It's been one year since Beyoncé turned Coachella into Beychella and made history as the first black woman to ever headline the legendary music festival. She stopped the world per usual and then invited us to relive the magic once again with the recent 2019 release of the Netflix documentary, Homecoming, which reveals behind-the-scenes moments and breaks down how she drew inspiration from the culture of historical black college and university (HBCU) campuses.
If you watched Homecoming and you're into makeup, then one of the glaring questions you couldn't help but ask was probably this: How the HECK did her makeup continue to look flawless through all of that dancing, sweating, and hair swinging? It seemed like the only thing working as hard as Beyoncé and her team was her makeup. So what was the queen wearing?
Beyoncé managed to look natural yet glamorous all in one look for Coachella.
To be honest, she always looks impeccably put together. From her hair to her custom Balmain outfit to those holographic fringed Christian Louboutin boots, her entire look was just a super banger. We just simply couldn't get over her makeup looking this good and not budging through a two-hour high-energy performance! Nude pink lips, perfectly blended foundation, and sparkly eyes were the magic combination.
While watching Homecoming, I couldn't help but be in awe of this beaming highlight.
It looks natural and glowy instead of like a metallic strip sitting on her face the way a lot of terribly blended highlight applications tend to look. Clearly, Beyoncé employs the best of the best to get her face together.
People were especially blown away when she wiped her face with a towel during the performance and there was not a trace of transfer.
Immediately, people wanted to know the secret. "When bey was patting her face down with the towel there was not ONE TRACE of makeup transfer…… What's the tea, sis? @beyonce" one person wrote on Twitter.
Some people believed the white towel mystery was about way more than just bomb setting skills.
"Beyoncè wiped her sweaty face all over a white towel and it left no mark whatsoever, that's not makeup that's magic," one person concluded.
It's hard not to see the fan's point because even the most transfer-free foundation typically will leave a little stan on a snow-white towel. Isn't that the law of colors and laundry and staining?!
What type of sorcery creates makeup that LITERALLY doesn't move throughout a performance and a towel swipe?
"I need to know what kind of makeup Sir John be using on Beyoncé because sis really be wiping her face full of sweat on a white towel and no makeup comes off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it the setting spray? Like wtf is it?!?!????" one person asked.
Inquiring minds NEEDED to know.
Fans could not help but praise her makeup artist, Sir John, for his work.
"You are the only makeup artist in the world who makes makeup still look like skin. That is a talent in itself," one fan wrote to him on Instagram.
"Makeup stayed in place throughout that whole performance!!!! Love her natural glow look," another person shared.
Sir John revealed his secrets to what may be one of Beyoncè's most legendary makeup looks.
First of all, Sir John found the cheat code to body makeup.
"I found this new body makeup called AllEven ($48, AllEven)," he told Refinery29. "It's a spray makeup but it will not move. You can have white sheets and sleep and it won't transfer. I use it on her boobs, arms, and legs. We had four changes so we wanted something transfer-resistant."
As for keeping her beat face in place through the desert heat, stage lights, and hella sweat — he revealed his technique and the surprising product that he doesn't use.
"I don’t use setting sprays even though people are constantly asking me," he confirmed to Elle magazine. "It’s ALL about duality. I layer cream and powder for every stage. Cream and powder foundation, cream and powder blush, cream and powder eyeshadows and matte and cream lipstick. It’s the only way the makeup stays anchored throughout the day. I also don’t use a moisturizer on her skin before a big set or concert. The moisturizer will lift the makeup, which we don’t want. For a big show like this, I use a primer to prep the skin."
The entire look was inspired by the concept of an It girl on a college campus.
"I was super inspired by dress rehearsal and the band, college life," Sir John said to Elle. "I was thinking about the coolest girl on campus: Who is she and what does she look like? That’s how we came up with the glittery eye."
So about those glittery eyes...
You can thank Lemonhead for those enduring sparkles. "One year ago… #Beychella. Changed our lives forever. Makeup by @Sirjohnofficial using a mix of Houdini and Dirty Penny Space Pastes ($22, Lemonhead).
But that wasn't all it took to perfect the eye makeup for the queen.
__"__I created a glittery lid by mixing a few different glitters. I started with a warm, terracotta base, mixed in an iridescent purple, then applied glitter on the center of the eye," Sir John explained to Refinery 29. "For eyeliner, I used MAC's Brownborder ($18, MAC Cosmetics) on the bottom and a black liner on the top."
He also has a trick for lining eyes properly.
"I always tell women, even though you make your wing with black, coffee eyeliner on the bottom is the best finisher because it doesn't weigh down the eyes."
Come through with the makeup hacks, Sir John!
Additionally, Beyoncé wore a little affordable drugstore makeup.
And now, so you can get the FULL understanding of why her Coachella makeup is considered to have legendary staying power.
Sigh. If I only I had the bank and the power to get Sir John to beat my face every single day for the rest of my life. Which of Sir John's techniques do you plan to use?
