How to Get Selena Gomez's "Red Velvet" MTV VMAs Makeup

The summer of Selena Gomez is still going strong — and we're loving it. On the heels of releasing a music video for her party anthem, "Single Soon," Gomez stunned at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) red carpet. Gomez, who stars in Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" has plenty to celebrate because she received three VMA nominations, including the highly-coveted Song of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Best AfroBeat of the Year, all for Rema's "Calm Down."

For the occasion, Gomez sported a daring red Oscar de La Renta dress covered in tonal beading and wore "red velvet" makeup that perfectly complimented her stunning look. As every Selenator knows, Gomez founded Rare Beauty, a color cosmetics line sold at Sephora, so naturally, she sported a full face of RB makeup.

Here's a quick breakdown on how to recreate the look at home with the exact products and colors Gomez rocked for the occasion straight from her long-time makeup artist Hung Vanngo. The best part? Everything is relatively affordable, with prices starting at just $15.

How to Get Selena Gomez's Red Velvet VMAs Makeup with Rare Beauty

Complexion

Vanngo prepped her skin with the Always an Optimist Pore Diffusing Primer, which has a cushiony gel consistency that blurs the look of fine lines and pores, minimizes shine, and helps the makeup last through the hot weather. Next, he applied her signature Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in the shade 210N and covered up any skin imperfections with the Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer also in shade 210N.

Vanngo also applied the Positive Light Under Eye Brightener in Light Medium to visibly brighten and hydrate her delicate undereye area. The radiant concealer offers sheer, flexible coverage without feeling heavy on the skin. He set the complexion in place with the Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Powder in Light and followed up with the Always an Optimist 4-in-1 Mist.

After perfecting her base, Vanngo focused on enhancing her stunning cheekbones with the TikTok-viral Soft Pinch Dewy Liquid Blush in Worth and added a sunkissed glow with the Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick in Bright Side. Pro tip: The liquid blush is extremely pigmented, so a little bit goes a long way. Start small with just a couple of dots and blend before using more rouge.

For an IRL Beauty Filter

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Always an Optimist Pore Diffusing Primer

$28 at Sephora

$15 at Kohl's

For Medium-to-Full Coverage

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in 210

Now 45% Off

$27 at Walmart

$30 at Kohl's$30 at Sephora

For Cake-Free Spot Coverage

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer in 210

$25 at Walmart

$22 at Kohl's$22 at Sephora

For Hiding Dark Circles

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Positive Light Under Eye Brightener in Light

Now 25% Off

$34 at Amazon

$25 at Sephora$28 at Walmart

For Shine-Free Skin

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder in Light

$25 at Sephora

$25 at Kohl's

For a Multipurpose Spray

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Prime & Set Mist

$27 at Sephora

$27 at Kohl's

For TikTok's Favorite Blush

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Virtue

$28 at Amazon

$25 at Sephora$35 at Walmart

For a Fast Tan

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick in Bright Side

$45 at Amazon

$26 at Sephora$26 at Kohl's

Eyes

Having gorgeous eyebrows is essential for all of Gomez's beauty looks, and her VMA red velvet makeup was no exception. Get the feathery look at home by creating hair-like strokes with the Brow Harmony Precision Pencil in Cool Brown and locking everything in place with the Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel (sold out on Sephora). For no-makeup days, consider running the clear brow gel through your brow hairs to tame pesky flyaways along your part.

Once the brows are completed, it's time to enhance your peppers. Firstly, prime the eyelids with the Always an Optimist Weightless Eye Primer to ensure the makeup lasts longer and colors pop. Vanngo used the Rare Beauty True To Myself Eyeshadow Palette (sold out) to create a come-hither brown smoky eye, as well as the Perfect Strokes Gel Eyeliner in Black. He finished off the eyes by layering the Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara.

For Bigger, Bolder Brows

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Brown

$19 at Sephora

$19 at Kohl's

For Fluffy Brows

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel

$17 at Rare Beauty

For Long-Lasting Eye Makeup

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Always an Optimist Weightless Eyeshadow Primer

$52 at Walmart

$21 at Kohl's$21 at Sephora

For Waterline-Safe Eyeliner

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Perfect Strokes Longwear and Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in True Black

$20 at Sephora

$19 at Kohl's

For a Flirty Fringe

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara in Black

Now 23% Off

$35 at Amazon

$20 at Sephora$67 at Walmart

Lips

The last step of achieving Gomez's exact VMAs look is lining the lips with Kind Words Matte Lipliner in Wise and swiping on the Kind Words Matte Lipstick in Humble, a gorgeous rose mauve.

Includes a Sharpener

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Kind Words Lip Liner in Wise

$61 at Walmart

$15 at Kohl's$15 at Sephora

For a Kissable Pout

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Kind Words Matte Lipstick in Humble

$22 at Amazon

$14 at Sephora$20 at Kohl's

Nicole Saunders

Beauty Editor

Nicole Saunders is the beauty editor at Women's Health and has over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing lifestyle content. She specializes in breaking down complicated topics, like red light therapy for hair growth and LED face masks, into easy-to-understand guides. Saunders takes great pride in heavily researching and testing featured beauty products, such as strengthening shampoos and body washes for dry skin on our site.   
Previously, she was the beauty editor at Best Products where she tested quite literally thousands of launches for her quarterly column and the Best New Beauty Awards package. She also launched the beauty and wellness coverage at NBC News and contributed to CNN, Cosmopolitan, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and Harper's BAZAAR.   
You can follow her on Instagram to stay in the loop on her product testing adventures.