The Beauty Routine Makeup Artist Daniel Martin Has Been Loving As Of Late

Whether you're opting for a dewy, "no-makeup" look or a bold, glittering face beat, skin prep is everything. Ask any makeup artist, and they'll be quick to confirm: You can't achieve expert-level glam without a clean, freshly prepped canvas. 

I'd argue no one knows this better than Daniel Martin. The iconic makeup artist sure knows his way around a dreamy makeup moment. (He's the master behind Meghan Markle's royal wedding glam, in case you didn't know), but he always approaches those looks with a skin-first M.O. 

In fact: "I don't want to see makeup on the skin," he tells me. Now, this may sound a tad unusual from someone who has literally made makeup their profession, but according to Martin, the best looks are the ones where you can't tell you're wearing makeup at all—save for a sharp cat-eye or crimson lip. 

"I have sensitive skin. I have this thing called 'skin writing,' where if I scratch myself, it welts up and turns into a hive. [Editor's note: This is also called dermatographia1.] It's like this weird dermatitis situation, autoimmune thing. So there are certain things that I always have with me, and my tried-and-true would be Cortizone gel just because I always have these flare-ups. 

"I just discovered facial cupping. I've been really puffy lately because of my allergies, and a friend of mine was telling me about these little suction cups she [uses] for lymphatic drainage. I just got them last week.

"You definitely need an oil to move the cup, but it seems like it's been working. I want to give it more time, but that's my new discovery. I got it on Amazon—it had the highest ratings. 

"I received a TheraFACE PRO—oh my God, total splurge. 

"They have this [percussive attachment] that I was using a lot for my puffiness. I love that one. There's the microcurrent one that's great, there's one that goes cold and hot… But the fact that you have this one device where you can change the heads is so perfect. 

"There's this amazing Korean moisturizer I found. There's niacinamide in it, centella asiatica…For any of my clients who have cystic acne or are really red, this moisturizer is incredible underneath makeup. 

"I love using Joanna Czech's face roller with a full mask on. When I work with Michelle Yeoh, she always loves a mask—I'll do a mask on her, then I'll roll her and gua sha her, just so it's a nice, calming [experience] because her makeup takes me no time. I'd rather spend time on her skin care and making her feel comfortable, making her skin feel good, before I just slap everything on top. [I use] the 111Skin Celestial Black Diamond mask. That's my favorite from them. 

"I pick up so many tips from my clients. Before I became friends with Joanna Vargas, Meghan [Markle] introduced me to her. She has this Exfoliating Mask… Meghan introduced me to this product, and I was obsessed with it. 

"Because I have such sensitive skin, Meghan knew that I can't use a lot on my face. And I think I was complaining to her about just how patchy my skin was—this was maybe six years ago—and she was like, 'Oh, you should try this mask Joanna Vargas has.' And it's amazing. It's gritty, but it's not a scrub. I used it, and I was just like, 'Oh my God.'

"So many people discovered me because of Meghan's wedding. People are like, 'Oh, you're the king of 'no-makeup makeup.' I came from fashion, and no one wears makeup in fashion. Like shooting editorials and stuff like that, you don't really do heavy makeup. So I would say everyone knows me for that.

"For me, I don't want to see makeup on the skin. Once I get the skin to a good place, then the makeup is seamless. A lot of my foundations tend to be water-based, and I do a lot of layering with color just because I can control it. I tend to look at makeup on the face as an accessory.