In the high-stakes, fast-paced arena of celebrity beauty, few names carry the same gravitational pull as Ariel Tejada. Known universally by his moniker “Makeup by Ariel,” the visionary artist has spent the better part of the last decade sculpting the faces of pop culture royalty, most notably shaping the iconic looks of Kylie Jenner and the wider Kardashian-Jenner dynasty. In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with Glamour Beauty Commerce Writer Shani Cohen, Tejada pulls back the velvet curtain on his professional toolkit, detailing the exact non-negotiable formulations, skin-prepping philosophies, and affordable drugstore hacks that underpin his high-end aesthetic.
Far from relying exclusively on ultra-luxury formulations, Tejada’s professional methodology is a masterclass in duality: pairing elite, heritage skincare staples with clever, unexpected budget-friendly items. Among his most closely guarded secrets is a £10 brightening concealer from the drugstore aisle that serves as his foundational priming step, alongside strict skin-prep protocols born from his own teenage battles with acne.
Beyond product recommendations, this deep-dive exploration examines Tejada’s artistic evolution—from the spontaneous glam sessions of his early career to the meticulously curated, 90s-inspired Pinterest mood boards that now dictate Met Gala masterpieces. With a highly anticipated London masterclass looming this October, Tejada is preparing to decode the intricate geometry of his signature face-sculpting techniques for an eager global audience. This article provides a comprehensive look inside his toolkit, tracing his career trajectory, analyzing his technical philosophy, and offering an authoritative guide to the products that define modern red-carpet glamor.
Detailed Chronology: The Rise of "Makeup by Ariel"
To understand the weight of Ariel Tejada’s current influence in the global beauty industry, one must trace the rapid, high-pressure trajectory of his career. Entering the industry during the digital explosion of Instagram-era beauty, Tejada quickly distinguished himself through a meticulous approach to baking, contouring, and flawless, airbrushed skin finishes that translated brilliantly across both high-definition photography and everyday ring lights.
The 2016 Met Gala: The Catalyst for a New Era
Every premier artist has a defining watermark in their portfolio—a moment where their signature style crystallizes in the public consciousness. For Tejada, that watershed moment arrived at the 2016 Met Gala, marking his very first red carpet collaboration with Kylie Jenner.
"We’ve had so many amazing moments since, but the 2016 Met Gala was my first with Kylie. I wouldn’t say it was the most monumental look to everyone else, but it started a whole new signature for my glam, which has evolved over time."
Reflecting on the early days of his career, Tejada notes a distinct shift in operational maturity. In the nascent stages of their professional partnership, looks were largely spontaneous, assembled on the fly amid the chaotic energy of dressing rooms. Today, however, the process has transformed into a rigorous, academic exercise in historical reference and mood-boarding.
Long before a brush touches skin for a major fashion event, Tejada and his clients convene in the glam room hours—sometimes days—in advance. Pouring over physical prints and digital archives, they draw heavy inspiration from the avant-garde runways of the 1990s. Icons like Thierry Mugler and John Galliano are dissected via Pinterest mood boards, analyzing how historical styling can be reinterpreted for contemporary red-carpet dominance. This meticulous pre-planning has elevated Tejada from a standard makeup artist to a conceptual architect of modern celebrity style.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Inside the Pro Kit
What products actually survive the grueling conditions of global travel, television sets, and 14-hour red-carpet fittings? Tejada’s professional kit is a tightly edited curation of high-performance items. Here is a breakdown of the non-negotiables that make the cut, regardless of who is sitting in his chair.
Skin Prep: The Non-Negotiable Foundation
Having struggled severely with cystic and inflammatory acne during his youth, Tejada’s approach to skin preparation is rooted in therapeutic discipline rather than trend-chasing. Instructed by his dermatologist to steer clear of traditional silicone-heavy primers—which are notoriously prone to clogging pores—Tejada entirely bypasses standard primers in his professional routine. Instead, he focuses heavily on deep, customized hydration and eye care.
Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream (Black Lid): Described by Tejada as an absolute non-negotiable, this rich facial moisturizer ensures that under-eye concealers sit seamlessly without settling into fine lines. (A word of warning from the artist to beauty enthusiasts: "You guys better not sell it out.")
Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream: Tailored specifically for the delicate periorbital region, ensuring maximum hydration before color correction.
Customized Moisturisers (La Mer & Sensitive Formulations): Tejada customizes his moisturizer selection based strictly on individual skin architecture, ranging from ultra-gentle, non-irritating formulas for hyper-reactive skin to the ultra-luxurious, reparative richness of Crème de la Mer.
ONE/SIZE Beauty Powder Melt Glass Setting Spray: A versatile finishing mist that Tejada employs strategically both before and after makeup application to lock down luminosity and control sebum production without sacrificing dewiness.
Complexion & Base: Flexibility Meets Coverage
When it comes to evening out skin tone, Tejada frequently bypasses heavy, traditional foundations in favor of adaptive, skin-like formulations that offer architectural flexibility.
Kylie Cosmetics Skin Tint Blurring Elixir Foundation: Tejada frequently gravitates toward this specific skin tint over conventional heavy foundations. Praising its versatility, he notes that it delivers the high-performance coverage of a traditional foundation without the suffocating weight, while remaining sheer enough to function as a genuine skin tint when applied with a light hand.
The Drugstore Secret Weapon: Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser
Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations from Tejada’s toolkit is his reliance on an accessible, high-street staple: the Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Concealer in the pink shade (05 Brightener).
Introduced to him by a trusted peer, this £10 brightener has become a foundational staple in his high-end kit. Rather than using it as a standalone concealer, Tejada utilizes it as an illuminating color-correcting pre-step. By tapping a precise amount of the pink pigment onto the skin to neutralize dark circles and instantly illuminate the high points of the face, he creates an optical canvas before layering his luxury concealers on top.
Color & Dimension: Blushes and Powders
Huda Beauty Blush Filter Blurring Blushlighters Palette & Patrick TA Major Headlines Double-Take Cream and Powder Blush Duo: Tejada is unapologetically a "mix master" when it comes to flush, rarely sticking to a single formula. He relies on these duos and palettes to layer cream and powder textures for multidimensional, long-wearing radiance.
Givenchy Pink Setting Powder: A cult-favorite item that has achieved legendary status within the professional community. Though famously discontinued in its original formulation, Tejada maintains a closely guarded private stash of backups to ensure his signature airbrushed baking technique remains uninterrupted.
Official Statements & Masterclass Insights: Mastering the Technique
As Tejada prepares to touch down in London this coming October for an exclusive, highly anticipated live masterclass, beauty enthusiasts are clamoring to learn the exact mechanical nuances behind his signature aesthetic.
The Art of Facial Sculpting
When asked what specific technique he is most eager to impart to his London audience, Tejada emphasizes the intricate geometry of his skin work:
"I’m super passionate about how I do skin more than anything, and I think my technique for sculpting and shaping the face is really important to my overall signature look. People would be surprised by how intricate it can be, yet how simple it can look."
Rather than relying on harsh, theatrical contouring lines popularised in the mid-2010s, Tejada’s approach to sculpting involves an almost architectural understanding of light, shadow, and bone structure. The illusion of natural lift and dimensionality is achieved through micro-blending and strategic product placement, creating a finish that appears effortless despite its technical complexity.
Professional Masterclass Tip: Working Product Into the Brush
During his masterclasses, Tejada frequently corrects one of the most common amateur mistakes in daily makeup application: improper product loading.
"What people don’t do is work their makeup into their brush. This is very important. You don’t want your product sitting on the end of the brush because what hits your skin first is going to be way too intense, and you’ll have a patch of colour. But if you work it into the brush and lightly hit the skin you’re going to have an evenly dispensed pop of colour."
By thoroughly swirling and pressing pigment deep into the bristles of the brush before it ever touches the face, artists can avoid uneven, blotchy pigment distribution—a crucial step when working with highly pigmented cream and powder blushes.
Future Outlook
As the beauty landscape shifts away from the heavy, over-filtered aesthetics of the past decade toward a more refined celebration of skin texture, luminosity, and structural architecture, Ariel Tejada’s career offers a compelling blueprint for modern artistry. By successfully bridging the gap between high-street accessibility (such as his beloved Maybelline brightener) and heritage luxury skincare (like Bobbi Brown and La Mer), Tejada proves that elite artistry is defined not by the price tag of the products used, but by the intentionality of the technique.
With his upcoming London masterclass, the launch of new red-carpet collaborations, and a continually evolving creative process rooted in historical reference, Tejada remains at the absolute bleeding edge of global beauty trends. For aspiring artists and beauty consumers alike, his toolkit serves as both an inspiration and a masterclass in how to elevate everyday cosmetics into high-fashion art.
