Jessica Alba Mixes Two Mascaras for a "Lashy" Red Carpet Look

There was an onslaught of all-pink looks at the Baby2Baby Gala on November 12, and Jessica Alba understood the assignment. Alba, who serves on the non-profit's board of directors, arrived at the gala in a pink floral gown with gorgeous ‘60s-inspired glam. Alba looked stunning, and we simply had to know what went into her look for the evening. Ahead, Alba and her makeup artist, Mai Quynh, reveal exclusively to Byrdie how they prepped for the evening. 

The Dress

Before getting into the beauty side of things, let us allow a moment for Alba’s jaw-dropping gown to sink in. The actress and founder of The Honest Company wore a Carolina Herrera floor-length dress, which featured faux flowers of varying pink shades. Alba kept her accessories minimal, with diamond bracelets on each of her wrists as well as sparkling diamond drop earrings. 

The Inspiration

Alba had a specific look she wanted to emulate with her glam: fiery ‘60s elegance. “I really wanted a clean, modern take on 60’s femme fatale,” Alba reveals to Byrdie exclusively. “Super lashy, bold lip—[but] instead of a red lip, we went with a fun pink to complement my dress. For the hair, a modern version of Brigitte Bardot.” 

With ‘60s glamour hitting the mainstream, Quynh adds that she found inspiration in fashion week. “I was really inspired by all of the bold lips on the runway, so we used these beautiful, long-lasting Honest Beauty Liquid Lip shades as the focal point of the entire look.”

The Glam

To start, celebrity hairstylist, Brittney Ryan, created a half-up-half-down chocolate brown hairdo with volume at the star’s crown, along with big waves all throughout. The volume and face-framing pieces gave Alba that Bardot-inspired feel she was looking for.

As for the makeup, Alba admits that her favorite part of her look was the fact that it was made using clean products (from Honest Beauty, of course). She tells Byrdie, “[My makeup] feels timeless and feminine! I love that every step of my look was created using clean beauty. It’s proof that you can get maximum coverage and payoff with clean products.”

To prep for the look, Quynh first sculpted the star’s skin with the Shani Darden Facial Wand ($399) before adding moisture with the Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream ($20). 

Quynh mentions that one of her favorite ways to lock a look in is by layering cream and powder complexion products. “I layered all the products starting with foundation, Honest Beauty Fresh Flex Concealer in shades Fawn and Tawny ($22), and the Creme Cheek in Rose Pink (16),” says Quynh. “Then I set [the makeup] with the Invisible Blurring Powder ($23) and added the Lit Powder Blush in Flirty ($16) on top at the cheekbone. That ensures the look will last all night long.”

Quynh kept Alba’s eyeshadow minimal and used the Honest Beauty Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette ($23) to sculpt out her crease and added shimmer to the lid with the Eye Catcher Lid Tint in New Love ($18). Alba’s eye look was all about adding brightness and opening up her eyes, which is why Alba wore two different mascaras. “To achieve a super ‘lashy’ look, I actually mixed two different mascaras—the Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer ($18) for lift and length and Honest Beauty Extreme Volume Mascara + Bold Lash Primer ($20) to create maximum volume," she tells us.

Using two mascaras, though, can leave a spidery finish which is why Quynh used the Tweezerman Lashcomb ($17) to tease out any clumping and create separation. Quynh finished the eyes area with the Honest Beauty Brow Pencil in Ash Blonde ($14) to add shape to Alba’s brows.

And for the grand finale, Alba also wore two different lipsticks, Honest Beauty's Liquid Lipstick in shades Love and Goddess ($15), to achieve the bright pink hue she was after. Alba reveals her trick to making the color pop on the red carpet: “Pro tip: Use concealer around the edges of your lip to define the line of your lip.”