#Empire’s Makeup Artist Spills Cookie’s (and Boo Boo Kitty’s!) Beauty Secrets

Glamazons,

The second season of Fox’s runaway hit Empire is underway and we couldn’t be more excited. When we aren’t clutching our pearls from one of Cookie’s deliciously brash one-liners, we’re quietly taking notes on the show’s fab makeup. Between Anika’s eyebrows and Cookie’s red lip, we can’t get enough!

Last week’s premiere gave us a taste of the sick-e-ning glamour we can expect to see this season. We caught up with Karen Lynn, Dove Men+Care Expert and the key makeup artist on Empire, for the exclusive scoop on Season 2 beauty.

Empire makeup artist Karen Lynn

Check out what she had to say about the beauty looks in store for us this time around:

Cookie (Taraji P. Henson)

“She is beyond–in-person and on set! Lee Daniels, the creator and director, is very specific about how he wants his characters to look. He developed the characters with a lot of thought going into their storylines, what’s coming up and how they should be portrayed. The look that we’ve created on Empire says empowerment, wealth and success. We’re very fashion-forward and we’re on-point with trends. We’re creating our own trends. We have characters that you’ve never seen before who are resonating with the audience and that people want to emulate. Who doesn’t want to be Cookie Lyon? Who secretly doesn’t want to be that fearless and that uninhibited with hair makeup and clothing and the way she speaks and acts—how can you not love her?”

“Cookie is very ghetto-fabulous. Here’s a girl that came from nothing and had to scrape to get her way but she always knew that she had a power within her and she always used that to her advantage. She was always mindful of how her hair and makeup looked, and if she didn’t have money she still could scrape together an outfit and make it sexy and powerful. As we see her develop and get more money and power you’re going to see more color in her hair, makeup, clothing and personality. You think she shines now? Hold on!”

Get Cookie’s look with these finds:

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Anika/Boo Boo Kitty (Grace Gealey)

“Anika always has a classy, sexy, beautiful look. She’s always flawless—she never fails. She always has a strong red lip, which is her signature with a beautiful cat-eye (Karen said matte gel eyeliner is the key to a banging cat-eye look!) and a powerful brow—everything else is very understated. She has her pearls, she’s always fabulously dressed, but everything is classic.”

Nail Anika’s classic style with these products:

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Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday)

“Rhonda has more of a ’60s modern-day look. She’s pregnant and she’s not working so you see her more at home with casual clothing. She cut her hair and has a long, sexy bang to the side with a ’60s eyelash and a very soft lip on her.”

Channel Rhonda’s ’60s vibes with these finds:

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Becky (Gabourey Sidibe)

“Gabby has a bigger role in the second season. She went from Lucious’ assistant—the young, trendy girl—to the head of A&R so now she has very professional, natural makeup and professional hair.”

Get Gabby’s natural look with these products:

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Tiana (Serayah McNeill)

“The rising pop powerhouse will be a little more Rihanna-esque. We always see her as a very natural beauty, but when she performs we are going outside of the box with the hair and makeup.”

Achieve a beauty look bold enough for the stage with these picks:

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We love all of these bold, new looks this season (and last season, for that matter). I personally can’t wait to apply some of Karen’s tips to my personal beauty routine. Matte eyeliner, anyone? Which character has your favorite makeup look on the show? Let’s chat in the comments! 

Ciao Bellas,

Glamazon Margo