Here’s Exactly What’s Inside Rory and Lorelai Gilmore’s Makeup Bags

Like many other people in America, I woke up around 2am on Black Friday to… watch Gilmore Girls. Yeah, forget shopping. I can do that online and waiting in line to get into the mall in the cold (while likely being pushed and having to circle around the parking lot 34 times to find a space) sounds like hell. Instead, I found myself wrapped up in my fluffy white comforter with my laptop broadcasting the revival of one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Never have I ever been so excited to see Kirk.
Maybe it’s where I am in my life and career, or maybe I just pay attention to more than Logan’s cute smirk, but I couldn’t stop staring at Lorelai and Rory’s lovely makeup. “Did they always look so healthy, glowy, and alive?” I asked myself. Immediately after, I started thinking about how they never, ever breakout (I know, I know…it’s a TV show) even though coffee and alcohol are basically their only means of hydration and the fact that they just eat pizza and Pop-Tarts. But that’s another story.
Still in awe over the way Rory’s liner makes her blue eyes pop and Lorelai’s natural flush, I reached out to the show’s lead makeup artist, Tegan Taylor, to find out the EXACT products she uses to give the Gilmores' (Emily included) their signature looks.
Before any makeup, Tegan says she used Intraceuticals products to hydrate their skin, and each week she gave the gals a spray tan using Vita Liberata products. "It is absolutely the most natural looking tan on the market! For Gilmore Girls, the medium color was perfect for the show, because it gives as very naturally sun-kissed look,” she told me.

For their base makeup, Tegan used a beautyblender to apply Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation, £37, a product I’ve heard makeup artist after makeup artist rave about. "It has a luminous glow yet is also very natural looking,” she says. Then, she says she would set the foundation with Laura Mercier Loose Powder, £19.50, before applying blush or bronzer.

Speaking of blush, which to me is the most eye-catching detail of their looks, Tegan used several different products, including MAC BlushBaby, £18.50, MAC Warm Soul, £22.50, and a Chanel rose hue. "Both Tom Ford and Armani have gorgeous cheek colours, so it’s just a matter of mixing and matching to your skin tone. I like to use a deeper warm blush to accent the hollow of the cheekbone, and then ‘pop' the ball of the cheek with a brighter color for added dimension. Anastasia's newest Glow Palette, £44 is perfect for adding extra sparkle, so lightly brushing it on for a finishing touch works beautifully as well,” she says.

Each Gilmore Girl’s makeup look took about 40 minutes to create, Tegan says, which honestly isn’t far off how long it takes me to get ready in the am. However, Mrs. Emily Gilmore was a little more “done-up,” and needed some extra time to apply her and needed some extra time to apply her Ardell Baby Demi Whispie Faux Lashes, £5.49. A gal after my own heart.
For Rory’s simple eye makeup, Tegan applied a subtle back line along her top lashes with a dark brown line underneath. "I achieve this is by wetting an angled eyeliner brush and using eyeshadow for the liner. I love Carbon, £13, and Brun, £13, by MAC,” she says.
To warm up their eyes, she says she would apply a soft shimmer to the lid and a deeper, warmer tone to the crease. Finally, for their rosy, pouty lips, she would apply Aquaphor for moisture and then the lip color on top. "I love Bobbi Brown’s University Palette, £44.10. It has a wide range of colors in it and can be applied either heavily for a bold look, or softly for a subtle, more natural look,” she says.
Now that I know the exact products Rory wears (and you can shop them too), I’m going to go forth, apply them, and look for my own Jess… Or Logan. I haven’t decided yet.