Whether you’re going for a glamorous no-makeup look or a bold, glowing face, prep your skin all. Ask any makeup artist and they’ll quickly confirm that you can’t achieve expert-level shine without a clean, freshly prepared canvas.

I would argue that no one knows this better than Daniel Martin. The iconic makeup artist certainly knows what to do with a dreamy makeup moment (in case you didn’t know, he’s the headliner at Meghan Markle’s royal wedding), but he always goes for these looks with a special skin tone.

In fact, “I don’t want to see makeup on my skin,” he tells me. Now, this may sound a bit unusual coming from someone who has literally made makeup her profession; but according to Martin, the best look is one where you can’t tell you’re wearing makeup at all, except for a sharp cat eye or crimson lips.

It’s a delicate dance, and it always starts with skin care. So, find its mandatory steps.