Dakota Johnson's Makeup in 'Materialists' Is a Lesson in Cool-Toned Beauty

With its starry love triangle, "Materialists" may be director Celine Song's ode to — or perhaps, critique of — classic Y2K romcoms. But if we’re talking about the story's protagonist, Lucy (played by Dakota Johnson) and her look for the film, makeup artist Emma Strachman looked back even earlier, to the nineties, the golden era of supermodels and cool-toned glam. 

Cool-toned makeup has experienced a revival in recent years, thanks to TikTok, IT-girls like Lily-Rose Depp, Charli XCX, the model Gabriette, and launches from Huda Beauty and Makeup by Mario. For Strachman, however, the decision to go to the cooler side of the cosmetics spectrum for Lucy’s makeup wasn’t based on trends — it was based on the film’s overall color palette. Song described "Materialists" as a "silver movie," according to costume designer Katina Danabassis, a very specific note that influenced everything from the set design to the costuming. After seeing the navy, black, and neutral work ensembles Danabassis pulled together for professional matchmaker Lucy, Strachman knew she needed to echo those tones in the makeup. 

When putting together her mood boards for Lucy, Strachman’s starting point were the queens of cool-toned cosmetics, the nineties supermodels. "There’s a lot of Christy Turlington and Kate Moss, as well as some of the Olsen twins from back in the day because I liked that effortless makeup that’s not overly glamorized," Strachman explains. French actresses from the '60s and '70s also served as inspiration for Lucy’s look. "For me, I'm drawn to that type of beauty; women are strong but they also feel a bit more pedestrian, which was my goal for this film."