Oscar Makeup: Hits and Misses!

Lets face it. The Academy Awards are great to watch, if only for the red carpet fashions. We all turn into critics and it becomes a fun competition to decide who did best and who could have done a lot better. As far as makeup goes, there were 2 classic, if predictable trends on the red carpet last night. Bright red lips can always be expected on a night where you go all-out glam. There were plenty of them. Some were absolutely flawless and some tipped the scales towards being overdone. The other trend was soft pastel shadows paired with light pink/nude lips. This light and pretty look is perfect for spring, but I got a little bored seeing it on too many faces last night.
Without further ado I present my picks for the 3 best and the 3 worst of red carpet makeup followed by  examples of how to and how not to execute 2 different looks we saw last night.

(Click images to enlarge)

THE BEST:

 Rooney Mara

Try to remember that this is not an airbrushed ad in a fashion magazine. She looks flawless. Her skin is pale and matte. Light, barely there shadow with no liner or false lashes. Light mascara and structured brows are the perfect compliment to ruby red lips.

Octavia Spencer

A great look for her. Smoked dramatic eyes and a contoured cheekbone create just the right amount of drama. Her lips are left fairly natural which is a nice, comfortable way to wear a look like this.

Michelle Williams

Clean and simple. The eye makeup is light while her cheeks have a touch of glowing pink just on the apples. Her lips have pop of yellowy-pink which compliments the coral dress she was wearing. Slightly unusual to wear a pink lip with a reddish gown, but it works because of the yellow undertones in both.

THE WORST:

 Katy Perry

Not much needs to be said here. The eyes are just too much. The Oscars is a classy affair. This is a Grammys look that just doesn't belong.

Jennifer Lopez

Its almost right, but the eyes are just a little too theatrical. There are too many bells and whistles that the makeup artist played with. From the double wing, to the white pencil used to accentuate, to the overdrawn lid. This look belongs on a Broadway stage or on RuPaul's Drag Race.

Viola Davis

Her look was great from afar, but up close this makeup is clearly caked onto her skin in a very unflattering way. Product has also settled into the fine lines on her lips. Her skin (including lips) needed to be buffed, moisturized, and primed before applying foundation with a light touch. This is a fault of the makeup artist.

HOW TO & HOW NOT TO:

RED LIPS: 

 

HOW TO:

Angelina Jolie (as well as Rooney Mara) got it right. Wispy false lashes with soft copper eye shadow paired well with lightly filled brows and lips. The lines aren't hard. The skin isn't overloaded with foundation and there is no visible blush or bronzer. The is a great alternative to Rooney's very precise application.

HOW NOT TO:

Miley Cyrus might look nice to some, but this is an example of going a bit too far with makeup. There is noticeable product everywhere. If you cover the lips, you can see that this look would have been nice with light lips, but not with red. There are dark brows, dramatic false lashes, bronzer, blush, and perfectly applied red lips. Its all just too perfect and as a result she looks like that girl working at the makeup counter who has too much time on her hands.

THE NATURAL LOOK:

 HOW TO:

Sophia Coppola looks great here. She obviously chose a light look and it works perfectly for her. There are light hints of peach blush and lip balm and the barest bit of mascara. This is the right way to do a "no makeup" makeup look.

 HOW NOT TO:

Gwyneth Paltrow is known for her beachy look and straight blonde hair but there are two things amiss here. Too much bronzer is applied, especially on the forehead. This accentuates wrinkles and makes the skin look ruddy instead of fresh. My other problem here is her lack of eyebrows. With light makeup where the eyes are the focus, it washes the look out in a bad way to not have brows. If you cover her brows and forehead, she looks good. But these two problems throw the whole look off.