Michelle Obama Wore Fenty Beauty to the Inauguration

Between Ella Emhoff’s coat and Bernie Sanders’s mittens, there was no shortage of memorable ’fits at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, but the most stylish person there was, duh, Michelle Obama. And while her maroon Sergio Hudson ensemble might have been eye-catching, what about her actual eyes? What about her makeup on the day, hmm? Well, it was Fenty Beauty. Naturally. Plus a little Pat McGrath and Glossier, which we can only imagine she shares with daughters Sasha and Malia.

Obama’s makeup artist, Carl Ray, shared all the details with Elle, including a step-by-step guide to achieving the look yourself, if you dare. First, start with Nars Creamy Concealer and Fenty Matchstix Contour, then set with Laura Mercier’s translucent powder. When your skin is perfectly matte but dewy, define your brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills’s Dip Brow Gel, Brow Definer, and Clear Brow Gel. Then it’s time to move onto the eyes.

“I wanted her to have a powerful beauty look that would need to be achieved by playing up the top half of her face…since her whole face wouldn’t be visible, the eyes and lashes would be the star of this particular look,” Ray told Elle of beauty in the age of mask wearing. Since it looks like we’ll have to stay masked for the rest of the year, expect the dramatic eye to stick around. 

In this case, the perfect daytime smoky eye was achieved with the Taupe to Black shades from the Viseart 01 Eyeshadow Palette, plus a little Pat McGrath Eyedols Eye Shadow in Divine Mink in “the center of the lid.” And because only one eyeliner simply would not do for the occasion, he also added both Pat McGrath Labs’s Permagel Eyeliner in Xtreme Black and Fenty Flyliner Longwear Liquid Eyeliner.

Fenty Beauty Flyliner Longwear Liquid Eyeliner

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel-2

For the final touches, Ray used Glossier Lash Slick mascara and Lilly Lashes. Perfection.

Fenty Match Stix Matte Contour Skin Stick

And if you’re coveting every aspect of the former FLOTUS’s glam, her hairstylist, Yene Damtew, revealed a few secrets too. “I keep my celebrity clients’ information confidential, so I won’t share specifics [on Michelle Obama].⁣⁣ However, I do have this video that shows how I achieve my signature bouncy curls,” she captioned an Instagram video showing her heat technique.

Taking notes for next time we get invited to an inauguration. Listen, it could happen!