Makeup artist to NFL WAGs reveals what they’re really like to work with – and the products she uses on game-days
Lights, camera, makeup!
That’s the game day world of NFL WAGs who have become just as much of an attraction as their athletic husbands in recent seasons.
This is where Allison Kaye comes in.
The 33-year-old makeup artist, who is based in Fort Lauderdale, has become a key resource for many WAGs on game day, and has so far helped glam up women from 16 of the 32 teams in the NFL since starting last year.
‘I think that sometimes people don’t understand why they are so glammed up,’ Kaye, who started as a bridal makeup artist, told DailyMail.com.
‘My opinion is there are only 18 weeks in the NFL, which means you’re playing 17 games because there’s a bye week, and if your husband had 17 work events, you would make sure that you looked your best at every single one.’
Allison Kaye, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, (pictured) is a key player when it comes to WAGs and game day makeup. She has glammed women from 16 of the 32 NFL teams since she starting doing celebrity makeup last year
Kaye did bridal make up for Bachelor alum Hannah Ann Sluss
The makeup products and clothing designers WAGs use are also often splashed up on the internet following the games as frenzied fans desperately seek to recreate the stunning looks – especially since international pop star Taylor Swift joined the ranks for the Kansas City Chiefs.
With TikTok and Instagram taking the wives and girlfriends of players to new heights, the pressure to look beautiful and be camera-ready on game day means they need a trusted makeup artist.
When the 2024 season began on September 5, Kaye was booked and busy and ready to take her magic to the games, starting with the Cleveland Browns, a childhood favorite team of hers and the same place she got her start in NFL makeup.
Sophie Scott – girlfriend to now-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones – was the first NFL WAG to notice Kaye’s work and booked her for the 2021 draft that was held in Cleveland, Ohio, where her boyfriend was drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles.
‘I thought that this was just like a once in a life opportunity,’ she told DailyMail.com.
Sophie Scott (pictured) – girlfriend to now-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones – was the first NFL WAG to notice Kaye’s work and she booked her for the 2021 draft that was held in Cleveland, Ohio, where her boyfriend was drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles
Kaye also airbrushes foundation which put’s ‘pixels’ on the face and forms to the skin to give a natural and long-lasting look, like on Haley Cavinder, girlfriend of Cowboys star Jake Ferguson
Kaye flew out for the event and shortly after found other WAGs following her Instagram account. Soon enough, she became a mainstay in NFL game day prep for some of its most beautiful women.
‘I didn’t choose this life, it choose me,’ Kaye laughed. ‘This is not a joke. This is true.’
The former bridal makeup artist never saw herself doing celebrity glam and getting to travel around but she’s enjoying every second of it.
‘I can’t give you a con,’ she said when prompted. ‘It’s so exciting.’
She often helps groups of women from the same team on game day and does their glam in roughly 35 to 45 minutes each, depending on many people require her services.
The largest group she has done so far was eight women from the Washington Commanders after Blair Cosmi – wife to Sam Cosmi – reached out.
‘I don’t think she was expecting my response. And I was like: “Well, when do you want it? And can we get some other girls from the team?”‘ she said. ‘I think she was just hoping like: “Hey, if you’re ever in the area,” but like, no, I will come out.’
NFL WAGs have been popular, especially since international pop star Taylor Swift (pictured with Brittany Mahomes) joined the ranks last season
The largest group she ever did was eight women from the Washington Commanders after Blair Cosmi (pictured) – wife to Sam Cosmi – reached out. ‘I don’t think she was expecting my response. And I was like: “Well, when do you want it? And can we get some other girls from the team?”‘
A moment she’ll remember forever was when fellow Washington WAG Chloe Barbu – girlfriend to now-Seattle Seahawks player Sam Howell – invited her to go out to dinner with all the girls from the team.
‘They were the first team that I flew out to and they invited me to dinner with all the wives and girlfriends the night before. That was really special,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘They were just the nicest people ever, so welcoming. And it just kind of felt like you were part of their friend group at the dinner.’
For the start of the 2024 season, the self-certified ‘sports girlie’ will be working with wives of Cleveland Browns or those from incoming teams for two months.
And her Super-Bowl-approved hack to keeping her client’s make up on all night long? Airbrushed foundation.
She uses a silicon-based airbrush from Temptu for the base layer because it’s sweat- and water-proof. Each individual foundation color cost $14 with airbrush kits ranging up to more than $400.
But it’s more than just the brand, it’s the technique.
Kaye has glammed women from the Kansas City Chiefs – including Lyndsay Bell, who was snapped hanging out with Taylor Swift last season – for both Super Bowls they attended in 2023 and 2024.
Kaye has glammed women from the Kansas City Chiefs – including Lyndsay Bell (pictured) – for both Super Bowls they attended in 2023 and 2024. Her tip for keeping makeup on for 24 hours like the wives of Super Bowl champs is to view makeup like a croissant
Some don’t get why WAGs, like Marissa Lawrence (pictured) – wife of Jacksonville Jaguars Trevor Lawrence – feel the need to get all glammed up for the games, but Kaye says anyone would want to show up to the husband’s work event and ‘make sure that you looked your best at every single one’
Her technique is to view makeup like a croissant: thin, flakey, flexible.
‘To get it to last a long time is a lot of very light layers, which is why makeup can’t be done in 10 minutes, because when you’re layering things lightly, that’s gonna take time,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘If I had to compare it to something, if you think about the way that croissants are made, they’re not just one ball of dough that gets put into the oven very quickly. They are thin, flaky layers that then all become a beautiful pastry at the end, and that is exactly how I would describe doing the perfect makeup look to get it to last 24 hours.’
The airbrush tool sprays ‘pixels’ on the face and ‘works with the skin,’ she says. Then she adds on the other layers.
As for the demands of the women, she believes women choose their makeup artist based on their signature looks, and for Kaye, that’s soft glam.
As for the demands of the women, she believes women choose their makeup artist based on their signature looks, and for Kaye, that’s soft glam (pictured: HBTV star Heather Rae El Moussa who Kaye did her makeup)
She also does makeup for influencers like Abbie Herbert (left) and for pageants, like current Miss USA Alma Cooper (right)
‘If you look at my page, you obviously won’t see crazy things like a glitter cut crease or editorial-style makeup,’ she said. ‘I feel like everyone loves a soft glam, and they love [even] more a bronzy soft glam.’
Just because it’s soft glam doesn’t mean she’s skipping on full coverage products, but the end result will be a ‘natural and neutral everyday look,’ she said.
And no one pulls off the perfectly glam look like Barbie dolls. As a child, Kaye used to play with and style the dolls.
She’s now working with real-life clients, but the sentiment hasn’t changed from keeping girls looking their best and feeling confident.
‘It’s kind of just fun to be able to do the glam, look our best,’ she said.