The 2026 Oscars saw a turn in the tide when it came to makeup. Cast your mind back over the last few awards seasons (and even the BAFTAs and SAGs this year, if we're being honest), and you'll notice that minimalist looks such as 'barely there' and 'less is more' were at the forefront of beauty.
Sunday night's ceremony finally saw a hard reset, with the stars leaning back into playful, glam makeup – looks worthy of the season's most glittering affair.
"I used to do lots of videos about red carpet makeup and it got so boring for a while," says makeup artist Rose Gallagher. "'Less is more' was all we were seeing to the point that I actually had nothing to say. Then I saw the photos from last night and thought, 'Isn't it lovely that they're actually wearing a bit of makeup again?'"
© GettyThe Oscars beauty
Shimmering silver makeup, pops of cobalt blue and dustings of pastel eyeshadows were all worn on the red carpet, with the stars coordinating their dresses with their makeup in the same way prom queens of the early 2000s did.
Took a look at the best dressed lists from the red carpet on Sunday and you'll notice that A-listers including Chase Infiniti, Kate Hudson, Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku and Emma Stone all leaned into the coordinated look.
© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images"Matching makeup is so glamorous, girly and elegant," says Rose. "It's not about being trendy or acting the cool girl. These women want to feel like a Disney princess, they want to feel like a prom queen, and it goes to show how timelessly beautiful you feel when you lean into those really girly things.
"I know it's probably a bit cooler at the moment to have no foundation on and a smudgy eyeline, but who cares what's trendy when you just want to feel pretty?"
Making an effort
Rose points out that matching our makeup to our dress is a "purposeful gesture", showing a real level of effort being put in.
"On red carpets over the last few years, the cool thing has been to not seem like you're making a lot of effort and to go with this barely-there makeup, suggesting you're almost too cool to even be there. But with the stars turning the tide, it proves there's a real pride that everyone has in putting this much effort in."
Read on to see the stars who leaned into the coordinated cool look…
The best Oscars looks
One Battle After Another actress Chase Infiniti dusted lilac eyeshadow onto her lids, coordinating with her pale purple dress, creating what Rose calls a "subtle wash of eyeshadow to match the dress", tying everything together in an elegant way.
© Getty ImagesSinners star Wunmi Mosaku rocked the trend at both the awards show and the after party, wearing a sparkling teal dress with matching eyeliner for the ceremony, followed by coordinating her pastel purple eyeshadow with her lavender gown at the Vanity Fair after party.
© Penske Media via Getty Images
© FilmMagicFellow Sinners actress Jayme Lawson opted for cobalt blue beauty accents complementing her dress in the same shade, while Emma Stone wore an iridescent silver dress with eyeshadow in the same shade.
© AFP via Getty ImagesBugonia star Emma was clearly onto something with her silver makeup, because it seemed to be the most popular shade among the A-listers, with Selma Blair, Kate Hudson, Rita Ora and Jihoon Kim all opting for the grey-tinged shimmer on the red carpet.
© Getty ImagesFor stars wanting to inject colour into their look, coordinating red lips and dresses lead the way. Take Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley, who matched her lipstick to the draped detailing on her strapless dress, while Renate Reinsve's bold red pout paired perfectly with her custom Louis Vuitton dress. Sinners actress Li Jun Li went for a sultry red dress with matching lips, too.
© FilmMagicTaking it one step further in the coordinating stakes, One Battle After Another actress Teyana Taylor's lashes mirrored her dress. "Teyana's makeup was beautiful," Rose says. "That lovely double wing is such a modern way of wearing a classic look. It's a really good example of how if you did want to experiment with trends or feel a bit more modern, you can still do so in a way that feels timeless because she's used timeless techniques and colours but slightly modernized the shapes, creating a really angular, beautiful look to her makeup.
© AFP via Getty Images"The way it matches the dress draws attention to everything in the loveliest possible way. You actually notice the makeup more and you notice the dress more because they amplify one another."
Rose concludes: "It's nice that the actresses are unashamedly getting really excited for their night out and leaning into every little detail of it."
