Reese Witherspoon Used Her $15 Face Serum as Makeup Primer for the Emmys

In case you missed Sunday night's Emmy Awards, let me fill you in real quick: Jimmy Kimmel hosted from an empty Staples Center, Zendaya became the youngest person ever to win Best Lead Actress in a Drama, and there were endless top-notch beauty looks to take in. One of my favorites, undoubtedly, was Reese Witherspoon's fresh skin and classic red lipstick. Of course, makeup that beautiful needs a base of well-prepped skin, and that's exactly what makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan gave her — using products that all cost $15 or less.

"Virtual awards or not, makeup is makeup and proper skin prep is always essential before starting with any color," Deenihan explains in a press release. To give Witherspoon the best possible canvas, she started by applying The Inkey List's Q10 Antioxidant Serum, a cocktail of antioxidants, peptides, and squalane that soothes and hydrates skin. Deenihan followed that with the brand's Peptide Moisturizer, which Deenihan says is fast-absorbing (just what you need for makeup that doesn't slide around).

Even though Witherspoon was only going to be seen through a web camera, Deenihan wanted every detail to be perfect. So, to prevent concealer creasing, she applied The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream under Witherspoon's eyes before topping off her whole face with Polyglutamic Acid, "the perfect makeup base."

Clearly, all of Deenihan's makeup prep paid off because Witherspoon looked virtually flawless. The entire routine used for her prep costs roughly $55 in total — just goes to show that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get red carpet-ready skin.