The Secret to Sarah Pidgeon’s Red Carpet Glow Is a $20 Tool in the Smithsonian

The Secret to Sarah Pidgeon’s Red Carpet Glow Is a $20 Tool in the Smithsonian The red carpet technique that kept her skin looking like skin. Liz Ritter Published: Mar 2, 2026 We may earn commission from links on this page. Each product featured has been vetted and chosen by our editors. Getty Images / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin When Love Story ’s Sarah Pidgeon stepped onto the Actor Awards red carpet last night, her skin told a story: luminous and impossibly seamless, yet still unmistakably skin . The secret behind the glow? Celebrity makeup artist Emily Cheng relied on precise technique—and a $20 sponge that’s earned its place in beauty history. Below, Cheng shares exactly how she created Pidgeon’s polished, dimensional finish—and why the right tool makes all the difference. The $20 Icon Behind the Glow Cheng’s hero for the night was the Beautyblender Original , the cult-favorite $20 sponge that revolutionized makeup application and now sits in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution. “What I love about using Beautyblender for a red-carpet finish is that it layers cream and liquid products effortlessly,” says Cheng. “It keeps everything cohesive, skinlike and camera-ready while preserving the natural luminosity of the foundation.” For Cheng, the magic starts before any makeup touches the skin. She fully saturates the sponge with water, then squeezes out the excess so it’s damp, not dripping. When properly prepped, the sponge expands and delivers that soft, airbrushed finish without absorbing too much product. Press, Don’t Swipe For foundation, Cheng uses the rounded base of the sponge to bounce and press product into the skin rather than swipe. “Pressing it in helps it melt into the complexion and keeps the glow intact while building coverage exactly where I want it,” she explains. The technique diffuses edges beautifully, creating perfected skin that still looks like skin, just smoother, more even and lit-from-within. Under flash photography and high-de...