Julianne Hough’s Dancing With the Stars Makeup Breakdown

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As you know, the formula: sparkly costumes + celebrities + foxtrot or paso doble = Dancing with the Stars gold. For the past 20 years (yes, 20!) the show has been primetime's greatest glamor parade, and the magic isn't just in the choreography and the celebrities, but in the stylists, tailors, lighting designers and, perhaps most importantly, the people behind the makeup chairs. That's why we wanted to talk to Afton Williams, the celebrity makeup artist who worked on the showgirl and host of Julianne Hough's glam show.

Williams lets us in on the secrets that make Hough look ready for live action. Keep reading for behind-the-scenes tips, as well as products you can use to copy her look.

Experts featured in this article

Afton Williams is a Los Angeles-based celebrity makeup artist known for her work with top talent in television, fashion, and editorial.

How to Get Julianne Hough's “DWTS” Glow

From the beginning, Williams and the team schedule every equipment inspection. “For the 20th anniversary, the outfit itself is a very strong toilette, so we wanted to make sure the hair and makeup complemented it in a way that didn't compete. The makeup is very clean, very classic, very much in keeping with Julianne's everyday look,” she says.

Layering, durability, and a few hidden tricks are all part of the process. “You want the makeup to last, but you also need to be able to touch up and add things without it turning out gross,” says Williams. “You have to get to 90 percent and maintain flexibility, and then lock it all in five minutes before she goes on stage.” From sweat-resistant foundations sculpt body glowEach look is carefully crafted to withstand the stage lights while making Hough feel like herself.

Williams starts Hough's makeup the same way she does any long-lasting look: with thin, strategic layers. “You want the makeup to move with the skin. If you apply too much makeup and don't apply it properly, it will start to crease and crack.” Her foundation? RCMA Favorite 5 Piece Foundation Palette ($30) for a flexible, leather-like base that will last for hours of dancing. To sculpt without overdoing it, she uses RCMA Highlighter and Contour Palette ($30), and for Hough's signature pink flush, she mixes RCMA #1 Cream Blush Palette in Special and Gena Pink ($30). She calls the final look “clean, very classic, very much like Julianne's everyday look.”

You won't notice Hough's highlight sliding down the middle of the paso doble. This is because Williams uses RCMA Summer Lights Balm-Lightening in the shade Sun-Kissed ($24), a dry-touch balm that adds shine without the stickiness. This choice was not random, it was based on experience. Williams told us about a past red carpet incident that left her traumatized: “All it takes is one time you made a mistake putting conditioner on your body and… I got the photos back and there was one hair left on her chest. And I said: never again.”

She keeps everything in place using RCMA Premiere Pressed Powder in Amethyst and Clear ($28), only where needed. What about shiny lips? RCMA Diamond Shine Lip Gloss ($22).

Other essentials in her makeup kit

Williams' set is small, thoughtful, and full of brands created by makeup artists who push the envelope.

She loves Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette ($70) and Long-lasting cream eyeshadow Makeup By Mario Master Mattes ($25), which offer creamy neutral shades that will never let you down. She also uses Lip pencil Hung Vanngo ($24) for Long Wear Magic and Calls Spray One/Size On 'Til Dawn Setting ($34) is her holy grail.

“If I had to name one Holy Grail product that could keep any dancer's makeup flawless, it would be the One/Size On 'Til Dawn Setting Spray. It creates a barrier between makeup and the environment.” So yes, the dancers may sweat, but their glamor does not.

If you think her backstage essential is around $48 mattifying primerthink again. Williams' secret weapon is Clean and transparent oil absorbent sheets ($20). She not only likes them, she depends on them. She uses them before makeup, after rehearsal, and right before setting powder to avoid stickiness. She even admitted, “If I get on set and say, 'Oh my gosh, I'm out of oil blotters,' I'll go to the Grove in a panic.”

Balim Tezel (she/her) is the shopping news editor at PS and founder of Maison des Nus, a New York-based affordable luxury brand. She is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.