There were so many stand-out looks at the 2023 Met Gala, and Kendall Jenner was one of them. The model and reality star wore a Marc Jacobs bodysuit, which was complete with black sequins, a bright silver collar, and sweeping floor-length sleeves. However, as beauty editors, we looked beyond her obviously eye-catching outfit to focus on her hair and makeup. The latter was subtle, yet flawless, combining a glowing complexion with fluttery lashes and petal pink lip and cheek colors. Speaking of makeup, you’d expect a celebrity like Kendall Jenner to use expensive, high-end products before walking one of the most anticipated red carpets of the year, but as it turns out, she didn’t. In fact, her makeup artist, Mary Phillips, used only drugstore products to create her look, L’Oréal products to be specific. That means that every single makeup product Kendall Jenner wore to the Met Gala was $20 and under. Ahead, see every product. And don’t be surprised if this causes you to revamp your makeup routine with new, affordable items.
Phillips utilized her viral “underpainting” technique to give Jenner a flawless complexion. First, she used this foundation in two deep shades to outline the perimeters of Jenner’s face. This gave her skin a subtle, contoured look before foundation even touched her skin (the point of this technique is to layer products in a specific way to make the skin look as natural as possible).
The underpainting technique isn’t complete without placing highlighter under foundation. Phillips highlighted “under the eyes and the center of the face” using this full-coverage concealer.
Once the contour and highlighter were applied, it was time for foundation. Phillips chose this long-wearing one that offers medium to full coverage with a lightweight and breathable texture. She mixed the shades 425 and 455 to mimic Jenner’s natural skin tone.
“I then lightly set the skin with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Vanilla powder foundation,” Phillips says. In other words, she used this powder foundation as a setting powder to take away shine while adding a touch more coverage.
To add some dimension to the contours of Jenner’s face, Phillips used this bronzer only “on the perimeters of the face and under the cheekbones.”
“To bring back more color,” Phillips applied this soft pink blush to the apples of Jenner’s cheeks.
I know what you’re thinking. Why is eyeliner considered to be face makeup? Well, Phillips used this eyeliner to add subtle faux freckles on Jenner’s nose and cheek area for an even more natural-looking complexion.
The final step was a little extra highlighter for more radiance. Phillips dabbed this one on the high points of Jenner’s face, including down the bridge of her nose.
Philips says the inspiration for her makeup was pulled from Mod ’70s makeup, and she wanted the emphasis to be on her eyes. “I started off by using a neutral brown eyeshadow from L’Oréal Paris La Palette Nude in the crease and under the eye,” she says.”
Phillips went back and forth between using the aforementioned palette and this waterproof liquid eyeliner to create the perfect look. “I then used the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Liner across the lash line and added a flick of a wing at the corner of the eyes. Under the eye, I used a darker chocolate shade on the outer corners and flicked it out. Then the middle of the two wings I used the lightest shade in the palette to emphasize the wings and elongate the eye.”
As the final step for Jenner’s eye makeup, Phillips used this mascara (which is also a Who What Wear team favorite). Phillips says it adds “instant length and intense color.”
When it came to brows, Phillips only used two products. The first was this pencil, in the shade Dark Brunette, which she used to define Jenner’s brows.
Then, Phillips “fluffed them up” using this transparent brow gel.
Phillips wanted to create a “natural pouty lip,” so she started off by lining Jenner’s lips with this neutral-toned liner.
The final step was to swipe on this rosy-pink lipstick, which promises to stay put for up to 16 hours of wear.
