5 Ways Beauty Editors Would Glam 2026 Oscar Nominees Leave a comment
When it comes to award season, the inaugural Academy Awards—or the Oscars, for us layfolk—is the magnum opus. It’s the most important event for stars to get gussied up for in a year, apart from the Met Gala and Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween party. (The last one is my personal favorite.)
Though the Oscars promises an eve of spellbinding fashion, historical wins, and viral red carpet interviews, the thing we beauty editors most look forward to is the glam. From stunning eye shadow confections to trend-setting updos, down to each delicately painted fingertip, the stars show up and out on this most revered night in entertainment. Propped up on our couches and fingers on the Getty “refresh” button, we drink up every last detail.
While we revel in the natural beauty crafted by makeup artists like Nina Park, hairstylists like Bryce Scarlett, and manicurists like Tom Bachik—all of whom will undoubtedly be booked and busy on Oscars night—everyone has their own hopes and dreams of what each star could look like when they float down that red carpet. Some people make games out of predicting their favorite nominee’s looks, while others make full social media pages dedicated to restyling their favorite celebrities. (I’m talking about you, @youbelonginthis.)
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Though we love how these stars look at every event, angle, and turn, I asked our editors to play celebrity makeup artist and design their dream looks for their favorite Oscar nominees. Below, the shadows we’d use, lipsticks we’d paint, and visions we’d emulate on nominees Jessie Buckley, Emma Stone, Teyana Taylor, and more if we stepped into the skins of our favorite makeup artists.
Fan-Casting 5 Oscar Nominees’ Makeup Looks
Jessie Buckley’s English Rose Glamour
(Image credit: John Phillips/Getty Images; Merit, Chanel)
In my eyes, Park—current makeup artist to aflame Irish actress Buckley—can do no wrong. We’ve seen the best lead actress-nominated star in everything from berry lips to bare eyes and a striking red pout, but I, a sucker for themed glam, would love to see Buckley honor her character from Hamnet with her makeup look this Sunday. Though Buckley’s Agnes Shakespeare is barefaced for the entirety of the film, her burnished red dress is a constant throughout—a physical nod to her character’s story of passion, love, and anguish.
To emulate Agnes’ simplicity and signature color in a sophisticated way, I’d paint Buckley’s lips in a similar shade to her character’s dress: a deep, warm red lip, found in the form of Merit Beauty Signature Lipstick in Vermillion. Pulling from Agnes’ mousy brown hair, I’d keep the actress’ expressive eyes bare—save for a soft, smoky wash of brown eyeliner (Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Cocoa)—and a hint of brown Chanel mascara to subtly define her eyes for the camera. (Buckley is becoming quite the Chanel girl, after all.) As our Shakespearian leading lady spends most of her time engulfed in nature, I’d add the lightest touch of “sunburn” blush to her cheeks—Rhode’s Toasted Teddy terracotta shade comes to mind.
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Victoria Beckham Beauty
Satin Kajal Liner in Cocoa
Chanel
Inimitable Mascara in Noir Brun
MERIT Beauty
Signature Lipstick in Vermillion
Rhode
Pocket Blush in Toasted Teddy
Teyana Taylor’s Iced Chrome Eyes
(Image credit: Julian Hamilton/FilmMagic via Getty Images; Sephora)
“I hesitate to even attempt to mess with the perfection that is Teyana Taylor’s signature glam. That woman wears a bold wing and glossy lip like no other! I’m literally left gasping for air after every single red carpet appearance. That said, the star has played with pops of color here and there (burgundy and cobalt blue at the 2025 and 2022 Met Galas, respectively), and I would be absolutely dazzled to see a spring take for the Oscars—a purple and chrome moment, perhaps? Danessa Myricks’s violet eye paint and Makeup By Mario’s Master Crystal Reflector immediately come to mind, but regardless of whatever look she and makeup artist Yeika Glow decide to cook up, I know I’ll need at least three business days to recover.” —Jamie Schneider, senior beauty editor
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Danessa Myricks
Colorfix Liquid Pigment in Journey
Makeup by Mario
Master Crystal Reflector in Quartz
Emma Stone’s Frosted Fig Glam
(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images; Westman Atelier, Sephora)
Bugonia is the latest Yorgos Lanthimos film to earn Stone a “best actress” nomination, and I can’t wait to see the look she pulls in both the beauty and fashion departments this Sunday. Though Stone’s look, varying from corporate sleek to buzzed and slicked in antihistamine cream, we’re expecting full glamour from the decorated actress—and for this event, I’d love to see her trade her recent no-makeup makeup style for something a bit more vampy and modern, like a jammy lip and matte white eye.
Stone has attended (and won at) enough Academy Awards to have done the “classic” thing right—now, it’s time for her to play up her silver-screen features in an editorial way. Accenting her wide orbs would be MAC Cosmetics’ Matte Eye Shadow in Blanc Type, blended atop a pale, creamy base for the most striking pigmentation (the Pro Pot in Painterly comes to mind). I’d forego mascara to keep the look chic, instead opting for the lightest of eyeliner flicks with a cool-toned, taupe pencil. For that juicy fig pout, I’d swipe a generous layer of Westman Atelier’s sheer, plum-tinted lipstick in the shade Onyx, et voila.
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MAC Cosmetics
Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly
MAC Cosmetics
Matte Eye Shadow in Blanc Type
Makeup by Mario
Master Pigment Pro Eyeliner Pencil in Taupe
Elle Fanning’s Dark Romance Moment
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images; Ulta)
“I still think about Elle Fanning‘s 2024 Met Gala look at least once a week. Her high-shine complexion brought new meaning to “glass skin,” and the subtle hints of champagne shimmer made her look ethereal, as if she were floating up the Met’s iconic staircase. (Fun fact: her glow came courtesy of L’Oréal’s True Match Glumi Lotion.)
If I switched bodies with her makeup artist, Erin Ayanian Monroe, à la Freaky Friday, I’d do another riff on it, albeit with a rich, velvety, burgundy lip. Blame it on Wuthering Heights, but I’m loving ‘dark romance’ makeup lately, and I think opaque, wine-colored lipstick would look striking against Elle’s bright eyes and blonde hair. Add a fluttery lash, and it would be a makeup look that I’d put in my personal hall of fame.” — Kaitlyn McLintock, beauty editor
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MAC Cosmetics
M·a·cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Diva
MAC Cosmetics
Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara
Wunmi Mosaku’s Fiery “Sinful” Smize
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images; Sephora, Victoria Beckham Beauty)
One thing about me is that I fall hard for a themed red carpet moment. Wunmi Mosaku’s Sinners is a red-hot tango of passion and fear, and I want her glam to interpret the intensity of this heavily nominated film with the elegance it deserves. Since the actress’s skin is naturally glowy, I’d let her complexion do the talking—enhancing the high points of her face with Westman Atelier’s highlight stick for believable radiance before moving on to the eyes and lips.
Mosaku is known to love a wash of metallic color over her lids, so I’d follow suit for this supremely important event—coating the eyes in a smoky, shimmering cloud of Victoria Beckham’s Lid Lustre to make her eyes glow like smoldering embers. (Perfect for Sinners.) Matching the film’s aesthetic, I’d pair her dazzling lids with a deep red lipstick, such as Gucci’s cranberry-scarlet shade Rosso Ancora. Perfectly Old Hollywood, with a touch of thematic glamour. I can’t get enough.
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Westman Atelier
Lit Up Highlight Stick in Brûlée
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Lid Lustre in Mink
Gucci
Velvet Matte Lipstick in Rosso Ancora
