The Oscars 2017 · Beauty & Style Roundup

Say what you will, but the 89th Academy Awards show that aired Sunday evening will certainly go down in the books as one of the most entertaining. With an uplifting opening number performed by Justin Timberlake (this man can do no wrong), host Jimmy Kimmel was outstanding and kept the audience totally entertained throughout the evening with his trademark dry humour — no cornball jokes or cheesy skits in sight. Then there was the by-now infamous SNAFU at the very end … oy.

For a few minutes there, I actually couldn’t decide if the name mixup was a spoof or not, but talk about cringe-inducing. That aside, I was riveted to my screen from the start of all the red carpet appearances and I’m pretty sure no one was all that surprised that the celebs totally BROUGHT it. With few exceptions, the gowns were exquisitely crafted and spectacular (but yes, there were misses as well), and makeup looked flawless but not excessive. Nails as per usual, were mostly in neutral hues (nothing must compete with the gown & jewels, remember?) but a few brave souls did amp it up with colour and/or shimmer, while hair tended to either fall into the polished/Old Hollywood glam camp, or the deliberately sexy tousled variety, and I’m guessing that jewelled headbands are going to be huge this year, if the pieces seen on the red carpet are anything to judge by. Not to be outdone, the guys cleaned up quite well too and of couples goals, there were plenty of examples to sigh over.

Naturally, this is not a complete list of all present and to keep things somewhat cohesive, I’ve grouped the looks according to gown colour (exceptions being the first two, Emma Stone and Viola Davis, winners of the night with Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively). Where possible, I’ve also provided a makeup breakdown.

An omen perhaps? A gown that’s definitely Oscar-worthy: Emma Stone, Best Actress – La La Land, wearing Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci with Tiffany & Co. jewelry

Key makeup looks: Velvet Matte Skin Tint to even out skin, Orgasm Liquid Blush (new for Spring 2017) and Velvet Lip Liner in Karekare topped with Mona Audacious Lipstick — all NARS

Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress – Fences, wearing a custom Armani Privé gown

Loving Viola’s ombré bangs and smoky eyes

Queen Inspo: Ruth Negga in Valentino with a royal-worthy jewelled headpiece

Lips: Le Crayon Lèvres in Rouge Profond & Rouge Allure Ink in Experimente — all CHANEL

Embellished Nudes

Felicity Jones in Dior, giving us all kinds of ballerina envy

I’m all about Felicity’s simple yet striking look — and that peach/coral lip!

Nicole Kindman wearing an Armani Privé gown accessorized with Harry Winston jewels

Smart move, Nicole: flawless skin and a red-hot lip — or the perfect way to accessorize this masterpiece of a gown

When neutrals fade into black

Halle Berry wearing a Versace Couture Spring 2017 gown

Halle, I adore you but what’s with the hair? Major volume aside, this woman is just divine

Emma Roberts wearing vintage Armani Privé (leaving very little to the imagination)

Filmstar Bronze & Glow, Eyes to Mesmerize in Bette, Color Chameleon in Bronzed Garnet & Matte Revolution Lipstick in Red Carpet Red — all Charlotte Tilbury

Alicia Vikander wearing Louis Vuitton

Only Vuitton can turn a Victorian influence into something so sexy and Alicia’s messy topknot and bronzed skin set everything off to perfection.

Kirsten Dunst in Dior. Can you say J’Adore? Sigh….

Lips: Chantecaille Lipstick in Cerise and winner of the Best Bedhead Hair award

Janelle Monáe wearing an embellished Elie Saab Autumn/Winter 2017 Couture gown

Janelle’s killer glow was achieved by a mixture of TruBlend Bronzer in Bronze with Queen Collection Natural Hue Bronzer in Ebony Bronzer. Lips: LipPerfection Liner in Smoky and All Day Color and Gloss in Profound Peach — all CoverGirl

Brie Larson in Oscar de la Renta with Aquazzura sandals

Key products used to create Brie’s look: Soft Matte Complete Concealer, Seaside Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzer (new for Spring 2017) and Famous Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil — all NARS

Salma Hayek in Alexander McQueen

Nothing else needed: a flawless complexion, groomed brows, a softly smoked out liner and a nude pout

Taraji P Henson wearing a navy custom Alberta Ferretti gown & Nirav Modi jewelry

St. Tropez tanning products used to create Taraji’s fierce glow: Self Tan Luxe Dry oil, Self Tan Dark Bronzing Mist and St. Tropez Instant Tan Finishing Gloss (new). Makeup: Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette with the shimmer brought on by NYX Roll On Eye Shimmer in Salmon. Lips: Surratt Beauty Lip Lustre in Pompadour Pink

The icon: Meryl Streep in a navy embellished Elie Saab gown

Gold Dipped

Jessica Biel wearing KaufmanFranco accessorized by a Tiffany & Co. neckpiece

Graphic black liner & a soft peach lip, or how to dress up an unbelievable gold gown

Charlize Theron wearing a Dior Spring/Summer 2017 Collection gown

One word: flawless. PS: so thrilled to see her sporting both natural looking lashes & brows

Dakota Johnson wearing Gucci Autumn/Winter 2017. Ok, so I’m trying extra hard to find something I like here, but sadly everything is one big miss for me (I still wanted to include her in the “gold” group just the same). My thoughts? The high neckline might have worked better with a different bottom … and preferably one that didn’t look like she had an apron on.

Dakota’s entire look would have been saved with makeup that had some punch, but once again this is a pass. However, I do give her props for how beautifully her “natural effect” was executed

White Hot

Hailee Steinfeld wearing Ralph & Russo

Take a lesson here: a gown this spectacular really only needs a smoky eye complete with feathery lashes — peach/nude lip optional

Chrissy Teigen in Zuhair Murad. Not my fave look on her but I’m still wowed by her post-baby body

Lips: Glossier Generation G Lip Colors in Cake & Leo

Naomie Harris wearing A Calvin Klein by Appointment dress (I’m on the fence here; I really want to love this but I can’t get past all the inconsistencies)

Next level nude: winner of the Best No-Makeup look

Karlie Kloss wearing a Stella McCartney gown with Nirav Modi jewels

All this statuesque beauty ever needs is just a simple swipe of colour, am I right?

Priyanka Chopra in Ralph & Russo. Ummm…not sure what this is all about but it’s kinda cool, no?

Isabelle Huppert in Armani Privé accessorized with Repossi jewelry

Endangered Red from NARS used to create Isabelle’s sexy pout. Can we talk about her intense ear cuff? This woman is a siren!

50 Shades of Grey, Silver & Floral

Olivia Culpo wearing Marchesa. Makeup: Shady Violet Infallible Paints Eye Shadow & Violet Amour Colour Riche Pocket Palette. Lips: Colour Riche Lip Liner in Au Natural and Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss in Bare Attraction — all L’Oréal Paris

Octavia Spencer in Marchesa — loving how her asymmetrical bob gives an edge to her totally feminine look

Scarlett Johansson in Azzedine Alaïa. The more I look at this, the more I love its utterly “fresh” appeal … just not sure it’s really Oscar-worthy

Key products used to create Scarlett’s look: Soft Matte Complete Concealer, Orgasm Liquid Blush (new for Spring 2017) & Get Off Velvet Matte Lip Pencil — all NARS

…or dashing & débonnaire

From Pharrell’s CHANEL Tuxedo, Ryan Gosling bringing the ruffled shirt back, Dwayne Johnson’s smoking hot navy velvet, Justin Timberlake’s take on Bond, Best Supporting Actor winner Mahershala Ali’s black tone on tone and the always-dashing Tom Ford in, what else, Tom Ford … these guys sure give great red carpet

#CouplesGoals

It’s almost a given that we’re going to awwww over new parents Chrissy Teigen & John Legend. The legendary Sting and wife Trudie Styler are what all icons should aspire to, while hot couple alerts are still on for both Jennifer Aniston & hubby Justin Theroux (OMG – her dress is divine), and Jessica Biel (who changed into another even more spectacular number for the Vanity Fair party) with Justin Timberlake. Notice that the latter two couples all have first names that start with “J” — coincidence?

Vanity Fair after-party