Introducing The Expert Edit: Liz Olivier
Issue No. 36
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This profile is part of a new signature series from The Lacey List featuring fascinating minds in health, wellness and beauty. Each month, we sit down with industry visionaries who pull back the curtain on their expertise and curate their ultimate must-have list. Part masterclass, part shopping guide, these edits reveal the products, practices, and philosophies that true insiders swear by. Because in a world of endless health and beauty noise, sometimes you need an expert's edit.
In honor of tonight being the 97th Academy Awards, we’re kicking off with a new series on The Lacey called The Expert Edit. First up is Liz Olivier, who I first met when I was planning our wedding in 2021!
with someone I’ve come to know and love to me: Liz Olivier.
Meet Liz Olivier
Connect with Liz on Instagram
Liz Olivier is a highly sought-after celebrity makeup artist known for creating iconic looks that grace the red carpet and magazine covers. With a career spanning more than two decades, Liz has worked with A-list clients, from Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Catherine Zeta Jones to top models like Helena Christensen, Maia Cotton, and Lacey White (kidding on the last one, just making sure you’re paying attention). She is celebrated for her exceptional skill in enhancing natural beauty and crafting glamorous transformations. With a keen eye for clean beauty trends and a commitment to sustainability, Olivier continues to be a go-to artist for those in search of flawless, camera-ready makeup without compromising on the environment.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and what you do?
Heya! I’m Liz Olivier and I'm a celebrity makeup artist.
I actually hate saying that, it sounds so pompous… but, it's true, so I have to get used to saying it.
I’m not a conventional makeup artist - I actually like clean, beautiful skin and my clients love me for that. Less is more.
What is your busiest season and how do you prepare?
Awards season is definitely a busy time! People don’t realize, but award season is actually the end of the a long run of press circuits. Actors, producers, directors, etc kick off promotion for a film months ahead of this - sometimes in August or September the previous year! By the time the Golden Globes and Oscars roll around, we’ve been together for months and have built a little family. It makes me sad when it's all over because we won’t see each other until the next film comes out and, even then, it’s never the same “family”.
To prepare for the awards circuit, I love to prep everything for my travels. I decant all of my favorite beauty products because of weight and I label it all like I’m the KonMari Method gal <Marie Kondo>.
I stock up on:
Undereye patches are a must. These from Skin Iceland are the only ones that really firm up the skin (and they have a 100 on Yuka).
Mac mini lipsticks in Velvet teddy, Mehr and their blotting powders - I like to give clients a little touchup bag they can take with them to the carpet
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick and liner
LashLash eyelashes- I love these. They are perfect for every occasion and the owner designed the packaging to be recyclable.
What are your favorite makeup looks right now?
Violette_FR has these great liquid eyeshadows. I just did a great blue eye with Coralie Fargeat – a French filmmaker who wrote and directed The Substance.
What trends are you seeing in makeup and skincare that you’re excited about?
I love that technology is finally catching up with consumer desire. I was recently in London and noticed that you can buy face mask sheets that are biodegradable. They were everywhere, even in the drugstores. Even Superdrug has their own sheets with hyaluronic Acid that I love.
What are your go-to products when working with clients?
I love Armani and Tom Ford foundations, they leave the skin dewy looking and doesn’t have the appearance of ’too much makeup'
What are your go-to products when doing your own makeup?
There are sooooo many products out there that are great. How do you choose the best of the best?
God, I'm going to ramble, but this is so important to me.
It can be so overwhelming these days to figure out what is the right product for you. Skincare and makeup are expensive and there are a lot of the same products (and, just between us, they’re coming from the same factory). That is why it is so important to vote with your wallet/ What I mean by this is that you should buy products that agree with your values. For example, I love sustainability in beauty and I always try to use products that I know the company has the best interest of the consumer and the environment at heart. I like to buy from companies that are B-Corp certified like L’occitane. They have fab goodies and they put a lot off thought behind their ingredients in all their products. Even their manufacture in the US (Capsum) is sustainable and on their way to becoming B-corp certified.
If I am personally buying something for myself I always choose this route. If you are too busy to do this just go to my shop, I only post sustainable and clean brands on there. It's harder to be sustainable and clean with makeup, but there are a few companies out there. As technology catches up (and we can talk about that another time) you will see major differences in packaging of cosmetics in the near future.
Can you walk us through a versatile everyday makeup look that’s simple yet effective? Complete with product specifics?
For an everyday look, it’s important to have hydrated, dewy skin. It will look effortless and like you just woke up with fabulous skin. I always start with a hydrating emollient moisturizer (if you have oily skin, you can skip this and use a ratifying primer instead). After that, I use Armani foundation with Makeup Forever or Nars Creamy Concealer. If you have oily skin opt for a more Matt foundation. For blush, I use any cream blush (Love Illia and Gucci Westman). Finally, when it comes to the eyes I love a good quad pallet. It is hard to tell you what exact eyeshadow to buy since everybody is different, but get yourself a bronze looking pallet that goes from light to dark. A good one here. This way you can use the lighter colors during the day and add the darker colors at night to easily take your look from day to night.
Now can you do an amped up version for an Oscar party or night out?!
I like my makeup products to be versatile. It is better for your wallet and better for the environment. For a fun, amped up night out look, you can take your bronze pallet, I'm sure there will be 1 or 2 fun glitters in there and you can just tap the little glitter in the center of your eyelid. If you feel like that gets too messy you can always opt for a liquid eyeshadow like the Violette_FR I mentioned earlier. The one trick when it comes to liquid eyeshadows is to work fast and blend!
Right now, I’m overwhelmed by the number of skincare and makeup products in my toiletry bag(s). How do you pull out and merchandise on your counter/in your cabinet the essentials for an every day routine?
Packing tips for skincare/ makeup?
I love a good travel kit. True Botanicals and Rhode Skin have great ones and they are both sustainable brands
L’occitane actually sells reusable decanters that you can use for your travels and they look super cute.
Favorite wellness habit?
I run a lot. To me, it’s meditative, I love being outside. I love to sweat and get the blood flow going.
It also means I wear a lot of sunscreen, which I'm passionate about. If you spend money on any skincare, spend it on sunscreen! Your skin is your biggest organ, protect.
…And no chemical sunscreen! Only mineral sunscreens.
You’re passionate about sustainability and just completed a course on circular economies at MIT. What are some brands or products you admire who are paving the way for a better, more sustainable future in the beauty industry? Yes, I love studying sustainability in beauty with the hope of doing my Masters one day. It’s an expensive hobby LOL. Anyone want to sponsor me?!
During my studies I’m exposed to so many new companies and technologies that are on the horizon. One company you might have noticed on social is SWAY. They are a a company that do plastic alternatives made from seaweed. Now all your amazon shipping bags can be made from biodegradable seaweed bags.
Most new technologies are trying to find solutions to single use plastic. This is where circular economies come into play: How do take someone’s waste and make new products? This keeps materials in the economy/marketplace and avoids landfill. Gucci Westman does this with her packaging. She takes cornhusk waste/byproduct from farming and uses it to create a biopolymer based containers that houses her foundations and cream shadows. It is however hard in beauty industry to be sustainable, most containers are not recyclable because consumers don’t know how to do it correctly or the recycling facility in their neighborhood can't recycle their beauty products due to its size.
I always put my sustainable recommendations on ShopMy as I come across them. It is full of makeup, skincare, gift ideas and more.
The reason it hard to find a sustainable brands in beauty, because of the chemical compounds. A lot of the chemicals will break down the packaging. Take Vitamin C or. toothpaste for example, it will eat the container it is housed in if it's a biopolymer… and this where technology is trying to catch up. Things are on the horizon, but as a consumer don’t try to be perfect in sustainability. We need 300 million people to do things imperfectly and moving the needle in the right direction instead of 3 people doing it perfectly.That is why I say ‘VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET’. Weather it its beauty or shopping for this holiday season.
personal plug - Is there anything specific that I can plug for you (e.g. your business, product you work on, place you volunteer)? I'd like to make this is beneficial for you too!
The 20-Second Hug
It turns out a hug, in particular, is a powerful thing. A recent hugging study found that a 20-second hug can significantly de-escalate stress and increase oxytocin, a chemical in our bodies often referred to as the “cuddle hormone,” associated with happiness and lower stress. Oxytocin levels rise naturally when we hug, touch, or sit close to someone we love. And that’s not all! In just 20 seconds, per Healthline, a hug can reduce stress by showing your support, protect you against illness, boost your heart health, make you happier, reduce your fears, help reduce your pain, improve communication. So, if you’re looking to feel better about yourself, reduce stress, communicate better, and be a happier, healthier version of yourself, a daily 20-second hug is a good place to start.
Simple Ways to Show Some Love
Express Gratitude
Write heartfelt notes to the ones you love! Friends! Parents! Boyfriends! Girlfriends! Husbands! Wives! Nieces! Nephews! Daughters! Sons! Teachers! Mentors! The list goes on. Get specific and focus in on attributes you love about each person or what you appreciate most about your relationship.
Send a voice note to a far away friend
Good old-fashioned phone call catch-up (easier said than done, I know - I’m so bad with this).
A genuine compliment.
Physical Connection
Hugs!!! Preferably for 20 seconds or more. (And I get that 20 seconds is an eternity as far as hugs are concerned. My brother started laughing as I was telling him about this and challenged me to start hugging everyone for 20 seconds, with zero disclaimer. I’ll let you know how this goes.)
Hold hands!
Give and receive massages (Tim loves a tickle..)
Cuddle with pets. (Or babies! Cuddling with Elsie is literal heaven)
Quality Time:
Cook meals together.
Take a screen-free walk with someone you love
Put your phone away and give the other person your undivided attention
Acts of Service:
Do small favors without being asked (imagine if Tim made the bed today…)
Help with tasks that stress your loved ones.
Deliver a care package to a friend going through something.
Offer specific support during tough times.
Creative Expression:
Make handmade Valentine's cards (my favorite!).
Create a photo album or video of your favorite memories (our iPhones make this ridiculously easy now - can be as simple as sending an already made memory to a friend).
Paint or draw something meaningful for someone.
By the way, if you haven’t already seen it, Pete Davidson as Reformation’s “perfect boyfriend” gets so much of this right. Take notes! Also hats off to the Ref team because this is A+ marketing.
And Most Importantly, Remember:
Links I Loved This Week
