Halsey protrude doing her own makeup " mostly out of necessity " because her first label had mostly male artist and no budget for her styling . She said , " I realized I did n’t have memory access to the same resources as some of my other match , especially my female or , like , female person - presenting peers . And so , I was like , ' Okay , well , I ’m not going to fall behind . I just call for to figure out how to do it myself . ' "
Red carpet makeup is often much more complicated and time-consuming than “everyday” makeup. And when you’re walking a red carpet, there are a ton of cameras waiting to capture any mistake or flaw. For example, because of all the lights, using the wrong setting powder can have you looking likeFlashback Mary.
It’s understandable why most celebs leave their red carpet makeup to the professionals. However, while expensive skincare and other luxuries are likely part of any celeb’s beauty regimen, some of them actually do their own red carpet makeup:
1.In 2013,Blake LivelytoldThe Cut, “I like doing my own makeup and hair for events. I think it’s fun.” She also said that she didn’t watch YouTube tutorials, but she learned from watching professional MUAs IRL. She said, “I didn’t know they did [makeup] on YouTube. But I’m luckily through doing photo shoots, I get to work with so many amazing hair and makeup artists. That’s my version of YouTube. How do you do Veronica Lake hair? And like, today, with Serge Normant, I get to ask him, ‘How do you do that? What did you do?'”
2.In anInstagram storypost showcasing her look on the 2022 Oscars red carpet,Zendayasaid, “Every now and then I do my own beat.” In 2020, she toldBritish Vogue, “Once I started working with make-up artists, I’d just watch them. If I liked the way someone did my eyebrows, I’d just watch how they did it and try it at home. Over time, learning to do my make-up became about taking different techniques and products from people I liked and putting them into my Rolodex. Then it was a matter of trial and error. I’d go out on the red carpet and later look at photos. Sometimes, I’d be like, ‘Ooh, I look like a ghost,’ so then I’d fix it the next time around. It’s really about trying, failing, and trying again.”
Planning her looks is a collaboration with stylist Law Roach. She said, “For events, my stylist Law and I like to create characters, and so my make-up will depend on what character I am that evening. For example, for the lastMet Gala, we did a Joan of Arc reference. We added a little extra blush, because we wanted the look to remind people of an old Victorian painting with the rosy cheeks. Another year I had this giant dress, and dewy make-up and lashes — the whole thing. At the last minute, I looked up, and was like, ‘Something’s not right.’ I took off the fake lashes, and I added extra gloss to my lips. But I still needed something. So I put on this bright, red-orange lipstick, and it was perfect. It was one of those things where it’s like, ‘Hmm, something’s just off…who is this character? I haven’t found her yet.’ I like to figure it out as I go.”
3.According to her personal assistant Tim Mendelson, the lateElizabeth Taylordid her own makeup for most events. In 2019, he toldThe Hollywood Reporter, “A makeup artist wants to do the makeup, but Elizabeth loved to do the makeup so much herself. She really looked at her face as a blank canvas.” He also said she’d spend ninety minutes on her eye makeup and another thirty on her lips “just because she enjoyed it.” He said, “There were a lot of distractions always. So for an award show, she needed to be protected a little bit more in terms of what was coming into the dressing room. When I got into Elizabeth’s world, it was like being in the center of a film every day — with Elizabeth Taylor no less. You couldn’t look away.”
4.In 2023,HalseytoldForbes, “I started doing my own makeup mostly out of necessity. My first record company was a boutique label, and their whole roster was DJs — was, like, male electronic artists. So that initial conversation was really funny when it started becoming like, ‘Yo, I need styling. I need glam. I need this.’ And they were like, ‘You have $20.’ The other guys are showing up with the USB and, like, the hoodie and doing the thing, and that was, like, a moment where I realized I didn’t have access to the same resources as some of my other peers, especially my female or, like, female-presenting peers. And so, I was like, ‘Okay, well, I’m not going to fall behind. I just need to figure out how to do it myself.'” Their interest in makeup lead them to create two of their own beauty brands, about-face and af94.
5.At the 2019 Emmys, Jameela Jamil toldE! News, “I did do my own [makeup] today. I always do my own!”
She also said, “I said after halfway through Season 1 [ofThe Good Place], I realized that the girls were getting in at like 4:45 or 4:30 in the morning. Sometimes 4:15. And I realized we had an hour and 45 minutes in hair and makeup, and I just sort of went to the producers ofThe Good Placeand was like, ‘How ugly do you think I am? There’s no prosthetics on me.’ I just need half an hour in hair and makeup. I’ll do my own makeup. And so I did my own makeup for the show, and someone else did my hair. I got the same amount of time for hair and makeup as the boys ‘cause I can’t be funny when I’m tired.”
6.Shakira typically does her own makeup. In 2014, she toldInStyle, “[I] keep it simple. I usually wear a natural color on my lips and accent my eyes. I feel like the less makeup I use, the better I look. After so many years in front of the camera, sometimes, I think I look better now than 10 years ago when I wore so much! It’s important to let your own skin shine through.” In a 2024Voguevideo, Shakira did her own makeup for the Met Gala.
7.In 2016, Emily Ratajkowski toldInto the Gloss, “I do my own makeup for events and red carpet stuff. I love having a glass of wine and taking my time to do it — that’s really fun for me.” In 2018, she toldVogue, “I really love makeup artists, and I respect them so much. I do think that there’s something to be said for, like, knowing your own face. It’s the face I wake up with and go to sleep with, and I’ve learned what works well on me.”
8.In 2014, Scarlett Johansson toldEllethat she likes to do her makeup herself unless it’s for a major gala. She said that, when pressed for time, “I take off my concealer under the eye, a little around my nose, and refresh those areas with new foundation…I always carry a red lipstick. You never know when you’ll need it.”
9.In a 2022Instagrammakeup tutorial, Julia Fox said, “I’m getting ready to go to the Independent Spirit Awards, and I’m gonna do my own makeup.” As she applied her concealer, she said, “It really is like painting. It’s art. Fuck anyone who says differently.”
Here’s her full video:
10.In 2015, Sophia Bush toldPeople, “I do my makeup by myself 98 percent of the time. Honestly, I don’t like to spend that long. I always joke that I have a five-minute face routine. It’s really fast, I have a couple of things I like, and that’s it. I own a ton of makeup, and if it’s a red carpet event, I can do a full-on look. I think it’s fun. But my day-to-day is super simple. I just feel comfortable that way. I’m a tinted moisturizer kind of person; I might put two drops of foundation in if I’m feeling like I want a little more coverage. I like a cream brush and an eyebrow gel and mascara, and I’m out the door.”
11.In 2017, Diane Kruger toldWell+Goodthat she always does her own red carpet makeup. She said, “I get my makeup done so often for work and for photo shoots. On the red carpet, it’s a different thing; the red carpet is not so precise. I always feel like less is more, and I don’t like to be too made up on the red carpet.”
12.When Gwen Stefani — whodoesher own makeup for her concerts — needed a last-minute makeup artist for the 2022 Met Gala, she took on the job herself! She toldVoguecorrespondent La La Anthony, “Honestly, I had a crazy day because I was supposed to work with a new makeup artist…and she had an emergency. And she had to leave, so I had to do my own makeup! I had a lot of fun doing it today, and it was stressful, too, but in a good way. I was like, ‘Alright, I got this.'”
13.In a video forVoguein 2016, Ashley Graham showed her “quick and easy makeup tutorial of how [she gets] red carpet ready.” She said, “I love makeup…I love highlighter, and I believe in loads of highlighter.”
14.Kate Winslet has done her own red carpet makeup “once or twice.” In 2017, she toldBritish Vogue, “I just copy Lisa [Elrdige, her MUA]! Actually, I love doing my own hair and makeup. Partly because I can do it fairly quickly on my own, but also there are some days when I just don’t like all the fuss and faff that can come with lots of people prodding and fiddling with your face and hair. It’s hard to explain, especially since sometimes it’s lovely to be glammed up like that. But I’m a pretty low-key, low-maintenance person, and I like to keep life as normal as I can around me. So, doing my own makeup is reassuring in that regard. It sort of normalizes a red carpet moment, which — let’s face it — is FAR from normal!”
15.In 2017, Bella Thorne toldYahoo Style, “Do you know how rare that is? I did my own makeup today. Anytime I’m wearing makeup, just know that I’m doing it. I got dermatitis from working on a movie, and I’ll never let that happen again. Especially on movies, they don’t use the right products, and my skin is allergic to a bunch of stuff.”
16.According toAllure, model Natasha Poly always does her own makeup and hair for red carpet events — notably the 2017 Met Gala. Designer Michael Kors, who dressed her for the event, told the outlet, “Natasha never shies away from a little sparkle, which I love. She’s cool and confident. She treats the red carpet like a runway, so it’s always fun to see how she pulls the look together with her hair and makeup, which she does herself!”
17.In 2012, Dita Von Teese toldInto the Gloss, “I almost always do my own makeup. I won’t for certain big photo shoots, or when I can’t do it myself—when the concept is something other than a red lip and a cat eye. But if it’s my look, it’s quicker if I just do it. I’m actually writing a beauty book, and so I timed how long it takes me. I would say I spend about an hour-and-a-half to get ready for something important, because, of course, I’m texting, or getting water, or changing the music, or getting a cocktail… It’s a ritual, getting ready."’
She continued, “Setting my hair in hot rollers takes me 12 minutes; doing my makeup — it depends on where I’m going, like, if I’m doing full-blown, photo shoot makeup — probably takes me 15 to 20 minutes, which is pretty fast. But, don’t forget, I’ve been doing my makeup the same way for 20-something years. I believe in a routine and practicing it — that’s what makes you good at it.”
18.In 2022,Avril LavignetoldAllure, “I just can’t stand people doing my makeup, because I know how I like it. If anything, I do half of it or let them touch me up. No one can do it right. Plus, I can’t sit in a chair for an hour while someone’s doing my makeup. It drives me nuts, especially when I can do my smoky eye in two minutes.”
19.In 2021, Diana Ross’s daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, toldVogue, “My mom does all her own hair and makeup, and always has. Eyelashes, the whole deal — she does it herself.” Diana had professional beauty training — she went to cosmetology school as a teenager.
20.In 2015, Nikki Reed toldInto the Gloss, “I don’t wear face makeup unless I am going outout. For an event or something like that for work, I’ll put on more of a full face — I look at it like a project. I’ll put on lashes, think about symmetry, do my brows myself, and paint on some actual foundation. Actually, I always put on my foundation last before blush so I don’t mess up my base while I’m applying everything else.”
21.According toLenny Letter, Busy Phillips often does her own makeup for red carpets and other events. Sharing a makeup tip she learned from Angela Levin, her best friend Michelle Williams’s makeup artist, Busy said, “Contouring is something everyone gets excited about, but they’re insane and wrong. Angela says you should take the lightest color you can possibly wear on your face, put it underneath the cheeks, on your nose, center of forehead, and chin. Then use the Beauty Blender. It’s a reverse contour!”
22.Ashley Tisdale has done her own red carpet glam. In a 2017YouTubemakeup tutorial, she said, “I’m going to a premiere tonight, and I’m doing my hair and makeup myself…I am going to a movie premiere tonight, and usually, when it’s not something, like, a movie that I’m doing, and it’s just, like, a fun movie that I wanna go see, I do my hair and makeup because I love to do my hair and makeup. And then it’s just, like, easier, and there’s, like, no stress.”
She continued, “It’s funny ‘cause I think people think getting your hair and makeup done for events is, like, probably so much fun, and, like — and it is fun, and it’s, like, great to have someone, you know, come in and do your hair and makeup. But for me, I think it’s just, like, the pressure gets…I don’t know. It gets me so, like, I get stressed out about it. And I’m like, ‘Oh gosh, there’s so many people, and I’m getting ready.’ And I just feel, like, pressure, so when I do it myself, I just feel, like, less anxious about it.”
23.In 2015, Emmy Rossum toldAllureshe forgoes a red carpet stylist, and she occasionally does her makeup herself. She said, “I always pick my dress first. Then I think of pulling colors from it, or from the jewelry, and matching or contrasting it with my makeup. I also think about hair in terms of showing off a neckline, and if texture or straight will work best with the fabric…I prefer to have a makeup artist do my makeup. It’s fun to learn new tricks and discover new products. But if it’s the last minute or I don’t have time to book someone, I’m okay to do it in a pinch. I never try to do myself if I’m wearing a tricky color though — yellows, neons. A makeup artist can make almost any color work on anyone!”
24.In 2017, Carrie Underwood toldYahoo, “I had teenage sisters when I was little. I would always watch them. I was a human Barbie doll. I started loving makeup when I was way too young. I learned through trial and error. A lot of error. The [red] carpet’s a little bit different. I will sometimes think my makeup looks great in person, but lights can sometimes [make it look] look funky.”
25.In 2016, Mary Elizabeth Winstead toldInto the Gloss, “I definitely have been doing this job long enough that I’ve seen things change in terms of the red carpet and how much pressure there is there to look perfect. I just think it’s so much more fun to try new things and be creative because perfection is boring. It’s fun to do my own hair and makeup for the red carpet — if there’s time, I like to just stand in the bathroom and turn music on and light candles and go through all the steps of my routine. It’s sort of therapeutic.”
“And I also feel accomplished if I look at the photo the next day, and I like it. It’s nice to be in control of how I look. A lot of actresses I know struggle with looking at photos of themselves where they look good, but not like themselves. You want to look like the best version of yourself, but you end up looking like a really beautiful other woman who’s not you,” she said.
26.And finally,Pamela Andersonno longer wears any makeup on the red carpet. The first time she went bare-faced was at the Vivienne Westwood show during Paris Fashion Week 2023. She toldVogue France, “I didn’t come to Paris Fashion Week and think, ‘I’m not gonna wear any makeup.’ I just thought, I don’t know, something just kind of came over me, and I was dressing in these beautiful clothes, and I thought, ‘I don’t want to compete with the clothes.’ I’m not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room. I feel like it’s just freedom. It’s like a relief…I don’t need a stylist. Like, I don’t have a stylist. I don’t have a glam team. I’m just kinda doing this freestyle.”
She later toldToday, “I am much more comfortable in my own skin, but I also am in an industry that really focuses on beauty. And I thought, ‘I’m going to challenge beauty.’ I think challenging ourselves is what keeps us young and beautiful. And I think, really genuinely, beauty does come from within, and you don’t have to play the game.”
