How Awkwafina Got Ready for the Rouge Dior Launch Party

It’s a rainy Monday night in L.A. and Awkwafina is getting ready to celebrate the launch of the new Rouge Dior lipsticks with Dior Beauty. However, instead of listening to her favorite Spotify playlist, she’s watching KTLA, the local news station. It’s a state of emergency, but that’s not stopping the multifaceted star. She’s currently at La Dolce Vita, the latest L.A. hotspot where celebs go when they don’t want to be overwhelmed by the paparazzi. However, later on that night, it would serve as the backdrop of the new Rouge Dior launch.

Awkafina is a Dior girl through and through. She recalls her earliest memory of the brand—her mother owning a “cool wallet.” “It was one of her most prized possessions that she left behind,” she shares exclusively with ELLE.com. At that time, unbeknownst to Nora Lum, she would grow up to become an entertainer and win a Golden Globe wearing the iconic luxury brand. “Golden Globe, Critics Choice, every time I win, it’s always in Dior—it’s kinda crazy,” she says.

We start gushing about the makeup, particularly Rouge Dior: “I’ve always really loved Dior beauty products. I’m a big fan,” says the native New Yorker. We both rave about the texture. Her makeup artist, Emily Cheng says, “I think matte lips will be very popular this year, so it’s perfect timing that Dior has reinvented their iconic Rouge Dior Lipstick with so many velvet shades!” And while Awkwafina is here for lipstick, she’s not here for lip service, especially “small talk.” She further explains how people dodge “getting deep” and how it’s become “a social practice not to be engaged.”

But I’m fully engaged and actively listening, despite her porcelain smooth skin and gorgeous eyes attempting to distract me. As we chat about beauty routines, she brings up her eyes and how applying eyeliner has always been a different experience for her. “Until very recently, you weren’t really able to go on YouTube and learn how to do that for Asian eyes. There are certain differences on how I do my eyes and wings and stuff like that and tricks I’ve learned from Asian American makeup artists,” she says. She proceeds to tell me one of the tricks, which I keep in the back of my mind to share with a close friend, who has struggled with this very issue.

“Growing up, no one taught me how to do makeup. It’s trial by error. It’s doing it every day,” says Awkwafina. However, her saving grace (and beauty inspiration) is her first makeup artist, Kirin Bhatty, who wrote step-by-step instructions on how to create a beauty look she loves. “I keep this ratty torn up piece of paper at my makeup stand,” she reveals.

But for the Dior Beauty event, Awkwafina did not have to do her own makeup. She had a glam team help her transform her look and let ELLE.com get a glimpse of her prep process. See all the exclusive images below.