6 Genuinely Useful Makeup Tips I've Learned From Kate Bosworth

Ask me which celebrities I follow for skincare inspiration and I can give you a list as long as my arm. From Victoria Beckham to Jennifer Lopez, my Instagram saved folders look like something of an encyclopedia on the skincare routines and complexion recommendations of the A-list. But when it comes to makeup, my celebrity inspo folder is more finely edited. Instead, I prefer to go direct to the makeup artists themselves for tips and tricks, with industry experts like Pati Dubroff and Patrick Ta often taking to Instagram to share the exact products that they've used on a celebrity for a red carpet beauty look.

But there is one major exception: Kate Bosworth. Yes, not only is she the star of everyone's favourite early noughties surf film, Blue Crush, and friend to another of my beauty icons Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but Bosworth's Instagram is also a treasure trove of truly amazing makeup advice—with her IGTVs covering everything from Italian-inspired beauty looks to what to do when you've forgotten your makeup bag.

Ahead, I've rounded up six of the most useful makeup tips that I've learned from Kate Bosworth herself plus her favourite products to shop alongside them. Keep scrolling…

#1: Opt for a moisturising foundation

"One of the things that I”m really passionate about is the integrity of skin," Kate revealed in her "Italian Romance"–inspired" makeup tutorial for IGTV. "I'm a real excavator of the perfect foundation, and one of the foundations that I really love to use—especially in my day to day—is this one from Koh Gen Do (£72). It's a moisture foundation, and for me, the foundations that work the best are the ones that do have moisture and have some hydrating elements to them. If the foundation is too dry, then I just feel like you see all the cracks and the creases in my skin and it's just not the look I'm going for."

#2: Mix concealer with moisturiser for a foundation alternative

Whether you've forgotten your makeup bag while you're on your travels (like Kate did during a recent trip to Australia) or you're looking for an alternative to foundation, Bosworth suggests mixing your favourite concealer with a moisturiser.

"For everyday looks, concealers can go a long way—especially if you spread them around to create a foundation-like consistency," she explained. "I'm going to use some moisturiser to expand the concealers that I have. We're going to add some moisturiser to make these products stretch a little bit further than they normally would."

Kate mixes her favourite Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer (£54) with the moisturiser that she's "obsessed with"—Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream (£205)—to create a lightweight base that looks natural and dewy.

#3: Your fingers are often the best makeup tools

Rather than fussing with multiple makeup brushes and sponges, Kate is a real advocate for using her fingers to apply her products. "I use my fingers quite a bit to apply makeup," Bosworth revealed in a makeup tutorial with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. "There's something about the skin-on-skin… and even brushes sometimes can intimidate me slightly."

For best results, stick to cream and liquid products like Kate's favourite Glossier Lidstar Eye Shadow (£15), as powders tend to work best when applied with a brush.

#4: Toothbrush + lip balm = ultimate brow combo

Turns out, you don't need a whole stash of brow pencils, spoolies and pomade to create fuller-looking brows. When Kate found herself without her favourite brow pen, she used a trick that she learned backstage.

"So one trick that a makeup artist told me quite a while ago which I use when I'm in a pinch is to take a little bit of balm and bring a little bit of it to my lashes and my eyebrows to thicken," Kate explained.

"I’m going to use this toothbrush to apply the balm to my brows. I’m just going to brush it into the toothbrush and then apply it to the brow. It actually looks really good and pretty full."

#5: Blusher makes a great eye shadow

Kate is a real fan of multipurpose beauty products (she swears by the Clinique Chubby Sticks) and can often be seen wearing a blusher as an eye shadow. 

"I use blush interchangeably as eye shadow all the time," Bosworth explained in a recent tutorial.

#6: Skip the lip liner and layer lipsticks instead

Like me, Kate Bosworth isn't a huge fan of lip liner, telling Rosie HW that she likes it on other people but not on herself. "I don't love my mouth with a lip pencil, I normally use the edge of the lipstick for a little distinction," she explains.

Instead, she layers lipsticks to create a fuller-looking pout with a subtle ombré effect. "I sometimes put the lipstick that's a little bit brighter on the top of where the base is. It just lifts it, I think," Bosworth revealed.

Next up, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's hairstylist told us nine ways to fake thicker hair.