Colman Domingo's red-carpet glow at Monday night's Emmy Awards is the result of a carefully staged skincare and grooming routine, according to his longtime groomer, Jamie Richmond, who walked the Daily Mail through the exact products and steps she used to prepare him.
Domingo, 56, is an Emmy winner and two-time Oscar nominee known for his roles in Rustin, Sing Sing and Euphoria. This year he picked up Emmy nominations for playing Ali on HBO's Euphoria and Danny on Netflix's The Four Seasons, and heads into the ceremony nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for The Four Seasons.
The Emmy Awards are presented annually by the Television Academy and stand as the television industry's top honor, the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars for film.
Richmond said her goal was "healthy, hydrated skin, impeccable facial hair and a glow that would hold up from the first red-carpet photo to the last party of the night."
Serum
Richmond begins Domingo's prep with the Mimi Luzon Recharge Serum, which costs $299. Mimi Luzon is a luxury skincare brand favored by some celebrity groomers, and this serum is formulated to flood the skin with moisture for a plumper, smoother and fresher look, using a blend of glycerin, sodium hyaluronate and apple fruit cell culture extract.
"The goal is always refinement, never transformation - every detail should feel deliberate, while Colman still looks completely like Colman," Richmond said.
A cheaper alternative, the Andalou Naturals Deep Hydration Life Boosting Serum, costs $25.99 and shares eight ingredients with the Mimi Luzon formula, including glycerin, sodium hyaluronate and the same apple fruit cell culture extract. It has racked up 4.5 stars at Target, where one verified buyer said it left her skin feeling "so smooth" without feeling greasy.
Depuffing wand
After the serum, Richmond reaches for the Therabody TheraFace Depuffing Wand, priced at $170, "to help depuff and wake up the face." Therabody is best known for its Theragun percussive massage devices and later expanded into facial tools under the TheraFace name. The handheld wand uses hot and cold treatments designed to target puffiness and boost radiance.
Moisturizer
Once she has finished with the wand, Richmond applies the Mimi Luzon Hyaluronic Super Cream, which retails for $190, "to lock in hydration." The formula combines hyaluronic acid with squalane, jojoba oil and apricot kernel oil to soften the skin, replenish moisture and create a smooth base for makeup.
A budget option, the No B.S. Day + Night Hyaluronic Cream, costs $29.99 and shares nine ingredients with Mimi Luzon's 10-ingredient formula, including jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil and squalane, swapping in sodium hyaluronate in place of hyaluronic acid. One customer said her skin "drinks it in."
Facial hair
Only once Domingo's skin is prepped does Richmond turn to his facial hair, using a Philips Norelco OneBlade, priced at $50, to refine his beard while preserving its natural shape. The OneBlade is marketed as a hybrid trimmer designed to edge, trim and shave without a close blade shave, and is a common tool in men's grooming kits.
"To me, facial hair is part of the architecture of the face - the cheek line, neckline, sideburns and overall shape can completely change how polished someone looks," she explained. "With a major red carpet, those details matter, especially when you're three feet away from a bank of HD cameras."
Richmond said she wants the work to disappear once Domingo is on the carpet. "I want the beard to look clean, intentional and incredibly well-maintained, but never overly sculpted."
Primer
With Domingo's skin and beard finished, Richmond moves on to his complexion. "Once the grooming was dialed in, I kept the complexion light and strategic, starting with Valentino Beauty V-Lighter Face Base Primer, followed by Very Valentino 24-Hour Wear Liquid Foundation," she said. Valentino Beauty is the makeup line from the Italian fashion house Valentino.
The illuminating primer, which costs $59 in the shade Ambra, is Richmond's first complexion step, applied over the skincare she has already spent time prepping.
Foundation
Rather than relying on a single shade, Richmond uses three shades of the Very Valentino 24-Hour Wear Liquid Foundation on Domingo, Deep Ambra 3, Deep Neutra 2 and Deep Rosa 3, working with his complexion rather than covering it in one uniform color.
The lightweight, buildable formula is designed for long wear while keeping a natural, luminous finish rather than looking heavy, so the skin still reads as skin under unforgiving lights and cameras.
Concealer
One of the last products in Domingo's Emmy routine, and the easiest for readers to copy, is the Very Valentino Concealer, priced at $39. Richmond uses it in the shades Deep Ambra 2 and Deep Neutra 1. The full-coverage formula is designed to brighten, smooth and even out the complexion while keeping the finish natural rather than mask-like.
"I used Very Valentino Concealer only where needed to brighten and perfect, then finished with a light dusting of powder through the under-eye and T-zone to keep shine in check without taking away that healthy glow," Richmond said.
Domingo will find out whether the routine paid off when the Emmy Awards are handed out Monday night.
