Celebrity Makeup Artist Nikki DeRoest on Looking Fresh, Expensive Makeup & Her Best Beauty Hacks

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

The following podcast is a Dear Media production.

Arielle Lorre (0:06)

This is Well, a podcast about wellness and all its forms. I'm Arielle Lorre, and each week, I'm sharing unfiltered conversations with the people shaping how we feel, live, and look. Come for the substance, stay for the honesty, and leave with the tools to be well inside and out.

Today's guest is one of my new favorite people, and I don't say that lately because I feel like my roster lately has been top tier, genuinely lots of A-plus guests and I love them all, but I have to say that I just absolutely loved Nikki DeRoest.

She is a celebrity makeup artist. She is the founder of Ciele Cosmetics, which is a clean, vegan, acne safe, fragrance free, mineral based SPF makeup line that I am totally obsessed with. I swear by their skin tone and they have so many other amazing products. This is not sponsored. I am just a total fan girl. And she has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. She's worked with some of the most beautiful and influential women in the world, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Haley Bieber, Ana de Armas and so many more. And she is also just the ultimate girl's girl. She is so warm. She's so fun. She's so generous with her knowledge. And I love this conversation because we really got into the beauty stuff that you actually want to know. So we talk makeup mistakes that can age you, how to make your makeup look more expensive and polished, what actually makes a difference when you're doing your own makeup. We talk skin prep, concealer, where to spend your money versus where you absolutely don't need to. And all of Nikki's favorite products and tricks from years of working with faces professionally. She is incredibly candid. She gives such good specific advice. I honestly could have talked to her for another three hours. And I know you're going to love her as much as I did. So please enjoy Nikki DeRoest. Welcome.

Nikki DeRoest (2:05)

Thank you.

Arielle Lorre (2:06)

I am so excited to talk to you. As you know, I'm a huge fan of your brand. Huge. And actually I ran out of the tent today and I was looking in the mirror. You should have texted me.

Nikki DeRoest (2:19)

I brought you one of our new launches. But when I was coming over here, I was like, should I bring her anything? No. Yeah.

Arielle Lorre (2:26)

I always like supporting brands that I love. But I was looking in the mirror in there before you got here. And I'm like, why does my skin look so dull? And I'm like, it's because I'm using regular foundation.

Nikki DeRoest (2:37)

Right, right, right.

Arielle Lorre (2:38)

So I can't wait to talk to you about all things beauty. But to start, I want to do a round of finish the sentence. Okay, okay. The makeup mistake that ages people the most is?

Nikki DeRoest (2:51)

Wearing matte on their face.

Arielle Lorre (2:56)

I feel seen.

Nikki DeRoest (2:57)

I'm like wearing matte.

Arielle Lorre (2:58)

Yeah, I know. You're like, I see you. Do you know Caroline Hirons? Yes, yeah.

Nikki DeRoest (3:06)

I don't know her personally, but I know her.

Arielle Lorre (3:08)

I always reference her because she has a book that I read a couple years ago and she was like, I'll be matte when I'm dead. And I was like, exactly. Thank you.

The product most women are using way too much of is?

Nikki DeRoest (3:20)

Anything super active that is like drying out the skin and making it sad and annoyed.

Arielle Lorre (3:29)

We're going to get into all of this too. Circle back on that. The makeup product people spend too much money on is?

Nikki DeRoest (3:36)

Probably lipliner.

Arielle Lorre (3:37)

Oh, say more.

Nikki DeRoest (3:41)

I just feel like there's certain things that you splurge on that are more luxe, but most pencils all come from the same factory. I mean, there's nuances. It could be, you know, if an artist made it and you love the shade or things like that. But there's a lot of great drugstore lipliners out there.

Arielle Lorre (3:58)

That's true. Yeah, that is really true. The one category where expensive makeup really is better is?

Nikki DeRoest (4:04)

Complexion.

Arielle Lorre (4:05)

Okay. The beauty trend I'm ready to never see again is?

Nikki DeRoest (4:09)

The blocky eyebrow trend of 2016 Yes.

That I fear like sometimes is coming back, but hopefully it won't.

Arielle Lorre (4:18)

Yeah, I'm trying to undo my brow mistakes of the past because I did, it wasn't really blocky, but I feel like 2018-ish was like the time of microblading.