For Hollywood’s biggest, most glamorous night, the makeup that celebrities wore was distinctly understated.
At the Oscars on Sunday, Chase Infiniti, who stars in “One Battle After Another,” turned up to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles with a quiet pop of lilac on her eyes, matching her custom lilac Louis Vuitton gown. Wunmi Mosaku, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in “Sinners,” showed off the tiniest splash of emerald at the corner of her eyes. Renate Reinsve and Jessie Buckley, both nominees for best actress, seemed to have little more on their faces than red lipstick. And others, including Demi Moore and Kate Hudson, looked almost barefaced.
Of course, the no-makeup makeup look isn’t new. But for several years, the red carpet was dominated by celebrities using makeup for dramatic effect, leaning on smoky eyes, long lashes or theatrical hair dos. Consider, for example, Cher’s memorable look for the Oscars in 1986 that drew together a feathered headdress and bold eyes. Even Nicole Kidman, who has a history of memorable Oscar looks, including bright red lips in 2017, chose a more subdued color palate on Sunday.
The re-emergence in recent years of a more subtle look has been fueled, in part, by Nina Park, a makeup artist who specializes in making celebrities look as natural as possible. In fact, her work has become so popular on social media that her particular style, seen on clients like Emma Stone and Zoë Kravitz, is being framed as the Nina Park Effect.
While some were keen to show their faces in a natural light, one nominee’s makeup choice was harder to gauge: Chloé Zhao, director of “Hamnet,” turned up to the red carpet with a black, translucent veil over her face.
Alisha Haridasani Gupta is a Times reporter covering women’s health and health inequities.
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