Dakota Johnson Didn’t Need a Lash Curler—And Other Secrets From Last Night’s ‘SNL’ Taping

Madame Web star Dakota Johnson looked undeniably hot last night while hosting Saturday Night Live. Styled by Kate Young in Tom Ford (accessories included a Verdura bracelet and ring and Kate Young x Monica Vinader hoops), the look was finished off with a classic blowout by Mark Townsend, and sexy smoky eye by makeup artist Georgie Eisdell.

Eisdell was on set with Johnson (who she calls “DJ”) all week, prepping her for the promo photos through the after party. “DJ grew up in this industry and she’s cool, calm, and collected,” she tells Vogue. “We really went for it with the look last night. SNL is the place to have fun, and she already had a sexy style by Kate Young and all that sexy hair… the beauty obviously had to keep up.” 

To start, Johnson took a moment to meditate. “Dakota really looks after her skin, which makes my job so much easier,” Eisdell says. “But this isn’t a week with a lot of sleep. So we took the time to put on the CurrentBody LED Light Therapy Mask in the dressing room—it gives them a few minutes of time to themselves but also doubles as a quick depuffing and firming skin treatment. I left her in her dressing room with the mask and blanket on to meditate,  then it was full steam ahead!”

Eisdell cites Victoria Beckham Beauty as a major brand in her kit to help create the look. Johnson wore shades of plum and taupe to give her eyes a smolder, plus The Lip Definer in #2 for an effortlessly neutral pout. “You don’t need a quad to create a smoky eye,” the makeup artist says. “It’s actually all about the application process. I prefer cream shadows because they are so much easier to work with. From there, you need a dry, clean, fluffy brush—that’s important—put the shadow on the outer corner of the eye then move the brush like a windshield wiper across the lid until it’s blended. Then blend a little more. I’ve learned you always need to blend a little more than you think you do.” 

And when it comes to the lashes, Eisdell has a bit of a hot take: She does carry around a lash curler, but she’s literally never used it on a client. “I’m a massive mascara fan and if you’re using two coats of mascara, it’s doing the exact same thing,” she says. “The secret is to push the mascara wand into the bash of the lashes, so it doubles as a liner, then use the wand to guide the lashes into the shape that you want them, fanning them out and up.” 

She adds that DJ has “quite fluffy lashes naturally,” so we guess some people do have it all.