Oscars 2015 Makeup: Subtlety Rules The Show Plus The One Thing That Was Missing

I know it's been a week since the Oscars but two things in particular caught my eye and I've been dying to share...

Firstly, did anyone else feel that the makeup at the Oscars this year was a bit, how do I say, underwhelming? I'm always itching to see what the makeup artist elite have chosen to bring to our most beloved red carpet, but this year felt, I don't know, a bit 'meh'. Did you agree?

On many of the female actors skin was kept low key with lips 'barely there', slight definition around the eyes (mostly brown hues) and the lightest wash of blush.

What happened to the drama? The glamour?!

Could it be possible we are experiencing a backlash, an antidote to the bold looks of recent years?

Secondly, one thing was blatantly missing from the large majority of makeup looks... Where was all the contouring?

Anna Kendrick eschewed bronzer in favour of a wash of peach blush

A Sculpting Backlash?
Even if your makeup bag rarely boasts anything more than a concealer and a six month old mascara it's likely you've heard of a technique called contouring. A trend arguably made famous by the Kardashian sisters, contouring has been one of the biggest buzz words of the past two years with the majority of cosmetics brands choosing to invest in innovative contouring products (just launched: Clinique's new contouring sticks).

But contouring this year at the Oscars was astoundingly absent.

Yes, there were a couple of exceptions...J-Lo and Jennifer Aniston both opted for their staple 'bronzed goddess' look (no surprises there) and bronzers were definitely, if more subtly, deployed with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Gwyneth (I desperately wanted to get out my blending brush with Rita Ora!). But for the majority of stars skin was left refreshingly nude and in some cases topped with just the slightest hint of blush.

Is Less Really More?
Take Meryl for example. And please don't get me wrong, the woman is a genius and I simply adore her... but I felt her skin this year could have done with a bit of warmth. A little bronzer around the hairline perhaps. I'm not talking colour here because I think the level of blush is bang on, but working more with a matte bronzer, 2-3 shades warmer than Meryl's natural skin tone.

Another thing I would have changed about Meryl's makeup would have been to have added a touch of highlighter, something unbelievably sheer such as Glamcor's Glamour Glow, just to the cheekbones and temples (notice her skin is completely matte in the photo which makes it look a bit flat). This is especially important on more mature skin which loses its natural sheen over time.

The New Nude
Seems I'm not the only one banging on about the rise of the new nude makeup look for 2015. Vogue recently tweeted a link to this article featuring countless examples of understated, natural looks from the A/W15 shows.

I should stress, it's not that I'm against an au naturelle makeup look, I frickin' love it! It's just that I occasionally pine for something a little more spectacular. And if you can't dazzle at The Oscars then when can you?

All images: Getty (unless otherwise stated)

Oscars 2015 Makeup: Who Got It Right (And Who Got It Wrong)

Get your selfie on: a sunny Reese on the Red Carpet

Waking up on a Monday morning to photos of what actresses wore to the Oscars the night before has to be an official cure for the Monday Blues, right? The dresses! The jewellery!!

Hair and makeup-wise there were some clear trends this year, the big focus being on the eyes (more to follow in another post). But for now, let's see who wore it well and who not so much..

Natalie Portman at the Vanity Fair after party 2015

Part One: The Winners

Ballet Chic
Can this woman do no wrong? Everything about this look is simply divine, from her barely contoured skin to the natural (powdered?) brow. I particularly love the combination of mocha smokey eye - the perfect backdrop to her luminous brown eyes - and that shade of pale pink.

Why a bold lip wouldn't have worked
It can be tempting when wearing a white, cream or black dress to opt for a bold red, fuchsia or burgundy lip but Natalie's makeup artist here has clearly chosen to allow the makeup to play second fiddle to those statement earrings (designed by Eddie Borgo according to housemate Sal). Absolute perfection.

The dazzling Cate wearing Tiffany 

The Queen Of Understated Beauty
If I could hope to look like anyone when I'm older it would have to be Cate Blanchett (or Meryl....we love you Meryl!!). Not only is Cate simply a sensational actress (if you haven't seen Blue Jasmine WATCH IT) but she always seems to strike the right balance, never appearing too young for her age.

Her makeup this year was no exception. Achingly subtle, with a softly defined bronzed eye to off-set those aquamarine eyes, a wash of peach blush and a sheer (is that a hint of tangerine?) lip. Notice the distinct lack of contouring here (one of this year's notable trends). Could we be experiencing a contouring backlash now the rest of the world has caught up with the trend? Hmm...

Fifty Shades Of Red
Who's seen 50 Shades? (dying to see it). Regardless how the film fares at the box office lead actress Dakota Johnson's look is a winner for me. A matte red lip would have been wrong here. By contrast, a slightly glossy sheen perfectly off-sets the matte fabric (velvet?) of her asymmetrical gown. Notice too yet another warm, coppery brown smokey eye (there were countless this year).

Not sure about the hair though with this look... it's a little too 'just popping to the gym'. I would have preferred to see a braided up-do with a slightly neater, glossier fringe. @WilliamHunt, what say you?

Part Two: The Losers

Be Brow-Wary (not Brow Scary)
I hate to say it because I think the gown, the centre parting and the cuff (oh the cuff) work beautifully together but the brows are simply too distracting. A strong brow can be gloriously feminine but a brow that looks as if it could also be moonlighting as a fake moustache is in dire need of some strategic 'balancing out'.

If you have naturally bushy or thicker brows opt for powder instead of a pencil and avoid any harsh lines. My favourite brow brush is Illamasqua's Angled Brush (£19).

When 'Nude' Is Too Nude
Nude dresses stole the show at the 87th Academy Awards but Zoe Saldana, although naturally stunning, ran the risk of looking a bit ill due to the lack of colour in her makeup. If she'd been wearing a block colour dress that 'popped' then the makeup would have contrasted beautifully. This makes me wonder whether it's not the particular nude shade of the fabric that's the issue here (something warmer perhaps to compliment her warm skin tone?).

Makeup-wise would have opted for a slightly stronger eye (a subtle wash of shimmery emerald over the eyes perhaps?) or a warmer lip. A pop of matte fuchsia would have worked beautifully here or a glossy russet.

Shimmer At Your Peril
It pains me to say it because Viola is yet another glorious example of acting royalty but this look fails on two counts for me. Firstly, the lashes: these are far too up-turned and spidery. A natural, curved lash would have worked better here. Secondly, the use of illuminating products blended down the centre of her face make her look shiny rather than 'lit from within'. 

Always apply illuminisers or radiance products to the outer high points of the face (think cheekbones and just above the temples). If you're a shimmer-virgin MAC Strobe Cream is fabulous when thinly patted over the top of your foundation (cheekbones only).

Body Makeup
We can see in the above shot that Viola's clearly had some kind of cream applied to her arms and shoulders. It probably lent her skin an ethereal sheen in the flesh but appears silvery and fake under flash photography (Brides, take note).

Beware too of opting for a foundation which competes with the skin tone of the rest of your body (notice how Kat Dennings' foundation here is slightly too yellow compared to her arms).

So those for me were the stand out dos and don'ts from this year's most famous red carpet. What was your favourite makeup look from this year's Oscars? Anything you'd like to try out yourself? I'll be having a play with a bronzed smokey eye that's for sure!


Photography credit: All images Getty unless otherwise stated