Patricia garci

BEAUTY

The 17 Best Oscars Beauty Looks of All Time

BY PATRICIA GARCIA AND MACKENZIE WAGONER
While all eyes will be on the dresses that nominees such as Saoirse Ronan and Scarlett Johansson wear for the 2020 Oscars, history has shown that an actor’s beauty look carries equal importance. It’s that finishing touch that can take a look from beautiful to unforgettable, overworked to ineffably effortless. For example, it’s nearly impossible to remember Michelle Williams’s canary yellow Vera Wang gown without recalling just how perfectly it contrasted with her crimson lip. Or how Marion Cotillard’s shimmering, scalloped Jean Paul Gaultier dress shone brighter against her glossy, side-parted waves.

Dakota Johnson made her Academy Awards debut with a bold red single-strap Saint Laurent gown offset by a youthful ponytail, a smudged smoky eye, and a simple wash of lip stain. Both Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o found timeless winning looks via a glowing décolletage echoed by a thin, shimmering headband. Gwyneth Paltrow was ever the minimalist with a simple, side-slicked chignon. And Lauren Hutton’s golden glow and laid-back waves were the stuff of naturalist dreams. From Elizabeth Taylor’s bold brows and expertly delineated lipstick to Winona Ryder’s ’20s-inspired pixie, here, 17 beauty moments to inspire this year’s Academy Awards attendees—and proof that you don’t have to take home an Oscar to go down in red carpet history.
 Photo: Getty Images