Zendaya’s No-Mascara Era Has Officially Begun

Zendaya has spent The Odyssey press tour proving that the most memorable makeup looks don’t always require much makeup at all—and the artist behind them is always the same: her longtime makeup artist, Ernesto Casillas.

Casillas’ approach has always centered on what he calls “beautifully layered skin with dimension, a pop of color and glow,” a formula that has followed Zendaya across the globe, from the cornflower-blue eye she wore to the Paris premiere to her Grecian-inspired London look and luminous Oscars makeup earlier this year.

For the very humid New York stop on Tuesday, Casillas stripped things back even further with a look that featured zero mascara, no eyeshadow and skin doing all the work—and it might be the smartest, glowiest version yet. Minimal, skin-first makeup isn’t just a trend; it’s a no-fail approach for surviving a New York summer night, sticky temperatures and all. No mascara means no smudging under the lights, while a lighter base has a better shot at looking just as fresh when the night wraps.

Casillas built Zendaya’s complexion using Prada Beauty’s Augmented Skin Cream ($390), Essence ($135) and Eye Cream ($335), then layered on the Reveal Skin Optimizing Foundation ($70) in shade NW45 and Blurring + Micro Correcting Concealer in LC3 ($48) for a soft, barely-there base.

“For the premiere, we wanted Zendaya’s skin to look beautifully luminous and sun-kissed,” he says. “The makeup was intentionally very minimal, with fresh, glowing skin as the foundation of the look. I layered Prada Beauty’s Touch Cream to Powder Blush in Caffee + Cherry ($45) across the cheeks, nose, temples, forehead and chin, focusing on the areas where the sun would naturally hit.”

For the finishing touch, a swipe of Prada Balm in Astral Pink ($50) brought “a soft hint of life to the lips and completed the effortless, radiant finish.” And honestly, with skin this good, who’s looking for mascara?