The beauty scene at the Oscars is typically pretty boring, but stars turned up the dial this year. Danai Gurira, Black Panther’s fearless warrior, arrived in a stylish shaved hairdo that was accented with temporary white hair dye. Her Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong’o served a different sort of hair excitement with a golden hair ornament.
And they weren’t alone. Here are the 15 most dazzling, mesmerizing hair and beauty looks at this year’s Oscars.
Blondest Olympian: Lindsey Vonn
Her Pyeongchang medal may be bronze, but her Oscar hair is telling a different story.
Most Structurally Sound Hairdo: Allison Williams
Peter Lux crafted smooth, cascading waves with hot tools from Goldwell and Varis. Makeup artist Nina Park applied Chanel blush along Williams’s cheeks and drew a soft, smoky smudge with Chanel eyeliner.
Best Ode to McDonald’s: Eiza González
Between her yellow dress and her red lips, Baby Driver’s González is making us want a burger.
Most Magnificent Hairband: Rita Moreno
Same dress (from 1962); different (spectacular) hair accessory.
Best Exfoliator Endorsement: Lupita Nyong’o
Nick Barose, Lupita’s longtime makeup artist, was inspired by Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet and draped her face in seriously smooth golden highlight, while Vernon Francis, her hairstylist, placed a delicate gold ornament atop her head.
Best Short Hair Inspo: Mary J. Blige
Bookmark now and show it to your hairstylist later.
Most Terrific Ponytail: Andra Day
Makeup artist Porsche Cooper painted Day’s face in soft pinks and reds. Keeping up with the romantic theme, hairstylist Tony Medina placed dozens of tiny roses in Day’s hair to make a ponytail-meets-bouquet.
Most Affordable Makeup Plan: Gina Rodriguez
Rodriguez stuck to mostly Burt’s Bees products for the big night. She even wore Burt’s Bees’ foundation for a subtle glow.
Best Reason to Try Purple Lipstick: Taraji P. Henson
Before she may or may not have dissed Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet, Henson sought out her regular makeup artist, Ashunta Sheriff, for her Oscar night look. To start, Sheriff used Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r instant retouch primer. For her lips, she drew on M.A.C’s lip pencil in Cork and traced Lip Bar’s Liquid Matte Creme in Savage and Drama Queen on top.
Best Big Hair: Viola Davis
Davis followed up her glamorous Golden Globes Afro with a curly, elegant ponytail. You can thank hairstylist Jamika Wilson for the latter.
Best Reason to Shave It All Off: Danai Gurira
Proving that the Black Panther cast always looks good, Gurira accented her shaved hairdo with white temporary hair color.
Best Case for Fancy Gym Hair: Zendaya
Makeup artist Sheika Daley applied Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter to Zendaya’s skin to smooth her complexion, while hairstylist Ursula Stephen used Dove styling products to sweep Zendaya’s hair into a high bun, because easy fancy hair is always a good idea.
Best Mohawk: Whoopi Goldberg
How cool is Whoopi? She’s even wearing tiny sunglasses.
Best Roots: Saoirse Ronan
Adir Abergel used one of the Cut’s favorite new hair brands, Virtue, to condition and de-frizz Ronan’s hair. And to make each strand super straight, the hairstylist flat-ironed Ronan’s bob with GHD’s new 18k gold straightener. The golden straightener isn’t for sale, but you can buy a similar one here.
Best Power Makeup: Emma Stone
Rachel Goodwin was inspired by Stone’s power suit, so she applied a “power blush,” she told the Cut. Drawing from ’80s makeup techniques, she brushed on the Kingpin and Buzz shades from the upcoming NARS “Wanted” cheek palette (it will launch at Ulta.com on March 8). As for Stone’s skin, Goodwin applied NARS’ new foundation, Radiant Longwear, all over.
