The Cat-Eye Hack I Learned From Jessica Alba's Makeup Artist

If there's one celebrity I always pause mid-Instagram scroll to get a second glimpse at their makeup, it's Jessica Alba. The Honest Company business mogul consistently sports glowing skin, sky-high lashes, a sleek black cat-eye, and a creamy lip in variable sultry shades—never matte (of which you also won't find on the Honest Beauty site—only sheer, glossy, or demi-matte lippies). To be fair, she's beautiful without a drop of makeup, but her overall makeup aesthetic is something of an art form, crafted masterfully by celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin.

Recently, I had the opportunity to have my entire face of makeup done by the maestro himself, and to say I picked up a few pointers is putting it rather lightly. Below I lay out his tips for re-creating Alba's signature look.

Tone Before Applying Foundation

Skin prep and hydration is key to helping your foundation lay evenly, so Martin suggests applying a bit of Honest Beauty Younger + Clearer Clarifying Toner directly onto the skin before makeup. This witch hazel-based toner helps control oil and treat breakouts while moistening the skin for that Jessica Alba-esque glow. After toner comes Honest Beauty Everything Cream Foundation ($22) followed by touchups around the under eyes and around the nose with the Honest Beauty Concealer Duo, as well as Honest Beauty Magic Balm ($13) tapped along the high points of the cheeks and lips for a dewy finish. (If you want a bit of shimmer, we also love Rituel de Fille's Rare Light Luminizer.)

Brush the Eyebrows Upward

Truth be told, I had arrived the day of my makeup lesson with Martin with my brows already penciled-in with Anastasia's cult-loved Brow Wiz pencil (I prefer not to ride a rush-hour train with patchy brows), but I'd done them quickly, so Martin grabbed an eyebrow brush and brought the hairs upward to both blend in the pencil and allow the hair "sprouts" to show to fake fuller, more natural-looking arches.

Use Mascara to Create a Killer Cat Eye

Instead of using an eyeliner pen or traditional liquid liner, Martin loves dipping a small art brush directly into the Honest Beauty Truly Lash Mascara and using the inky remnants to draw a sharp winged line along the lash line. He also applies the cat-eye before eye shadow to create a base, and then he traces the cat-eye again after the shadow is applied for an even deeper, more graphic line.

Don't Skimp on Lashes

Granted, Jess probably has naturally long, thick lashes, but Martin made it clear that just a few swipes of mascara aren't his game. Instead, he curls the lashes (or rather has Jessica curl her own to prevent any accidental lash-pulling or eyelid-clamping) and then applies the lash primer before coating my (otherwise short and stubby) lashes with mascara. The results were instantly impressive.

Contour Your Lids… and Your Cheekbones

Martin certainly isn't heavy-handed with contour and instead warms up the complexion and creates definition with pressed powder bronzer (I'm a huge fan of Bobbi Brown Bronzer, $44) in circular motions from the temple to mid-cheek, as well as along the hairline. He mimics this motion by contouring along the eye bone in Honest Beauty Eyeshadow Trio in Truly Warm Sable Brown to define the lids.

Et voilá! When Martin was done working his magic, I applied one of Jess's favorite lip products, the Honest Beauty Truly Kissable Lip Crayon in Rose Kiss for a sheer pop of mauve. I then, of course, located some good light and snapped a few selfies to show off his work.

Next up: 14 times Jessica Alba schooled us in great hair.