Every Product Used to Create Issa Rae's Radiant Saturday Night Live Look

Configuring a makeup look for a celebrity who's hosting Saturday Night Live is no easy feat, as there are multiple super-quick changes between skits. Throw in a pandemic, and you've got a job that deserves a goddamn award.

Issa Rae, for instance, hosted the show's October 17 episode alongside musical guest Justin Bieber and had various different costume changes throughout the night. For this reason, her makeup artist Joanna Simkin kept things simple with glowing skin and neutral colors on her eyes and lips.

"Issa's look for SNL focused on her skin," Simkin tells Allure in an exclusive interview. "With so many quick changes, we had to make her look simultaneously beautiful and relatable, as she was playing such a variety of characters, sometimes with under two minutes for a full hair, makeup, and wardrobe change, so we went with fresh skin, a very wearable eye, and a neutral gloss."

To prep the Insecure star's skin, Simkin used ALLEVEN's Ultra Cleanser followed by the brand's Stellar Mask to "kick-start her glow." Then, before starting on her face, Simkin applied some of ALLEVEN's Colour Shield in the shade Onyx to Rae's body, focusing on the areas of skin that showed the most during her monologue.

To even out her skin, Simkin applied a light layer of Shiseido's Synchro Skin Foundation (a former Best of Beauty winner) in the shade 530 Henna. She then concealed wherever needed using Beautyblender's Bounce Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer in shade 4.35 before applying The Prime Beauty's Bronzville Bronzer and Cargo's Laguna Blush. As for her highlight, Simkin used MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Gold Deposit for a gorgeous, ultra-glowy effect.

For Rae's eyes, Simkin blended Make Up For Ever's Aqua Resist Smokey Shadow Stick in Earth (a warm shimmery brown) from her lashes to her crease before lining with Eyes Are the Story's Eye Proof Liquid Liner. After eyeliner, she applied several coats of the brand's mascara before moving on to her lips.

"I prepped her lips with La Mer Lip Balm and then her liner is Pat McGrath's Permagel Ultra Liner in Brownouveaux," says Simkin. "Then I used Armani Beauty's Lip Maestro and topped it with Shiseido's Shimmer Gel Lip Gloss in 05 Sango Peach."

Well, there you have it. Congrats to the Insecure star on nailing her first time hosting the hit comedy show — and to Simkin for making her look so stunning for the big night.

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Now read more about Issa Rae:

• Issa Rae Is Getting Into the Hair-Care Game

• Issa Rae's 2020 Emmys Makeup Is a Perfectly Unexpected Fall Beauty Look

• Issa Rae Is the Newest Face of CoverGirl

Done reading? Watch NIKI's on-the-go makeup routine:

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Originally Appeared on Allure