavy, hyper-perfected makeup look has dominated, and the resurgence of 90s grunge and more minimal looks is a manifestation of our fatigue trying to achieve this. Likewise, the first-time round, 90s grunge makeup was a reaction to the excessive glamour and full-on makeup of the 80s.

I’ve lived through two almost identical loops of makeup trends now, and I find it fascinating. I’m particularly thrilled to see a new generation gravitating towards something less ‘paint by numbers’ and appreciating the beauty of the perfectly imperfect.

What’s something you did beauty-wise in your youth that you’d never do again?

I decided to have an acid peel on my back a month before my wedding and it was a disaster – and I was wearing a backless gown! The only thing that saved the day was body makeup. Never again.

The best piece of beauty advice you’ve been given?

A funny one that jumps to mind: when I was around 20 and first came to London, I worked in an architects office. Whilst working there I went to Greece on holiday and came back with this mega tan. I worked with a beautiful Norwegian lady, who had the most perfect skin, and she took one look at me and said, ‘Just remember a tan lasts a week, but the wrinkles last forever!’

There I was thinking I looked fabulous. It’s certainly stayed with me.

What’s your beauty philosophy?

My personal makeup philosophy is very much about embellishing skin and enhancing what you already have, making it look as natural and beautiful as possible, only concealing where it’s absolutely necessary. I always say you should fight the urge to blanket cover your face in a thick layer of foundation and embrace your skin’s natural beauty by only pinpoint covering any imperfections.

What do you think should be in every makeup bag?

SPF. My current favourites are Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF50, which gives a beautiful glow and smells amazing, and Lancôme UV Expert Supra Screen SPF 50 Invisible UV Serum – at the moment I use this in place of moisturiser. The hydrating, lightweight formula and invisible finish make it an ideal base for makeup.

Makeup: touch‑up tool or self‑expression?

As well as being an important form of self-expression and identity, makeup is a creative outlet that can give such confidence. Makeup has transformative and affirmative powers. I often think we could use a self-esteem boost to help us face the day (sometimes it’s a case of faking it till you make it) and makeup can be a great place to start. I’ve witnessed even the most reserved people come alive with a slick of red lipstick, drawing on the inner strength it can imbue to tackle what lies ahead.

For me, makeup has always been more than mere glittering surfaces – it’s an important signifier of both creativity and humanity. Studying the history of makeup and the beauty of bygone eras has given me a window into the world we live in. You have to know the past to understand the present, and once you understand that the makeup you carry in your handbag has traversed a journey, in various different manifestations, through hundreds of years to end up in your hand, your understanding of beauty in its present form will be revolutionised forever. It’s history in your handbag!

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