Sharon Drugan doesn't believe in makeup that looks like makeup. The makeup artist and creative director behind The Covetour Club and The Beauty Covetour, on skin prep, soft blush, Dubai-proof eyes and why less almost always wins.

In this conversation, she shares the techniques she trusts most, from the foundation trick that keeps skin looking like skin to the smoky eye she wants to look lived in, and why the finished face often needs fewer products than we think.

What is the one makeup step you think makes the biggest difference to the overall finished look?

Skin prep, without question. You can be the best makeup artist in the world with the best products in your kit, but if the skin underneath isn't prepped properly, none of it holds and none of it looks right. I actually spend more time on prep than I do on the makeup itself. Hydrating, massaging the product in, layering the right things in the right order, so the skin is already doing the work before foundation even touches it. Foundation only looks good on skin that's prepped properly.

What is your best tip for making foundation look natural and skin-like rather than heavy?

My best tip is to build in layers rather than apply one heavy coat. I start with a very light layer using a damp original Beauty Blender, never a full load of product, and press it into the skin.

That way you can actually see where more coverage is needed and where it isn't. If you start thick, it's almost impossible to blend back and it stops looking like skin. The real trick to foundation is knowing when to stop. Not every part of the face needs equal coverage, some areas need more, some need less, and some don't need foundation at all.

Where should blush be placed to create the most flattering, lifted effect?

I place blush on the apples of the cheek and blend it outward and up, letting whatever's left on the brush melt into the bronzer. That's what gives it that lifted, fresh, youthful look rather than a stripe of colour sitting on the face. For me, blush is about proportion. The moment there's too much, it stops looking like flushed skin and starts looking like makeup, and that's the opposite of what a good, lifted effect should feel like.

What is the easiest way to create a soft smoky eye without it looking too dark or overdone?

I always start with a cream eyeliner pencil, the Victoria Beckham ones are incredible, they glide without dragging the skin. I work it right into the root of the lash line and blend quickly with my fingers before it dries. Then a lighter cream eyeshadow as a base all over the lid, and whatever's left on my fingertips from the pencil gets pressed into the outer corners, so everything melts together rather than sitting as separate layers. Lashings of mascara to finish.

Getting the pencil right into the root is what gives you that proper smoked effect, and smoking it along the bottom lash line too is what finishes it off properly, giving it that soft, lived-in effect rather than anything harsh or overdone. I never want a smoky eye to look done. I want it to look lived in.

What is your best trick for making eye makeup last throughout the day, particularly in Dubai's heat and humidity?

An eyeshadow primer, always. It's the same principle as prepping the skin, you're prepping the lid before anything else goes on. I still swear by the Urban Decay primer, it's one of the oldest on the market, and to this day it's still one of the only ones that genuinely holds up against Dubai heat and humidity. Without it, even the best products slide by midday, no matter how well they're applied.

For someone who wants to wear a deeper berry, wine or red lip but finds bold lipstick intimidating, how would you recommend easing into it?

Hydration matters more than people think, nothing sits well on dry lips. From there, I use a lip liner to match the shade of the lipstick and blend it out with my fingers or a brush so there's no hard edge. Then I take a small amount of the actual lipstick and press it in with my fingers rather than applying it straight with the bullet or a brush. That's what gives you the soft, blotted, bitten-lip colour, it looks like it's part of your lips rather than sitting on top of them. It's a much easier way into a bold shade because it still looks like you, just richer.

What is one common makeup mistake you see people making, and what would you suggest doing instead?

Over-layering. People think a finished look means more product, more steps, more layers, when it's actually the opposite. You can get a completely finished face with four or five products if they're the right ones and applied properly. The more you layer, the more it sits on the skin instead of into it, and that's what ages a face. Less is almost always better. I'd always suggest reaching for products with skincare properties, so the skin is benefiting even while the makeup is doing its job. Small swaps make a real difference too, a liquid highlighter instead of a powder one melts into the skin rather than sitting on top of it.

If someone only had five minutes to do their makeup, which products or steps would you prioritise?

Skin, blush, mascara, and a quick lip, in that order. Skin because a good, tinted moisturiser or foundation instantly makes a face look put together. Blush because it does more for how alive you look than almost anything else in the kit. Mascara opens up the eyes in seconds. And a lip, even just a tinted balm, finishes the whole thing off. Four steps, five minutes, and it looks pulled together, not rushed.