Why Celebrities Are Now Making Skin Prep the New Red-Carpet Essential

From Kathy Hilton to Kourtney Kardashian, stars put almost as much thought into what happens before makeup as the glam itself.

When it comes to getting camera-ready, celebrities know great makeup can only go so far. Increasingly, the real red-carpet beauty secret is what happens before anyone reaches for foundation.

“Red-carpet beauty starts long before the makeup artist arrives,” says celebrity aesthetician, Reiki master and KNESKO SKIN founder Lejla Cas. “If the skin is hydrated, calm and healthy-looking, everything that comes afterwards simply looks better.”

It’s a philosophy embraced by stars including Kathy Hilton, Kourtney Kardashian, Kate Hudson and Chrissy Teigen, who have all been spotted on social media incorporating KNESKO’s collagen masks into their beauty routines. Hilton has even publicly shared that she “goes through boxes” of the brand’s Gold Repair Collagen Face and Eye Masks.

The Pre-Glam Ritual

For Cas, who has spent nearly three decades working hands-on with skin, the goal is to create a complexion that looks rested, hydrated and luminous.

“The night before an event is not the time to attack your skin,” she says. “You want it calm, plump, luminous and ready for makeup.”

Although a good skincare regimen should be incorporated into your daily routine, Cas recommends beginning event prep about a week ahead. She recently launched the Knesko Gold Repair Skincare Collection, a complete eight-product skincare ritual designed to deliver visible results while bringing KNESKO’s signature wellness philosophy into every step. Powered by proprietary G-P8X™ technology, Gold Repair combines gold, pro-collagen supporting actives, bioactive peptides and plant stem cells to target eight visible markers of skin quality, including hydration, firmness, elasticity, radiance and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Each product is also Reiki-charged, making the collection a true skincare-meets-wellness ritual focused on vitality, balance and longevity.

To follow, she recommends prioritizing hydrating treatments as the big night approaches. Her own pre-event go-to is KNESKO’s Gold Repair Collagen Face and Eye Masks.

“They’re what so many people first discover us through, and they’re still what I reach for before an event, after a long flight or whenever my skin looks tired,” Cas says. “I love that immediate, plumped, rested look they give the skin before makeup.”

When Skincare Becomes Self-Care

Cas founded KNESKO after seeing a divide between high-performance skincare and products focused on wellness and ritual.

“I kept thinking, why should we have to choose?” she recalls.

That question ultimately shaped a brand combining clinically tested skincare with Cas’ longtime interest in Reiki, gemstones and energy work. Each collection is connected to a gemstone and intention, and Cas personally Reiki-charges the products.

“As an esthetician and formulator, efficacy always comes first for me. But I also know how much stress, travel and exhaustion can show up on the skin,” she says. “Sometimes the most luxurious thing you can do is give yourself permission to stop for 15 minutes.”

And with stars increasingly sharing those 15-minute mask moments with their followers, the once-private pre-glam ritual has become part of the celebrity beauty conversation itself.

“One of the things I love about our products is that they’re not only high-performance, they’re also beautiful to wear,” Cas says. “Celebrities and beauty professionals genuinely love incorporating them into glam, travel and at-home rituals and they’re often proud to show them off.”