It’s a well-known fact that the formula: glittery costumes + celebrities + a foxtrot or paso doble = “Dancing With the Stars” gold. For the last 20 years (yes, 20!), the show has been primetime’s ultimate glam parade, and the magic isn’t just in the choreography or the celebrities, but also in the stylists, tailors, lighting artists, and, perhaps most importantly, the people behind the makeup chairs. That’s why we wanted to talk to Afton Williams, the celebrity makeup artist behind dancer and host Julianne Hough’s glam.
Williams is letting us in on the secrets that keep Hough looking camera-ready for live TV. Keep reading for backstage tips, plus the 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 across television, fashion, and editorial.
How to Get Julianne Hough’s “DWTS” Glow
From the very start, Williams and the team plan every look around the outfits. “For the 20th anniversary, the outfit itself is a very strong loo, so we wanted to make sure that the hair and the makeup complements that in a way that doesn’t compete. The makeup is very clean, very classic, very true to Julianne’s kind of everyday look,” she says.
Layering, longevity, and a bit of trickery behind the scenes are all part of the process. “You need the makeup to last, but you also need to be able to do those touch-ups and add things without it going cakey,” Williams says. “You have to get to 90 percent and have it still be flexible, and then lock it all in the five minutes before she goes out on stage.” From sweatproof foundations to sculpted body glow, every look is meticulously crafted to survive the stage lights and still help Hough feel like herself.
Williams starts Hough’s makeup the way she starts every long-wear look: with thin, strategic layers. “You want the makeup to move with the skin. If you put too thick of makeup and you don’t layer properly, it’s gonna start creasing, it’s gonna start cracking.” Her foundation combo? The RCMA 5-Part Series Favorite Foundation Palette ($30) for a skin-like, flexible base that survives hours of dancing. To sculpt without going overboard, she uses RCMA’s Highlight & Contour Palette ($30), and for Hough’s signature pink flush, she mixes RCMA Cream Blush Palette #1 in Special and Gena Pink ($30). She calls the final look “clean, very classic, very true to Julianne’s kind of everyday look.”
You won’t catch Hough’s highlight sliding around mid–paso doble. That’s because Williams uses RCMA Summer Lights Illuminating Balm in Sun-Kissed ($24), a dry-touch balm that adds glow without stickiness. This choice wasn’t random, it comes from experience. Williams told us about a past red-carpet mishap that left her traumatized: “All it takes is one time you made the mistake of using a balm on the body, and . . . I got the photos back, and there was one hair stuck to her chest. And I said never again.”
She keeps everything locked in place using RCMA Premiere Pressed Powder in Amethyst and No-Colorstrong> ($28), only where needed. And the glossy lips? RCMA Diamond Shine Lip Gloss ($22).
Other Must-Haves in Her Makeup Kit
Williams’s kit is small, intentional, and full of makeup artist-created brands that go the distance.
She loves the Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette ($70) and Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Long-Wearing Cream Eyeshadow ($25), which offer creamy neutrals that never fail. She also uses Hung Vanngo Lip Liner ($24) for longwear magic, and calls One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray ($34) her holy grail.
“If I had to name one holy grail product that could keep any dancer’s makeup flawless, it’s the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn setting spray. It creates a barrier between the makeup and the environment.” So yes, the dancers might sweat, but their glam doesn’t.
If you think her must-have backstage item is some $48 mattifying primer, think again. Williams’ secret weapon is the Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets ($20). She doesn’t just like them, she depends on them. She uses them before makeup, after rehearsal, and right before powder to prevent cakiness. She even admitted: “If I get to set and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m out of oil blotters,’ I’ll walk over to the Grove in a panic.”
Balim Tezel (she/her) is a shopping updates editor at PS and the founder of Maison des Nus, a New York-based affordable luxury brand. She graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.