The Grammys, First Dates, and Late-Night Dancing—6 No-Budge Makeup Tricks I Trusted for Every Event

My life has felt more or less like that famous “bus, club, another club” Lady Gaga quote since the beginning of 2026. In a few whirlwind months, I traveled from London to Los Angeles, attended the Grammys, and returned home to New York only to be plunged into the thick of New York Fashion Week. Careening between the airport, backstage meetings, runway shows, and my writing desk has become a game of table tennis, and that’s without factoring in personal life.

Now, don’t take this as a complaint—I live a life I once only dreamed of. From a fledgling beauty expert at 16 years old, I dreamt of one day being a fabulous New Yorker who wears the same, effortlessly cool makeup look from morning coffee with her favorite publicists to the office to a perfume brand’s cocktail party to picking up her gown for an upcoming award show and finally meeting a date for a late-night drink. (Well, the award show thing has only happened once. But it’s a good start.) However, my teenage reverie always depicted my skin glowing and calm, my lashes flake-free, and my lips perfectly painted all day long—no smudges or smears in sight. How wrong I was, until recently.

In the midst of a very busy winter, I found myself checking into The Sun Rose West Hollywood to attend the 2026 Grammys. The event not only served as the crown jewel of my year but also became the crash course I desperately needed in long-lasting beauty thanks to professional makeup artist and content creator Krista Keehus. I sat in her chair around 10:30 a.m. with eye bags like bruises and skin irritated by travel, only to present her with another obstacle: I needed her camouflaging glam to last me into the wee hours of the morning.

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Below, the breakdown of what it takes to craft long-lasting makeup that perseveres through 15-hour NYFW days, award shows (plus the after-party), and after-work dates—as someone who’s done it all.

Easy 6-Step Guide to No-Budge Makeup

1. Proper Skin Prep

My stay at The Sun Rose (formerly the Pendry West Hollywood) consisted of some work and play—running around to interview celebrities (read all about my IRL chat with Selena Gomez) and lounging at the rooftop pool for a little R&R before the big day. However, the stark weather change from NYC to L.A. played games with my skin, inspiring new flare-ups of rosacea and eczema. It’s because of this that Keehus had to take extra care with my complexion the morning of the Grammys. Though, she swears skin prep is the key to long-lasting makeup regardless.

“The skin is the canvas—if it’s not properly prepped and primed, you won’t get the best payoff or longevity from your products,” she explains. This means proper moisturization and priming beforehand, and the makeup artist cites MAC Cosmetics’ Studio Radiance Primer and “a glowy foundation” as her go-to combo for a flawless, no-budge base. However, if a velvet or matte finish is the end goal, she recommends using MAC’s Mattifine Primer.

The next step is to set everything with a loose powder and a fine layer of setting spray, MAC Fix+ being her personal pick. “That combination gives amazing longevity while still keeping the skin looking like skin—seamless, balanced, and not overly heavy.” For eyes, she swears there’s nothing better than the brand’s Paint Pots (and I can attest to this—I’ve been using them for 10 years).