In Paris I was lucky enough to steal an afternoon with one of my favorite industry insiders, Hildelisa Beltrán. The Glamour, Mexico & Latin América, Beauty Editor, was all smiles while we walked through the Tuileries taking in Paris and chatting about beauty.
“At Glamour I am responsible for bringing the best trends from all over the world to our readers and keeping them up to date on what’s going to be hot. It’s my job to stay current and predict trends before they happen. Fashion shows play a really important part because that’s where a lot of the makeup looks start. I came to Paris for the shows with MAC Cosmetics. They do a lot of the makeup during fashion week and I get to see their new products in action. Going backstage is heaven for beauty junkies. We get to see what’s going to be big six months in advance and then I’ll write about it in a way that our girls can use.”
“My routine always changes because I get so many products to try. I learned not to try every single product that I receive. I never tried anything that wasn’t for my skin type, but still trying so many different things can breakout my skin. For a while, I had to use products specifically designed for sensitive skin and even had to see a dermatologist. Now I know what my skin needs. Of course I try what brands send me because it’s my job and I need to write about them but I choose more carefully.”
“In the mornings I usually start with a gentle cleanser and I change my cleanser a lot, right now I am using one by Avene with my Clarasonic. I use the one with bristles for sensitive skin so it’s not harsh but still removes all the dirt really well. Right now I am using the Givenchy toner after I cleanse, it’s really good. I am in love with this toner. It’s an anti-aging toner, which is rare to find. It also feels amazing, the texture is super soft, and it leaves my skin so fresh. Toner is a step that a lot of people skip, but I think it is really important because it preps your skin to receive your moisturizer. Next I use the La Mer radiant serum. It’s outstanding, amazing, absolutely incredible—I love it! And there is a new Lancôme serum that removes dark spots and fine lines, and its ingredients are very gentle, which I also love. I usually uses Iroisie eye cream in the morning, it erases dark circles really well. Then comes the moisturizer—I am a big believer in moisturizer. I always use one even though I have combination skin. After I moisturize I use some La Roche Posay 50+ SPF. I use the fluid because it is light and not greasy like most sunscreens out there and it lasts all day.”
“I came into my job at Glamour by luck really. After college I was working as a news broadcaster but took a risk, quit my job and went to makeup school in New York. When I got back to Mexico I met our fashion editor Mauricio Valdespino and things seemed meant to be. We were talking and he told me Glamour was looking for a beauty coordinator. He went back to the Editor-in-Chief, Mar Abascal, who is my boss now, and told her about me. I had actually gone in to interview at Glamour a few years earlier and didn’t get the job–but when Mauricio said my name she remembered me. After their conversation she went through her emails and remembered that she interviewed me two years before. Mar called me for an interview and then told me to start on Monday. I came in as a beauty assistant but the Beauty Editor left three weeks after I started. Mar took a chance on me and told me that the job was mine if I wanted it. She told me that she thought I would do amazing. Obviously I was really scared but went ahead and took the promotion anyway. I will always be so grateful to Mar; she was the first person who took a chance on me. She believed in me and hopefully I haven’t disappointed her over these past years!”
“It’s funny because even though I am a makeup artist I don’t wear a lot of it. I start off with Estée Lauder double wear concealer and then I use Bare Minerals since I’m not a foundation girl. I never wear foundation; I don’t really like the way it feels. Sometimes for TV or for important photo shoots I will wear some, but in my personal life it feels like too much. I prefer a more natural look. For my blush I love MAC mineralize blush in gentle, it’s my favorite. Then I use a little bit of eye shadow, I really like one by NARS called all about eve, which Francois Nars has told me is actually his favorite eye shadow from his collection. Then I curl my eyelashes and use cover girl lash blast waterproof mascara—but just on the top lashes. Mascara is my number one makeup staple, but my eyelashes are so straight so I need an eyelash curler. MAC has an amazing brow gel that is like a brow mascara and it works like a miracle. The gel magically settles your eyebrows and adds a little bit of color, but still looks natural. My last few steps involve adding a touch of powder highlighter on my cheekbones and a lip gloss before I’m out the door.
If I have to go somewhere at night, chances are I will need to apply my makeup in a hurry. I’ll wear a little bit of eyeliner on the inside of my eyes. It sounds kind of silly but I can get a quick smoky eye really easily if I wink a few times after applying eyeliner. My favorite liner is MAC teddy. I usually add a bit of lipstick for an evening look. I’m all about schiap by NARS; it’s a rich magenta with tons of pigment. Oh I almost forgot, I love Yves Saint Laurent’s touche éclat. I always wear it at night, and put it on after my concealer. It helps to brighten everything. I can’t live without it.”
“My book Mundo Rosa just came out. This whole experience of writing a book feels a bit like I’m having a child. I always planned to write a book about beauty and it just happened that I was lucky enough to write one with two of my friends. I co-wrote Mundo Rosa with Olivia Peralta and Angie Taddei, and the whole idea to collaborate came up really casually one night. We were chatting and I mentioned how one of my big plans was to write a beauty book and then Olivia and Angie were like, “Oh my god! We’ve been wanting to write one too.” And from there things just took off. Angie and Olivia have a Mexican television show, Picnic, that deals with girl’s issues. They have an online magazine connected to the show called Mundo Rosa or “Pink Life” so the name was an obvious extension of that. It got a little hard at times because I worked full time for Glamour while writing the book, but somehow, I am still not sure how, it all worked out. The book is really amazing and stylish; it’s the little black book of beauty except it’s pink. It’s really a total beauty guide, and one of our big points is reinforcing the importance of wearing sun block. In Mexico we don’t have a sunscreen culture and as a result we have a lot of skin cancer. We wanted to give girls tools not only for how to look good but how to be healthy.”
“To take off my makeup at the end of the day I use Almay moisturizing makeup remover pads, the ones in the blue package. They somehow manage to take off all of my waterproof makeup. I like to wash my face again with the same Avene cleanser and Clarisonic, use my Givenchy toner, and my serums. I recently started to use the Lancôme firming night cream. My facialist recently told me to start using firming lotions, and that traumatized me a bit. We all age, but no one likes to hear about it! Before bed I apply a heavy-duty eye cream, rénergie lift by Lancôme and try to get a lot of beauty sleep.”
photos by: THE FORMULA
Tags: Almay, Angie Taddei, Avene, Bare Minerals, Beauty Editor, Book, Clarasonic, Cover Girl, Givenchy, Glamour Mexico & Latin América, HILDELISA BELTRAN, La Me, La Roche Posay, Lancôme, MAC, MAC Cosmetics, Mar Abascal, Mauricio Valdespino, Mundo Rosa, nars, Olivia Peralta, Paris, PFW, picnic, Yves Saint Laurent
