Allison Williams’ Makeup Artist Explains How to Get Her Sharp Met Gala Cat Eye

When it comes to learning how to do your own makeup, perfecting the art of a winged cat-eye liner can prove one of the most challenging hurdles. If there’s anyone that can give you the best tips in the business, however, it’s Jenna Kristina. Kristina is a Los Angeles-based makeup artist who has worked with the likes of Megan Fox, Lucy Hale, and Rebecca Rittenhouse— so it’s safe to say she knows her way around an eyeliner. She’s also the artist behind Allison Williams' glamorous Brigitte Bardot-esque Met Gala 2023 look. To get all of the details, NYLON spoke to Kristina about how to get the look and for tips on perfecting a sexy sharp cat eye.

Kristina says that for the glam she took influence from the French designer that Williams wore, Patou. “The designer was referencing the French artist, Rene Gruau and Gruau did these beautiful line drawings of women,” she told NYLON. “When it came to the face, there was a focus on a perfectly lined eye and a beautiful pouty mouth. The lines were simple but exuded the energy of a quintessential French woman, one that never left home without her eyeliner and lipstick on.” Kristina used Too Faced cosmetics for the entire look.

Kristina says that Williams’ finished look is “definitely attainable at home” and can even be paired down for a more everyday wearable eyeliner look. To create Williams’ look Kristina told NYLON she first used Too Faced Born This Way Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette to apply a base of a light wash of nude shadow all over her lid. She then drew the eyeliner shape on with the Killer Kajal 12-Hour Long Wear Eyeliner and smudged the edge to soften up the line. Then, right along the lash line, she used Better Than Sex Sexy Easy Glide Eyeliner to draw that super intense vinyl black cat eye line. Kristina finished the eye makeup off with the cult-favorite Better Than Sex Mascara, to add volume and drama to the lashes. For the lips, “I wanted the lips to be gorgeous but not the star of the look,” Kristina says, “so I went with the Lady Bold Cream Lipstick in Hype Woman” to top off the look.

This wasn’t Kristina’s first Met Gala, having previously done Zoey Deutch’s makeup in 2021. she says her biggest Met Gala makeup tip is that “gorgeous skin is key to any look”, especially as the Met Gala is an event you are sure to be photographed from all angles. “Skin that looks like skin is really important for the base of a makeup look, especially with the dramatic looks that we see on the Met Gala carpet,” she says. For Williams’ skin, she used Too Faced Born This Way Healthy Glow Skin Tint Foundation, as it’s “lightweight but very pigmented, giving the skin a flawless finish”. She then applied Born This Way Ethereal Light Illuminating Concealer to brighten under her eyes and then set her skin with Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder. The resulting combination of glassy, glowing skin and sleek black eyeliner gave Williams the ultimate French movie star glam for the red carpet.