Learn How To Do Issa Rae 2019 Critics' Choice Awards Makeup

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Issa Rae stepped out on the red carpet at the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards and made a statement. The Insecure creator and star wore an all black thigh high dress created by her longtime stylist, Jason Rembert, for his new line Aliétte NY. Super sexy! She accompanied the look with some serious makeup giving us a smokey eye with a golden green lid. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

Thanks to Issa Rae’s incredible makeup artist, Joanna Simkin, we have the exact details on Rae’s ravishing look. “I was inspired by Issa’s beautiful black dress designed by her stylist and felt pressure to make sure her makeup looked extra gorgeous tonight,” Simkin stated via press release. Keep on reading below and learn how to recreate this makeup for under $75.00.

FACE

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First, you want to start with clean skin. You can use Pond’s Cold Cream Cleanser ($4.99, Target.com) to take off your makeup, but also to create a fresh palette! Simkin used Cover Girl Full Spectrum Matte Ambition Skin Primer SPF 20 ($11.49, UltaBeauty.com), as a base for Issa Rae’s face. Primer helps your makeup to lay smoothly, but this matte primer also will help keep shine at bay. Another plus is that it has built-in SPF 20 for those days where you might forget. If you’re into Korean beauty, you might want to try VDL Satin Veil Primer ($26.00, VDLus.com). This is quickly becoming a beauty cult classic and when you see how gorgeous it helps your makeup look (and last!) you’ll be a believer too. After the primer, it’s time to apply your favorite foundation.

Personally, I’m loving the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($42.00, GiorgioArmaniBeauty-usa.com). However, Simkin went with an affordable option, using Cover Girl Full Spectrum Matte Ambition All Day Shine Free Foundation ($11.99, Ulta.com). She mixed the shades Deep Cool 1 and Deep Neutral. Often, our skin is not just one complexion. For many women, it tends to be lighter in the inner areas and darker on the outer. Sometimes you need to mix to get the exact shade. Give your cheeks so depth with a beautiful blush. Simkin revealed, “I tied in the whole look by popping the purple-pinky shade in the Rose Rush Cheek Palette ($13.49, Ulta.com) to give her complexion a livelier look to complement the black colors in her dress and eyes.”

EYES

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Now, this is what had everyone talking as Rae was red carpet ready with this bold smokey eye. Green has been showing up everywhere and I love that Simkin took it to Issa Rae’s lids. She used the Full Spectrum So Saturated 8 Shade Eyeshadow Palette in Zodiac ($13.49, Ulta.com). You can also check out Makeup Geek. They have two beautiful green shades in Venom ($6.00, MakeupGeek.com), which is a moss shade with golden undertones and Envy ($6.00, MakeupGeek.com), which is a deep dark green that reads almost as black. You could use Envy to smoke out the eye if you wanted more of a green look. The great thing about this brand is that you can make your own palettes too. For eyeliner, Simkin glided Full Spectrum Defining Moment Eyeliner in Blackest Black ($7.99, Ulta.com). Right now, I’m obsessed with Urban Decay Perversion Eyeliner in Black ($22.00, Sephora.com), it does on so black and so clean. To give your lashes some extra oomph, try and eyelash primer. A great one is Lancome Cils Booster XL White Mascara – the travel size makes it super affordable ($13.00, Lancome.com). Wait a few minutes then apply your mascara to give your eyes some extra pop. Rae is wearing Cover Girl Exhibitionist Mascara ($7.99, Target.com) in ‘Very Black’, they also make it in a waterproof formula, too.

LIPS

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty

Unofficial makeup rules say that you should balance out a bold eye with a neutral lip or vice versa. This helps provide a focal point for your face and isn’t too distracting. This creamy brown lipstick that Rae is sporting is beautiful and makes a great nude. She’s wearing a mix of Full Spectrum Color Idol Satin Lipstick in Undone and Royalty ($9.49, Ulta.com). Simkin stated, “The satin and matte finishes of her lips help balance out her matte and shimmery eye in a way that gives her a more hydrated look opposed to being too matte or too shiny.” If you don’t want to buy two lipsticks to create this color, try Fenty Beauty Stunna in Unveil ($24.00, FentyBeauty.com) and place a little glossy lipstick over it like Glossier Lip Gloss ($14.00, Glossier.com), which is a great dupe for MAC Lipglass.

What did you think of Issa Rae’s look at the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards? Will you be trying this bold smokey eye for your next night out? Share your look with me @TheIslanDiva and @HelloBeautiful, we all want to see!

Danielle James is Head of Fashion and Beauty Partnerships for HelloBeautiful and MadameNoire. She’s the Founder of Model Citizen, a peer-to-peer shopping platform that allows women to shop each others’ closets. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter: @TheIslanDiva. 

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