We don’t know about you, but we haven’t stopped loving Hilary Duff since we first fell in love with her on January 12, 2001. (The run date of Lizzie McGuire’s first-ever episode ICYW.) Back then, it didn’t get better than butterfly clips, glitter, chopsticks, and faux-spikey hairpieces in terms of her beauty aesthetic, but in 2020, we love that we can still recognize Duff thanks to her fresh (still freckled!) complexion. Sure, some of Lizzie’s whimsical beauty accents might be history, but we’re just as obsessed with the actress and singer’s more recent signatures since graduating from all of those various high schools on-screen.
These days, her vibe is all about creating a quick-and-easy low-maintenance look complete with a smudged, smoldering eye; a pop-of-pink or peach on the cheek; a pretty sheen of highlighter; and a really great brow. Lucky for us, Duff made her makeup tutorial debut on IGTV last week to share her effortless step-by-step daily makeup look while also showing off her new limited-edition collaboration with Nudestix—a beautiful six-piece set aptly called The Daydreamer Palette for $75. The best part? When she’s not nervous (aka filming herself for her 13 million followers), she can achieve the pretty end result in seven minutes or under.
Ahead, we’re breaking down Hilary Duff’s 2020 makeup routine because, yes, it’s what day-to-day beauty dreams are made of. Keep scrolling for all her favorite products and tips.
To start off her daily makeup routine, Duff reaches for this calendula oil to help hydrate her face—a specific product trick she says she learned from her makeup artist.
Next, Duff gives her eyes a quick hit of nourishment with this natural, nourishing eye balm which she says her friend and Younger co-star, Molly Bernard, turned her onto.
Duff uses a “very dirty Beautyblender” to start her foundation routine. First, she takes out Nudestix Tinted Color in 3.5 to help even out her skin—only using “a very light coating” of the formula so she can still see her freckles.
She also loves and has been using this luxe foundation stick from legendary makeup artist Gucci Westman. She swipes it across her cheeks and forehead and then blends it in quickly with her Beautyblender—”quickly and efficiently” since she never has much time to get ready.
“This is kind of a dark one—Deep 9—but I have all the Nudestix colors,” Duff shares. For her signature bronzey contour, she sweeps it in the crease of her eyelid before blending out, down the sides of her nose, and a little underneath her cheekbones and jawline for an extra hit of definition. She loves using a fluffy brush (like one you’d use for something like blush) to blend everything together in a natural, super-soft way.
“Then I’m going to take my Nudies Matte All Over Blush Color in Body Language, which is kind of a peachy tone—I’m putting it on my lips, cheeks, and a tiny bit on my eyes.” Then, Duff blends it all in with the handy smudge brush that comes on the other side. However, Duff does warn that the formula of the stick (since it’s made to be waterproof) dries quickly, so you need to work fast with your blending technique to keep everything smooth and seamless.
Next, Duff reaches for another staple product within her Nudestix collab, the Magnetic Luminous Eye Color in Bright Eyes. She applies this all over her lid—pulling her eye out and giving it a basecoat all over her lid. (The tone, she says, is like a “pewter-ish sheen.”) She also smudges a bit underneath her eye and explains she never does any “perfect lines” in her makeup routine since she knows it will just get messed up and because, well, it’s HOT in Los Angeles.
“Night Dweller—I don’t use this shade every day because it’s a little bit of a deeper commitment, but it does add a really nice touch of definition,” she says. She smudges it in her lower waterline and lower lashes and then draws it in a “V” on the outer corners and outer top lid to connect the top and bottom lashline.
“This is called Wunderbrow, and it’s my favorite—in case you guys haven’t noticed, I really love a big brow and it really changes the look of my face to bring my brow up,” Duff explains. “This brow gel is amazing because you can literally swim in it and it will stay on. It’s the quickest thing I’ve found, and I love that you don’t have to be precise with it. I don’t work with this company, I swear. I just really like this product!”
To set her brows, the star uses a little bit of Glossier’s Boy Brow. (It’s the brand’s best-selling product, BTW.)
“Then I’m going to use Half Moon—this is the highlighter stick from my collection. It’s very ethereal, and I’m just going to pop it wherever I want it on my face.” She says she likes to apply it with her fingers, tapping it onto her cheekbones, the center of her bottom lip, the Cupid’s bow, the tip of her nose, and a little bit above her eyebrows and chin.
“I really love this combo from Charlotte Tilbury,” she shares next. “I use a chunky brush to just bronze myself up a tiny bit more—I really like layers when I’m doing my makeup.” (She also touches up her cheeks with a little bit more Body Language.)
Since Duff says her top lashes are already super full thanks to eyelash extensions, this mascara she loves from Sisley Paris just goes on her bottom lashes. She appreciates that the brush is “chunky” and that the formula doesn’t fall or flake from her lower lashes. She says that she also likes to take a clean little spoolie brush to comb through her lashes and her eyebrows.
As her final step. Duff adds a little bit of powder underneath her eyes. “I don’t like to use concealer when I’m not working under my eye because it gets a little bit crepe-y for me,” she shares. “And that is my quick and easy makeup today!” she concludes. “You can still see my freckles, but I have some coverage.” Ed. note: We couldn’t I.D. Duff’s exact powder formula for certain, but you can’t go wrong with this formula from Charlotte Tilbury. Up next: Drew Barrymore Doesn’t Look 44 Years Old—Here Are 17 Reasons Why. This piece was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
