We’ve seen some amazing looks on the red carpet this award season, but the Oscars bring out the best of the best, so if there’s only one show to emulate, it’s this one. Beauty was fresh, simple and most of all wearable—these looks can transform from the red carpet to a night out with the girls at the drop of a hat. Of course celebrities have access to a team of professionals with the know-how and expertise to give them these award-winning looks, but we weren’t about to let the stars have all the fun. We got the insider info from the pros on how to recreate the best red carpet looks at home. Grab your makeup brushes, ladies.
Okay, it’s probably no secret we’re big Anna Kendrick fans here at JustLuxe. Yes, we loved her pale pink Thakoon gown, but her makeup was gorgeous. It was youthful and fresh, but had just enough smolder to really distinguish her as a Hollywood starlet. “Anna’s Thakoon Oscar gown is a breath of fresh air. The soft coral is amazing against her alabaster skin,” gushed Vanessa Scali, a makeup artist for Elizabeth Arden. “I wanted to create a look that had presence but wasn’t overpowering and wouldn’t compete with the dress. The focus is definitely on the sultry eye, but paired with nude, juicy skin, and a matte bitten lip, she looks fresh and effortless.” Using an arsenal of Elizabeth Arden products, Scali prepped her face with the Flawless Future skincare collection before lightly applying foundation, highlighter and a touch of loose powder on her T-zone for smooth base.
As the eyes were the focus of the look, Scali took extra care to really make them pop. Using the Beautiful Color Eye Shadow collection, she layered Smolder from the lash line to the crease before pressing Glisten onto the brow bone and center of the lid. “I used Beautiful Color Precision Glide Eyeliner in Black Velvet on the top lash line, on the outer corners of the lower lashes as well as on the water line. Followed by Sunkissed Pearls Gel Eye Liner in Deep Sea Pearl smudged into the lash line; this saturates the black at the base of the lashes. It isn’t a hard line—just rich and dark,” Scali explained. She completed the look with a few coats of mascara on both the top and bottom lashes and a soft matte lipstick for a delicate touch of color.
Reese Witherspoon absolutely stunned in a black and white, off-the-shoulder Tom Ford gown that left us pretty much speechless. But the Oscar-nominated actress’ bare-faced look really stole the show. She was absolutely glowing, and looked as if she had just come from a tropical island rather than long days of television appearances, interviews and press junkets. Celebrity makeup artist Molly R. Stern achieved this look by prepping Witherspoon’s arms and décolletage with St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion to add a “rich golden base for her skin.” Stern used the RéVive Intensité skincare line to prep her face, before adding a foundation that was a shade darker than the actress to warm up her skin tone. Contouring Witherspoon’s cheeks with Tom Ford’s Shade & Illuminate Highlighter & Shader Duet she defined her bone structure and added a touch of color with Kjaer Weis’ Cream Blush.
Opting to keep everything natural and matte, Stern layered and blended a selection of Laura Mercier’s Eye Colours in Café Au Lait and Truffle over the lid to add softness, and to “create depth without adding darkness.” The shades Noir and Coffee Ground were layered at the lash line to bring out the blue in her eyes and just a sweep of Clé de Peau’s Beauté Intensifying Cream Eyeliner was added to her brows for definition. Two coats of black mascara were applied before Stern went back in and “painted highlights” with a brown mascara to keep her lashes soft and understated. A nude lipstick finished the look.
It’s pretty safe to say that if there was one defining moment of the night it was Lady Gaga’s tribute to The Sound of Music. She blew the crowd away with not only her outstanding performance, but how glamorous she looked on stage. (Sure, we weren’t fans of the bright rubber gloves she wore on the red carpet that evening, but it beats a meat dress.) Celebrity makeup artist Sarah Tanno worked with Nars to create Gaga’s looks for the red carpet, tribute performance and Vanity Fair After Party. For her red carpet and performance makeup, Tanno needed to give her distinctive looks that were easy to transition between. “For Lady Gaga's performance we wanted her to look very ethereal and soft. A soft shimmer on her lids and a neutral lip helped to achieve that perfectly," Tanno explained.
After prepping skin, Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation was added for a flawless base. A sweep of Callisto Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow was pressed onto the lids for a touch of shimmer and to bring softness and light to the eyes. While the look was finished with Nars’ Dragon Girl Velvet Matte Lip Pencil on the red carpet (perhaps to match her gloves?), on stage the bright red lip was switched out for Anita Audacious Lipstick, a nude-toned plum that single-handedly took her look from bold and polished to positively angelic.
We loved the youthful look of Chloë Grace Moretz. Rather than trying to bring an air of maturity to the actress, celebrity makeup artist Mai Quynh, played off her age with bright flushed skin, bold brows and a bright pink lip. Only prepping skin with an SPF moisturizer, Quynh used a primer before applying Laura Mercier Silk Crème Moisturizing Photo Edition Foundation with a damp Beautyblender sponge for light coverage. A light sweep of concealer was used under the eyes, and a pop of Rituel de Fille’s Inner Glow Cream Blush was applied to the apple of her cheeks for just a hint of color. After a dusting of translucent powder and a brush of bronzer for contour, Quynh layered on a second blush for a bolder, flushed look.
For a soft look on the eyes to play up the bare-faced, youthful appearance Quynh primed her lids in Laura Mercier’s Eye Basics before adding just a sweep of the Laura Mercier Matte Eye Colour in Truffle. Pressing a darker shade into the crease, she blended them both together before smudging them along the top and bottom lash lines. A bright pink lipstick was used to complete the fresh-faced look.
She may not have been in attendance at the Oscars, but Selena Gomez definitely put in one stunning appearance at the Vanity Fair After Party. This was easily one of our favorite evening looks—it felt bold without being excessive. “Selena wore a stunning and dramatic, black sparkly Louis Vuitton floor length dress with long sleeves. I wanted her makeup to be strong to complement the dress, but simple and elegant so it wouldn't compete with it,” explained celebrity makeup artist Jake Bailey. Buffing just a touch of foundation onto her skin, Bailey used the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate palette to contour her cheekbones before tapping “Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush in Nectar onto the apples of her cheeks for warmth.”
“Using Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Precision Glide Eyeliner in Black Violet, I lined Selena’s upper lash line and then drew the pencil all over her lids so they were a solid black. I then blended and softened the edges with my fingertips,” Bailey explained. She added a sparking shadow to the crease, blending out toward the temple to elongate her eyes before brushing on a few coats of mascara and setting her brows in place with a brunette pencil and clear gel.
