Celebeauty Sit-Down: Makeup Artist Daniel Martin Reveals His Fave Beauty Tips & Dishes on His New Role at Tatcha

Celebeauty Sit-Down is a PureWow franchise in which our editors chat with some of the biggest names in the celebrity beauty world exclusively. We uncover their tips, tricks and best-kept secrets so you can recreate your favorite A-lister’s look IRL.

Our fellow royals fans might know Daniel Martin as the makeup artist behind Meghan Markle's now-infamous wedding day look. Jessica Alba fans may recognize him from her Instagram. (He's a longtime friend and former Chief Color Consultant for Honest Beauty.) And now, you'll get to know him as the Global Director of Artistry and Education for cult beauty brand, Tatcha.

Announced this week, Martin's new role is a first for the brand. "It felt like a natural progression of my career and I have such a deep respect for everything Vicky [Tatcha's founder] has built," he told PureWow in the latest Celebeauty Sit-Down. One of Martin's first goals in his new role is to help train the makeup artists at Sephora (who is the brand's biggest retail partner in the U.S.).

"I want to start by getting a better understanding of the culture at Sephora, see how their employees interact with customers, and what kind of artistry I can bring to the table to support their makeup artists. I'd like to help them become complexion experts—marrying skincare and makeup together—which is my M.O.," says Martin. "I've always viewed makeup as an accessory to your skincare. Take care of your skin and let it shine through first, then, use makeup as a finishing touch."

Of course we'd be remiss if we didn't take this time to ask Martin for some beauty tips, including the one thing he says is most important for getting that "perfect meld of foundation on your skin," a la a certain Duchess.

He says it comes down to "understanding your skin and knowing what it needs before you throw something on top of it." For example, for people who have oily skin (or large pores around the nose), Martin recommends "tightening the skin up with a clay mask for five to 10 minutes before applying anything else."

And when it comes to applying makeup, Martin says it's important to let your skincare (i.e., any serums, lotions or sunscreens) absorb for a few minutes before you put foundation or concealer on. "A lot of skincare products are emollient so you have to let things settle and dissipate a bit before you put foundation on top of it. Otherwise, it won't adhere properly to your skin and by noon, things can start to separate."

Another gem he shared was something that he accidentally discovered while working with his friend and frequent collaborator, actress Elisabeth Moss. "We needed a lip gloss and I didn't have any on hand, so I quickly mixed a lip mask with a bit of liquid lipstick and it turned into this really saturated gloss that gave the pigment of a lipstick without any dryness." 

Shop some of Daniel's top Tatcha picks: The Kissu Lip Mask ($28); The Liquid Silk Canvas Primer ($52); The Essence Plumping Skin Softener ($95)