I Discovered the Perfect, Expert-Devised Makeup Routine–Thanks to My Celebrity Lookalike

As with most things these days, it all started with a TikTok trend. Hoards of users have, of late, been turning to an AI tool that shares which celebrities someone looks like. In other words, it's apparently like finding your 'celebrity twin'.

I was sceptical: first, I'm not a big AI girlie (as a journalist, I'm sure you can imagine why), and TBH, I have never really thought I looked like anyone famous. But in true journalistic fashion (more specifically, of the beauty variety), I was intrigued to give this a go, but with a bit of a twist: I wanted to discover if this could teach me how to do my makeup 'better.'

The theory was this: if I could learn who I apparently look like (face structure, shape, features, etc.), maybe I could learn how to define my features (and honestly, get excited about makeup again with a different approach). I'm talking about which blush shades to use, which eyeliner hacks to adopt, and where to place my contour to make the most of my cheekbones.

Here's what happened when I tried this experiment.

Who Did AI Say Was My 'Celebrity Twin'?

Let me just preface this by saying I don't necessarily agree with any of the findings AI presented: of course, it would be a huge compliment to look anything like any of the women it mentioned, but I'm certainly not claiming it or saying I can see a clear resemblance myself!

I decided to take a direct approach with an AI chatbot, and the instructions I gave it were: “Based on my facial features, which five celebrities do I most closely resemble? I'm not asking you to identify me—just suggest celebrities whose overall facial features and appearance are similar to mine. Please rank them from closest to least similar and explain the similarities.” Apparently (ironically, according to another chatbot), this is the most Google Gemini-friendly way to ask to find celebrities you look like.

I sent a series of different pictures, and two people who kept coming up were Chloë Grace Moretz and Florence Pugh. "Like Chloë, you have a lovely roundness to your face and prominent, high cheekbones. Both of you have brown/blonde hair and a comparable structure to the lower part of your face," Gemini told me about the former.

Of Florence Pugh, it said: "You share a very similar face shape (broad and slightly rounded) and prominent jawline structure. Both of you also have distinctively shaped, strong, and nicely defined eyebrows and warm, almond-shaped brown eyes."

Again, I'm not personally claiming the resemblance here (I can see the similarities in brow and lip fullness and overall face shape, but I think we have quite different noses and eyes, among other things!), but no matter which picture I sent, Gemini seemed to believe Pugh was my 'strongest match'. For this reason, I decided to go with this for my makeup experiment.

What Can This Teach Me About My Makeup Routine?

I absolutely love Florence Pugh both as an actress and (from what we know about her, of course) a human being. She seems genuinely funny, kind and cool, and she's also a major fashion and beauty icon—so following her makeup habits was an exciting prospect.

According to celebrity makeup artist Joy Adenuga, the actor has a number of defining facial features: "Florence has a wonderful balance of strength and softness to her face. Her full, relatively straight brows are particularly defining; they add structure and beautifully frame her softly hooded, almond-shaped eyes.

"She also has naturally full lips, prominent cheekbones and a softness through the cheeks that keeps those stronger elements feeling harmonious. It’s that contrast, the graphic brow and defined bone structure against softer, fuller features that makes her face so distinctive. From a makeup perspective, these aren’t features I’d want to correct or reshape, but rather celebrate and enhance."

Looking at how her makeup artist chooses to do this, Adenuga says that Pugh's complexion is noticeably "kept fresh and skin-like, allowing subtle sculpting and blush to emphasise the cheekbones without making the face appear overly contoured."

Around the eyes, "definition tends to sit close to the lash line and extend outwards, complementing their natural almond shape while working beautifully with a hooded lid. The brows retain their fullness and straighter shape, while the lips are precisely defined rather than dramatically overdrawn."

Adenuga explains that Pugh's makeup artist tends to move between two signature looks: "a softly smoky, elongated eye with a quieter lip, and a pared-back eye paired with a statement red, berry or burgundy mouth." For her smoky eye, she tends to opt for softer tones like taupe, brown, plum and grey.

"For me, her strongest looks sit somewhere between polished and undone: a beautifully luminous complexion, softly elongated eye, groomed brow, strategically placed blush and muted rose or nude lip. It gives definition without overpowering the individuality of her face."

For product recommendations, celebrity makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy suggests something like Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch to achieve that fresh, luminous skin look. She then suggests the Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks (or a similar cream blush), "blending the colour gently upward for a softly lifted effect."

Next is bronzer, which Adenuga looks to Forever Skin Bronze by Dior for, "to softly warm and sculpt the face."

Brows are a big part of Pugh's defining look, too, so a product like Anastasia Beverly Hills' Brow Freeze is a must. "The goal is a groomed, naturally full brow that frames the face without becoming the focal point," says Hussainy.

For eyes, a little drama is very Florence-coded. Hussainy recommends the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and Lancôme's Lash Idôle for "strategic definition around the lashes."

For a subtle smoky eye, Adenuga says the Danessa Myricks Colorfix "is brilliant because you can create anything from a soft wash to something much more defined."

"For hooded or almond-shaped eyes, I love concentrating colour close to the lash line and taking it outwards," she adds.

If anything came from this experiment, it's the reminder to play around with makeup, just like Florence does. She's not afraid to try different looks, and as someone who's firmly been in a makeup rut for some months, that's the attitude I wholly want to adopt—regardless of whether we bear any true resemblance to one another!