Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella prep process was hardly short n’ sweet.
The pop star went all out for her first-ever headlining set — right down to her detailed, “doll-like” beauty look courtesy of her longtime makeup artist, Carolina Gonzalez.
“She’s always been such a smart cookie and a witty cookie — and just a very creative girl,” the beauty pro told Page Six Style, saying Carpenter’s festival look was “more of a grown-up version” of her “Short n’ Sweet” glam.
Having worked with the chart-topper since her Disney days, Gonzalez has had a front row seat to her personal and professional evolution.
“As you grow up, you start to discover and know who you are more,” she said. “I think that just is a process that came naturally [for Carpenter] working in the business and just doing this day in, day out.”
Coachella/ Youtube
With that evolution in mind, the pair developed a “modern nostalgia”-inspired look for the big performance — a process Carpenter was heavily involved in from start to finish.
“She comes with her inspos; it’s her mood board,” said Gonzalez, adding, “It’s not like you’re creating an image or anything. She already knows the way she wants to be perceived.”
But you won’t need the “Please Please Please” singer’s Pinterest password to re-create the look. We asked Gonzalez for all of her behind-the-scenes secrets (a house tour of her beauty bag, if you will), from the foundation she “always” uses on her client to the blush she applied mid-costume change.
Making her blush
Carpenter’s cheeky lyrics weren’t the only thing worth blushing over at Coachella. The star sported an ombré blend of Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tints for the occasion, including the 12 and 50.5 shades.
And while touch-ups during the show were limited, Gonzalez was close by during Carpenter’s costume changes, ready to give her “a kiss of more blush.”
“I’ll have [the cheek tint] on my hand, like a lot of it, and the brush ready to go,” the Armani ambassador shared. “It’s crazy back there. It’s like Formula 1, [when] everyone just gets out at the pit stop and runs.”
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint
Sealed with a kiss
When it came to lips, the duo “didn’t want to go so mauvy berry this time,” but still needed a look that would last hours. Gonzalez ended up mixing shade 13 of the blush, a beautiful brick red, with matching Lip Power Lipstick.
“Matte is always better for stage, especially when it’s windy — because with gloss, your hair will get stuck,” she explained.
Armani Beauty Lip Power Long-Lasting Lipstick in Shade 207
Back to basics
Gonzalez “always” starts Carpenter’s looks with Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, for a natural finish inspired by icons of past eras.
“Look at Jane Birkin and look at Catherine Deneuve …. it was all more on the raw side,” she said. “That’s where I wanted to keep it — just like a nice, beautiful, polished version of that, which is what Armani does.”
“It’s not going to look like 2020 Instagram makeup,” she quipped. “It gives you that kind of European aesthetic.”
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Natural Glow Blurring Foundation
The eyes have it
Eyeing Carpenter’s shimmering shadows? She opted for a mix of four different Armani Beauty Eye Tint shades: 25M and 30M on her eyelids, 67S on the inner corners and 99M in place of eyeliner. (No wonder Gonzalez calls the liquid formula “very important” to her process.)
“With Sab, I like to make her eyes look big and doll-like,” she said. “She looks like a kitten. She has those cat-like features.”
Armani Beauty Eye Tint Long-Lasting Eyeshadow
Set up for success
Given Carpenter’s set involved plenty of sweat-inducing dance moves — not to mention a working fountain — Gonzalez applied lots of Luminous Glow Setting Powder.
“The products are just so luxe and quality and they perform well,” she said, remarking that Carpenter somehow “looked even better” after being drenched in water.
Armani Beauty Luminous Glow Setting Powder
At the end of the day, though, it might have been Gonzalez who was more in need of waterproof products.
“Even when I saw [the set] unfinished through the rehearsals and stuff, I was already in tears,” she said.
“I always tell her ‘I’m just so proud of you; I see you and I see how hard you work. I’m just in awe of you all the time.’”
Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping
This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Associate Editor for Page Six. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts celebrities’ brands to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.
