Oscars 2026 Red Carpet Embraces Subtle and Wearable Beauty Trends
Hollywood's most prestigious night, the Oscars, always brings cinematic glamour, but the 2026 ceremony delivered a refreshingly wearable approach to beauty. Moving away from dramatic contouring and over-the-top eye makeup, the red carpet leaned into subtle elegance, featuring glowing skin, softly flushed cheeks, blurred lips, and sultry eyes that enhance rather than overwhelm. This masterclass in modern red carpet beauty feels just as suitable for a Monday meeting or Friday dinner as it does for a gold statuette moment, highlighting trends that are both accessible and sophisticated.
Kate Hudson's Soft Hollywood Glamour
Kate Hudson embodied soft Hollywood glamour with a dreamy, love-blushed makeup look created by makeup artist Tonya Brewer using Charlotte Tilbury products. The complexion focused on luminous skin, starting with a skincare cocktail including Magic Cream, Magic Hydrator Mist, and Magic Serum Crystal Elixir to achieve that signature red carpet glow. Her base combined Airbrush Flawless Foundation and Airbrush Flawless Blur Concealer, lightly set with Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder.
The standout feature was her rosy flush, achieved with the new Pillow Talk Beauty Soulmates Palette in Rosewood for warmth and glow, paired with Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick for a fresh, lit-from-within finish. Her eyes stayed soft and romantic using the Pillow Talk Dreams palette and Eyes To Mesmerise in Champagne, while Smokey Bronze Rock 'N' Kohl liner added subtle definition. Hudson's lips completed the look with the new Pillow Talk Blush Balm Lip Tint in Pillow Talk Medium layered over Iconic Nude and Icon Baby lip liners. Her hair, styled by Marcus Francis, kept the overall effect polished yet effortless.
Ejae K's Modern Blurred Lip Look
K-Pop star Ejae K delivered one of the most modern beauty moments of the night with a soft blurred lip and radiant skin created by makeup artist Kevin Cheah. The focus was a diffused lip effect using the new Pillow Talk Blush Balm, which gave the lips a soft-focus, almost airbrushed finish. Instead of strong lip liner or heavy pigment, the colour was gently blended into the centre of the lips for a dreamy, just-kissed effect. Paired with glowing skin and subtle eye makeup, the look felt fresh, youthful, and effortlessly cool. This technique is surprisingly easy to recreate by applying a lip tint to the centre of the lips and gently blurring the edges with a fingertip for that signature K-beauty style finish.
Emma Stone's '90s Supermodel Glamour
Emma Stone's beauty look paid homage to '90s supermodel glamour, with hairstylist Mara Roszak transforming her signature bob into a voluminous blowout full of movement and airy bounce using ghd tools. The hair was prepped with RŌZ Milk Hair Serum and Air Thickening Spray through the mid-lengths and ends, with Root Lift Spray applied at the crown to create soft volume before blow-drying. Roszak then used the ghd Chronos Curve Grand Iron to add gentle bends through the hair, finishing with Evergreen Styling Cream to refine the ends and give the style soft definition. Stone's makeup complemented the look beautifully, featuring a shimmery eye shadow that matched the sparkle of her Louis Vuitton gown, paired with peachy-pink cheeks and lips for a fresh and radiant overall effect.
Nicole Kidman's Effortless Volume and Waves
Nicole Kidman demonstrated that effortless volume never goes out of style, with her long, loose waves looking almost weightless thanks to expert styling by Adir Abergel. The hair was prepped with Virtue Volumizing Primer applied to the roots before blow-drying with a Denman Head Hugger brush to create a soft, tousled finish. Abergel added length and fullness using Bellami 18-inch Silk-Seam clip-in extensions in Dirty Blonde and Golden Hour Blonde, as well as tape-ins in Golden Amber Blonde. To finish the look, a WavyTalk Cool Curl Pencil added soft, natural bends that created movement without looking overly styled.
Misty Copeland's Radiant Skin-First Beauty
Ballet icon Misty Copeland embraced a radiant, skin-first beauty look created by makeup artist Mali Boykin using Merit Beauty. The complexion started with Great Skin Priming Moisturizer before The Uniform complexion product evened out the skin tone without masking her natural glow. Bronze Balm in Seine added warmth to the face while Flush Balm in Stockholm delivered a soft natural blush. For the eyes, Solo Shadow in Midcentury and Solo Shadow Sheen in Glace created a subtle shimmer, finished with Clean Lash Mascara for defined lashes. Brows were shaped with Brow 1990 in Dark Brown, and the look was completed with Signature Lip Blush in Andie paired with Signature Lip Sheer Liner in Sportif.
Rose Byrne's Classic Red Carpet Sophistication
Rose Byrne delivered classic red carpet sophistication with softly sculpted skin and velvety lips created by makeup artist Hung Vanngo using Dior Beauty. Her glowing base featured Dior Forever Skin Glow foundation with Forever Skin Correct concealer, enhanced with Dior Forever Skin Bronze and the Dior Forever Skin Contour Stick. Blush was layered using the Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush Stick in Rosewood and Rosy Glow Powder Blush in Toffee, creating warmth and dimension. Her eyes were defined with the Diorshow 5 Couleurs palette in Pied-de-Poule, Matte Black eyeliner, and Diorshow Overvolume Mascara for dramatic lashes. The final touch was a bold velvet lip using Rouge Dior lipstick in Concorde with Rouge Dior Contour Lip Liner in 999.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Minimalist Radiant Skin
Gwyneth Paltrow's beauty look proved that radiant skin is the ultimate red carpet accessory. Her complexion was prepped with Goop Beauty skincare and the Lyma Laser Pro to energise and awaken the skin before makeup application. Products included All-in-One Super Nutrient Face Oil, Youth-Boost Peptide Serum, and All-in-One Nourishing Face Cream, alongside Lift + Depuff Eye Masks and a Nourishing Lip Repair Mask. Makeup remained minimal with Fara Homidi's Essential Face Compact in Creme for the base. Nude-toned blush from the Essential Lip Compact and the Essential Bronzer Compact in Bois added soft warmth.
Chase Infiniti's Dreamy Pastel Beauty
Chase Infiniti embraced dreamy, pastel beauty that perfectly matched her lilac gown. Makeup artist Amber Dreadon prepped the skin with Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, Jet Lag Serum, and Jet Lag Eye Patches to create a hydrated, luminous base. Her eyes featured a soft shimmery lilac shadow that echoed the colour of her dress, while pink-toned cheeks and glossy lips kept the look youthful and fresh. Her hair, styled by Coree Moreno, became one of the most striking moments of the night, with super-long lengths paired with delicate braids that framed the face. Moreno used Briogeo Style + Treat Yuzu + Plum Oil Sculpting Crème to smooth the braids and control flyaways while keeping the rest of the hair soft and fluid, resulting in a romantic, almost mermaid-like finish.
