What were the beauty highs and lows of 2013's Academy Awards? Ayesha Muttucumaru and Kiran Branch report
To say that the staffers at GTG HQ eagerly anticipate the annual Oscar Academy Awards would be an understatement as large as Kim Kardashian's maternity outfits. It is always a Sunday night that’s marked in our calendars and as we watch with our eyes peeled into the wee hours of the morning we are always enthralled. Somehow our high expectations of an evening of glitz, glamour and tear-jerking acceptance speeches is always surpassed - and the 85th Academy Awards held on Sunday were of no exception.
Between Daniel Day-Lewis making history for winning Best Actor for a third time, Jennifer Lawrence endearingly tripping up when accepting her Best Actress award, Ben Affleck's emotional acceptance speech when collecting the Best Film award for Argo and Adele belting out her Oscar-winning Bond song Skyfall, it’s safe to say we were thoroughly entertained.
But who won in the beauty stakes? From show-stopping crops to vintage-inspired curls, crimson-kissed lips to barely-there pouts and metallic to mannequin-inspired talons, the looks from the Oscars parties and red carpet were as diverse and interesting as ever. Read on to see who we picked as our beauty winners and losers of the Oscars 2013...
The award for Best Pixie Cut goes to… Charlize Theron
Not many women can pull off this gamine look, but then not many women have a face as enchantingly beautiful as Charlize’s. The pixie cut is the perfect frame for her stunning features and her effortlessly cool crop outshone many a backcombed barnet on Sunday night.
If you too have fine bone structure and a great jawline, opt for a crop but be sure to style with a little Shu Uemura Art of Hair Cotton Uzu , £22, for maximum impact.
The award for Best Hair goes to… Reese Witherspoon
Rarely does Reese put a foot wrong on the red carpet and at the 85th Oscar Academy Awards she had yet another beauty triumph with her nod to old Hollywood glamour. The combination of side parting, swept back hair and long glamorous waves was simply divine.
To recreate Reese’s loose waves with a smooth finish, try the Babyliss Soft Waves , £29.99; the perfect tool for tousled tresses.
The award for Best Eye Make-up goes to… Jennifer Lawrence
All eyes were on Jennifer Lawrence on Sunday night as the 22-year-old scooped up the Best Actress Award, but here at GTG we couldn’t keep from staring at her subtle yet sublime smokey eyes. Without a shadow of a doubt, a winning beauty look for a stellar actress.
To recreate Jen’s smokey eye the key is to blend. Dab Lhasa by NARS , £18, over the eyelid and Bobbi Brown’s Eyeshadow in Steel, £16.50, into the socket line and outer corners. Then blend, blend, blend!
The award for Best Lip goes to… Jessica Chastain
Finding the perfect shade of red lip can be nigh impossible but Jessica Chastain has conquered her quest. A beautiful hue that both brightens her fair complexion yet compliments her golden-red locks makes for our favourite pout of the evening.
For a similar shade to Chastain, try Bobbi Brown’s Lip Color in Hollywood Red, £18.
The award for Best Cleavage goes to… Samantha Barks
There was a lot of questionable cleavage at this year’s Academy Awards (yes, we’re looking at you Heidi Klum). Countless A-listers sported dresses that took plunging necklines to a whole new extreme and as a result indecent exposure was rife on the red carpet. Thankfully, Samantha Barks donned Valentino and decided to show the attention-seeking starlets how to do sexy cleavage the chic way.
To recreate Samantha’s flawless finish use MAC’s Face and Body Foundation , £26.50, for sheer, natural-looking coverage with a subtle radiance.
The award for Best Nails goes to… Jessica Chastain
Not only did Jessica Chastain’s gold mani tie in perfectly with the occasion, the glamorous yet fun hue was also a great accessory to her overall fashion and beauty look. We rarely see anyone who nails every element of red carpet chic but Chastain definitely gets a 10 out of 10 for a marvellous mani as well as everything else.
For an Oscar-worthy golden mani, we recommend OPI Glitzerland , £11.50.
The award for Best Body Glow goes to… Stacy Kiebler
Frankly, if we had George Clooney on our arm, we’d be glowing too, but we have to take our hats off to the gorgeous Ms Kiebler for achieving beautifully golden skin that looked natural, healthy and most importantly, red carpet-appropriate.
In order to achieve this look at home, we’d recommend using Vita Liberata Sheer Tinted Self Tanning Mousse in Medium, £18.50 - your key to sun-kissed skin, sans Clooney.
The award for Best Bounce Back From The Brink goes to… Britney Spears
Britney’s relationship with the red carpet has been, for lack of a better word, Toxic. We’ve all seen the exposed hair extensions, almost ultra-violet tans and that denim maxi which have never quite painted Ms Spears in the best of showbiz lights. However, this time round, she’s got it absolutely right by debuting a much more understated, elegant look that saw the return of her natural brunette locks. Never an easy transformation to make, we applaud Britney for this bold choice and for opting to let her natural beauty shine through instead.
Inspired to go for a hair colour change-up too? Try out John Frieda’s Precision Foam Colour , £6.66, (available in an assortment of chocolate shades) or book in for an appointment with one of the expert colourists at The Josh Wood Atelier or Real Hair .
The award for Biggest Attention Seeker goes to… Heidi Klum
Heidi, Heidi, Heidi, what were you THINKING? Perhaps confusing the Oscars with the Golden Globes, this former supermodel looks like she’s vying for a page out of Pamela Anderson’s playbook. If you’ve got it, definitely flaunt it but didn’t you ever hear that less is more? Next time hitch the neckline a good few inches north, ditch the tan and opt for a subtle sheen along your décolletage using one of St Tropez’s Illuminators , £12.26 instead.
The award for Worst Hair goes to… Kristen Stewart
Taking the phrase ‘bed-head’ a little too literally, Kristen Stewart looked like she had just rolled out of one, such was the state of her dishevelled, frazzled locks on the red carpet.
For hair that’s a bit rock ‘n’ roll with a polished edge a la Kate Moss, try applying Bumble and Bumble’s Thickening Spray , £21.50 on wet hair. Once dry, tong the ends with a medium-sized curling tong such as the Babyliss Curling Wand Pro , £25 and finish with Sassoon’s Diamond Polish (available in salons) to smooth away any flyaways.
The award for Worst Make-up goes to… Nicki Minaj
Please Nicki, we ask that you stop this now. How you manage time and time again to look more cartoon than couture at every red carpet event, we will never know. Quite the feat, especially with your enviable features and bone structure.
With a rather peculiar hue of lilac as her lip colour of choice, we would have chosen a more wearable, vibrant hit of coral or pink instead. Our faves? Tom Ford Lip Colour in True Coral or Violet Fatale, £36.