Kat loves makeup and credits Kevyn Aucoin‘s book, Making Faces, which she received as a Hanukkah gift in the mid-90’s, as something that altered her brain chemistry forever. Her younger self loved to try everything and indulged in over-powdering her face with a chalky, white powder. Notwithstanding this faux pas, she would not change her experimental side. This beauty queen tends to prefer drugstore over high-end because she has the habit of reserving the “fancy” items for “special occasions” and they eventually go bad.
Brands that send Kat PR boxes or have done so in the past include Rituel de Fille, La Mer, Glossier, Lisa Eldridge, Nova Beauty, Thrive Causemetics.
Kat’s beauty idols
In 2015, Kat revealed to Byrdie magazine who her beauty idols are: Katharine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Anjelica Huston — and even Eddie Vedder. With the help of hairstylist Gregory Russell and makeup artist (and personal friend) Rachel Goodwin, she then transformed into these references in an editorial through the lenses of Olivia Malone.

“Katharine Hepburn obviously was one of the earth’s most inspiring female movie stars. When I was a young girl, I watched a lot of her films and thought she was such a badass. She just has this attitude towards publicity and fame and things like that, and she just rebelled against all of it and really paved her own way in the industry with what she wore and how she looked, and I just respect that so much. And I like to wear pants, and she liked to wear pants, and I thought why not?”

“Anjelica Huston is another one of those amazing, classic beauties, classic actresses. And she’s one of the actresses that I idolized. I grew up watching the Addams Family movies and ended up going through a major young-girl goth thing, and she had probably 99% to do with that. We did a cool version of Anjelica when she was a hot babe in the ’70s, and I loved that. I kind of forgot that she was this gorgeous disco flower babe, so that was really fun too.”

“[Sophia Loren] She kind of epitomizes Old Hollywood babe glamour. She is just full-on feminine, an amazing actress, gorgeous face, and amazing body. I think, also, I am a formidable-shaped human body, so I really loved watching her films and feeling, you know, like I had somebody to dress toward, if that makes sense. Like I try to sort of get inspiration from her when I’m going to an event or something like that, just because I love her whole essence.”
Silver screen beauty queen
Dollface
Jules’s makeup was the responsibility of Cheryl Calo and Mary Klimek. Jules Wiley’s cat eye was Kat’s very own responsibility since she knows her eye shape and can apply eyeliner in seconds. According to Kat, Klimek loves to combine up to three shades per look, giving preference to Rituel de Fille products.
For the Christmas episode (S01E06), we know Kat wore Lime Crime Velvetines matte liquid lipstick in the shade Red Velvet. In Molly (S02E07), “we had a scene where we had a lot of glitter on our eyes, and I’m sure you know that glitter is the devil. So Cheryl’s tip, which is brilliant, is to take it off with (scotch) tape — push it onto your eyelids, obviously being very careful”.
2 Broke Girls
Makeup artist Patricia Bunch is responsible for Max’s signature lip, which is Tarte’s LipSurgence lip tint in the shade Envy. To deepen the colour, Kat’s lips were lined with a MAC lip liner in the shade Half Red.
Kat’s tips and tricks
To be added!
Quotes
I don’t mind telling you that I have gotten so many gray hairs. It’s, like, making me really upset. I don’t know what to do about it. So I’m in this weird place of, like, do I start dyeing my hair? Do I just give in to this happening?
Kat Dennings for Allure, February 2022.
“They always discontinue my favorite things. Do you remember the Vincent Longo lip stain?”
Kat Dennings for Allure, February 2022.