Sabrina Carpenter is synonymous with a certain makeup aesthetic—it’s wide-eyed, big-lashed, and blushy. Some people say it has a vintage pinup vibe; others choose to describe it with adjectives like “baby-doll” or “coquette.” Her longtime makeup artist and Armani Beauty Collective member, Carolina Gonzalez, is open to all of the internet’s interpretations and even struggles to describe it herself. “Pinup watercolor? I don’t know, pre-war? I don’t know what you want to call it!” However, she knows exactly what, or who, inspired it: Alberto Vargas, an accomplished Peruvian American pinup artist.

“Alberto Vargas was a very big inspiration for me as an artist,” she says. “That’s my world, sketching and watercoloring and all that stuff. That’s where my love began. I grew to love his work, especially the makeup in his paintings and watercolors.” Using Vargas’s work as both an inspiration and a reference, she created the now-signature makeup look in collaboration with Carpenter herself, adopting watercolor and oil-painting techniques into the makeup application process (more on that in a minute).

Recently, Carpenter took her show on the road, performing on the Lollapalooza South America tour. Then, she headed straight to the California desert to headline Coachella—no biggie. Despite the hot, humid environments, bright stage lights, and long, sweaty sets, Carpenter’s makeup continually looked flawless, and I can think of two reasons why: 1) Gonzalez’s aforementioned art-inspired application technique and 2) a selection of some incredibly long-lasting, high-performance makeup products. Ahead, read our exclusive Q&A with Gonzalez, where she opens up about what it’s like being backstage, teaches us how to layer makeup for a long-lasting look, and even clues us in on the exact products Carpenter wears.

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Did you set out to create Sabrina’s now-signature look, or did it happen naturally?