Julia Roberts, Greta Lee, Zoey Deutch and Tessa Thompson — and their glam squads — star in THR’s annual portfolio of the queens (and kings) of the red carpet.
While the mood of the entertainment industry may be less than optimistic, there’s one cog in Hollywood’s wheel that’s still performing, well, beautifully: beauty, both as a lucrative side hustle and as a way to remain relevant in a crowded mediascape. Beauty was one of the biggest stories of 2025, a year in which Kris Jenner’s facelift, Nicole Kidman’s breakup bangs or Sydney Sweeney’s wedding-guest aesthetic turned heads and drove mega chatter on the internet. And despite tariffs and inflation, the beauty sector remains buoyant, on track to hit $450 billion in worldwide sales this year, with the star-led segment — brands fronted or launched by celebrities, like Rhode Beauty, which Hailey Bieber sold for $1 billion in May — driving 8 percent growth in 2025’s first half, according to data firm Launchmetrics. In our ninth Beauty Issue hailing the impactful moments that Hollywood’s top glam squads helped engineer, THR salutes the A-listers leading the conversation, whether they are altering stereotypes about age (Julia Roberts and hairstylist Serge Normant) and trad beauty norms (Greta Lee and her K-squad, Jenny Cho and Nina Park), or by shining amid a cluttered awards season (Tessa Thompson and pros Lacy Redway and Alex Babsky).
Major Drag
When Chappell Roan met Dame Pat McGrath, somewhere a sequin exploded. The queer-positive pop star known for her drag persona and the legendary British makeup artist whose muses Violet Chachki and Tayce have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race were a match made in aesthetic heaven. “What makes me say yes are three things: the person, the moment and the possibility for majorness,” says the makeup pro — who runs best-selling Pat McGrath Labs and was named creative director of La Beauté Louis Vuitton this year — of her decision to work with Roan. For her first Met Gala, Roan also enlisted hair heavyweight Lacy Redway, who went on to work with the Grammy winner for her Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things tour. Her Met look featured voluminous curls and equally bold shimmer eye shadows. “She said to me, ‘If you want to shave off my eyebrows, you can!’ That’s what makes majorness happen,” says McGrath. “Chappell said, ‘Let’s go there,’ and we absolutely did.”
THE PROS Makeup artist Pat McGrath, hairstylist Lacy Redway
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER The “Pink Pony Club” chanteuse turned to iconic Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell for a sequined pink suit. Redway worked from a sketch of the look to envision Roan’s orange cascade. “Curly girls are inspired by her showcasing her curls on the red carpet,” says Redway, an ambassador for Tresemmé, Dove Hair and Shea Moisture. McGrath sought “maximalist, metallic and made-to-move” makeup, layering shimmering shadows from her Mothership XII: Petalmorphosis palette, chrome lashes and rhinestones smothering her eyebrows.
Flushed With Victory
Doll makeup, watercolor blush, fairy-dust eye shadow: Name a 2025 over-the-top makeup trend, and 26-year-old pop vixen Sabrina Carpenter likely ignited it. From her Dolly Parton-meets-bubblegum turn at the BRIT Awards, to her retro pinup look at the Grammys, to her spangled dance scene in the viral “Tears” video co-starring Colman Domingo, YouTubers flooded the platform with thousands of get-the-look tutorials for millions of viewers, offering product recommendations that frequently sent sales rocketing. Liquid blush sales are expected to hit nearly $2 billion globally this year, and business analysts and Reddit commenters alike credit Carpenter for the bloom in blush options. Unsurprisingly, brands popular with Gen Z, like Hailey Bieber’s Rhode and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, have upped the ante with vivid new rouge shades, overtaking years of neutral and no-makeup makeup. The big question is: When will the “Espresso” singer follow Bieber and Gomez and get some cheek in the game?
THE PRO Makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER For the “Tears” music video that has garnered more than 49 million YouTube views since August, Armani Beauty makeup artist Gonzalez says that in addition to a rosy, flushed cheek, “We did a mixture of shimmers and glitters — gold, platinum, white, purple, pink. It was a quick look,” she adds, marveling, “I never expected that dance sequence to go viral.”
No-Brows Raised Eyebrows
Jenna Ortega’s brows first disappeared before our eyes on Wednesday red carpets in 2024. But she faithfully continued bleaching those caterpillars well into promo tours for Hurry Up Tomorrow and the second season of the Netflix hit, culminating in an unarched blue smoky eye at this year’s Emmys. But this isn’t method dressing — this is Ortega. “She’s a little goth every day,” affirms makeup artist Mélanie Inglessis. Shunning beauty norms with edgy looks is nothing new in Hollywood — think ’90s Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan circa 2015, 2020s Kristen Stewart — but Ortega is spearheading the gothic revival now. Hundreds of thousands of TikTokers tune in to #bleachbrow vids as fellow no-browsers Miley Cyrus, Michelle Yeoh and Bella Hadid tried on the look. Dior Beauty signed Ortega as an ambassador this year, and no wonder: She drives millions of views on the brand’s TikTok page. Says Inglessis, “I don’t know that she’s ever going to go back to an eyebrow.”
THE PRO Makeup artist Mélanie Inglessis
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER For the Emmys, Inglessis and her glam-squad collaborators — stylist Enrique Melendez and hairstylist Cesar Deleon Ramirez — took inspiration from an early ’90s Vogue Italia. The faded arches allowed for a “more impactful” focus on the lip and a “blue eye shadow that was still gothic,” says the makeup artist. Ortega posted the look for her 39.5 million Instagram followers, resulting in nearly 1.9 million likes.
The Pretty Woman Who Stopped Time
In an industry notorious for dismissing women of a certain age until very recently, Julia Roberts, 58, proves that years have little relevance when it comes to public appeal. After Roberts appeared at the Venice Film Festival in August to promote psychological thriller After the Hunt, the internet lit up with content about how her fiery hair was its best shade ever, how phenomenally timeless she looked, how she was the first to wear Versace designer Dario Vitale on the red carpet. Further proof of her red-hot relevance: Analysts attribute the fact that Lâncome is the fourth-largest prestige beauty brand in the U.S. in part to its roster of bankable, intergenerational spokespeople, including Isabella Rossellini, Olivia Rodrigo — and Roberts, a face of the brand since 2009. As for her signature tresses, Roberts gives credit to her longtime hairstylist, Serge Normant: “Serge is so gifted and can do absolutely anything with hair, so, lucky for me, there is no need to go elsewhere for anything. At this point, we are more of a family than co-workers.” Adds Normant of first meeting Roberts on a Herb Ritts shoot in 1992: “Our connection was instant. Over the years, that bond has only deepened into the most amazing friendship. There’s a lot of trust between us, which makes creativity easy and fun.”
THE PROS Hairstylist Serge Normant, makeup artist Genevieve Herr, hair colorist Kadi Lee
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER Says Lee of Roberts’ vivid Venice hair color, “The world hadn’t seen her in a bit, so we definitely amped up her color for that carpet.” Lee mixed darker auburn and vibrant copper with tipped-out ends, “so they could get movement,” and the wind outside the Palazzo del Cinema cooperated: “Her hair was blowing, and she looked so elegant in the navy dress with the red hair — she knocked it out of the park.” For makeup, Herr “gave her a bit more glam [than usual]. Her eyes were defined, the lip color was perfect for the gown’s color, and I gave her extra blush.”
Bezos Wedding Births a Big Star
It’s the Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos wedding, in June, in Venice, and Sydney Sweeney has arrived. The starlet went from dewy “It” girl to Hollywood’s sexiest star in the flash of a pap’s bulb as she was loaded into a waiting boat. Reports painted the Christy star, 28, as the object of many guests’ attention, with Scooter Braun the ultimate victor (for now). Media outlets exploded with speculation about why she was in attendance: to audition for the next Amazon/MGM-produced project or Bond film, or, as Megyn Kelly (of course) hypothesized on her podcast, simply to show off her ample bosom? Sweeney’s keeping her cards close to her chest, offering up an old Hollywood-level mystique that hasn’t been seen since before social media. Regardless, the event provided a global platform for her many brand sponsors: Armani Beauty, Laneige Korean skin care, Kerastase hair care, Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Samsung and American Eagle — Sweeney’s “good jeans” partnership that brought a notoriety as sudden as her ascent.
THE PROS Makeup artist Melissa Hernandez, hairstylist Glen “Coco” Oropeza, colorist Jacob Schwartz
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER For the event dubbed the wedding of the year, one brings their A-game, despite 90-plus-degree heat and humidity. Hernandez layered setting spray three times to lock the makeup in place; Oropeza’s waves were a study in unfussy glam; and Schwartz opted out of a dye-job refresh: “That was her color grown out for months; it just looked really good.” The team gave Sweeney a Marilyn Monroe turn in October, when Schwartz, an Olaplex ambassador, dyed Oropeza’s bob a “brighter blonde.”
Breakup Bangs
Days after her separation from Keith Urban became public, Nicole Kidman’s fresh fringe at Paris Fashion Week in October was dubbed “breakup bangs” by the world over. But there was more to Kidman’s tress transformation than an over-you do. For hair maestro Adir Abergel, it supported a French-fille aesthetic that coincided with the announcement of Kidman, 58, as a Chanel brand ambassador for the second time. With the cut, she imbues the essence of fringed Franco icons Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy and the Brigittes (Bardot and Macron) and, more recently, Jeanne Damas. Chanel wasn’t Kidman’s only signing bonus in ’25: In July, Japanese luxe brand Clé de Peau signed the Oscar winner.
THE PROS Makeup artist Gucci Westman, hairstylist Adir Abergel, manicurist Thuy Nguyen
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER After a fitting with the fashion house, where she selected a tuxedo button-down and cashmere jeans, “Nicole was instantly down with the idea [of bangs] and loved it once we cut them,” says Abergel. Less discussed, but not to be missed, were the Aussie’s talons. As paparazzi zoomed in on her empty left ring finger, Kidman’s nails were shown to be unusually long for her, painted in an elegant milky hue.
Orange Is the New Authenticity
She first freed the nip at a fashion week in 2022, hit Oppenheimer red carpets that same year with pink- and rust-colored pixie cuts, and rocked the 2023’s Met Gala with a buzz cut. Whether intended or not, Florence Pugh’s envelope-pushing style incites headlines that promote projects and gladden rebel hearts. Even a simple swipe of neon tangerine eyeshadow for the Thunderbolts* London premiere in April — coupled with some method styling, such as Pugh’s slicked-back mullet-esque hairstyle that paid homage to her Marvel assassin Yelena Belova — can drive intense scrutiny.
THE PROS Makeup artist Alex Babsky, hairstylist Hyungsun Ju
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER Though Pugh’s black Elie Saab gown was beautiful, “We all felt it could do with ‘punking up’ a bit,” explains Babsky of the Thunderbolts* look. “So we clashed the delicate craftsmanship of the couture dress with a bold slash of neon orange across the eyes.” For his part, Ju slicked the hair back into a futuristic wet look. Within hours, tutorials of how to replicate Pugh’s edgy look took over the ’Tok.
Is It Kris or Is It Kim?
Keeping up with the Kardashians has become just a little bit trickier ever since Kris Jenner’s nature-defying facelift ushered in a new era of plastic surgery transparency, and her most famous daughter Kim Kardashian traded her signature tresses for a Kris-like pixie cut. Last month, when alpha hairstylist Chris Appleton posted an Instagram video of him transforming Jenner’s hair into a blond bob, followers questioned whether the woman in his chair was the 70-year-old or her 45-year-old offspring.
THE PRO Hairstylist Chris Appleton
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER Appleton, who fronts for Color Wow, Schwarzkopf and Shark Beauty, was responsible for both Kardashian’s October pixie in Paris and the viral Jenner moment just days later. Of why the latter blew up, he says, “She trusted me, and it led to her trying new things, like blond hair that transformed her for the night” … into Kim.
For Men, It’s That ’70s Show
On the red carpet, Hollywood’s leading men have been referencing hairstyles and facial aesthetics hailing from the Carter administration. Jacob Elordi led the Taxi Driver-era revival with his muttonchop sideburns, a remnant from playing Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming Wuthering Heights, and his floppy hairstyles and faint stache during Frankenstein press rounds. Micro-afros made a subtle ’70s statement at this year’s Met Gala, with Leon Bridges leading the trend. In November, promoting Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Daniel Craig, 57, twinned with ’70s-era Jimmy Carter himself. On the other end of the generational spectrum is 20-year-old musician Sombr, whose Highland Park-based hairstylist Allison DeMoss says: “Men’s styles have been getting longer, shaggier and more relaxed. I’ve been seeing less super-clean fades and more lived-in, softer shapes that are very ’70s. It feels cool without trying too hard.” Fashion also has been on board for the past year, embracing wider lapels, earthy colors and the flared trou, as seen on runways at Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent and Willy Chavarria.
THE PROS For Elordi, groomer Amy Komorowski. For Bridges, hairstylist Lindsay Rogers. For Craig, hairstylist Daniel Erdman.
HOW A LOOK CAME TOGETHER At the L.A. Frankenstein premiere, Elordi channeled a 1979 Dustin Hoffman with his micro-mullet. Says Komorowski, “We went for a more high-shine, wet look that fit the vibe and his chocolate brown Bottega suit perfectly.”
The Method Manicure
Cynthia Erivo, 38, nailed the modern piece-of-art mani on the global press tour for Wicked, extending her method dressing to her fingertips. With cherry blossoms and crane motifs on a jade green backdrop for the Japan premiere to the Oz-themed acrylics at the Oscars, Erivo’s claws turned what could have been afterthoughts into main beauty events. Fans and photogs zoomed in on minute details, to the delight of Erivo’s fan base, the Cynthesizers. Exuding armor and strength as befitting her character, her talons helped channel attention to the cultural significance of a Black Elphaba, as Erivo, alongside co-star Ariana Grande, tirelessly promoted the Jon M. Chu-led musical to an astounding $750 million-plus in global ticket sales.
THE PROS Nail artists Mycah Dior for Wicked and awards season red carpets, and Shea Osei for the Wicked: For Good press tour.
HOW THE LOOKS CAME TOGETHER According to Dior, Erivo’s assistant instructed the manicurist, who also tends to the nails of Olympic gold medalists Sha’Carri Richardson and Jordan Chiles, to “run wild” and “break the mold” of traditional “simple, short, neutral” red carpet manis. After the L.A. premiere in November 2024, says Dior, “Fans were reposting close-ups all over social media, which made people anticipate the next nail look.”
Don’t Adjust Your Focus: Blurry Is Big
“Creating a blurred effect is like having a filter on your face in real life,” says Lizzo’s makeup artist, Alexx Mayo, who diffused the 37-year-old singer’s makeup for November’s Baby2Baby event. “I wanted to make sure no matter the lighting or angle that she would look flawless.” Singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams, 26, has also gotten blurry — a marked departure from the heavily contoured makeup of the past decade — which undoubtedly helped her land a contract fronting the complexion line for Hourglass Cosmetics this year. Instagrammers use the term Garbo Glow to describe the #blurredmakeup, referring to the romantic soft light cast on leading ladies like Greta Garbo by midcentury cinematographers who covered camera lenses in gauze, filters and even petroleum jelly. These days, searches for blurring powder were up 103 percent year-over-year, according to Spate, with a barrage of products using “blur” in their name hitting the market.
THE PROS Makeup artist Alexx Mayo for Lizzo. For Abrams, makeup artist Emily Cheng, hairstylist Bobby Eliot
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER “I believe people want their skin to look like it does online,” says Mayo on why the blurred makeup trend has taken off. As for Abrams, she got quite literal with the veiled effect at this year’s Grammys in her Chanel bride-like ensemble.
Caught-on-Cam Beauty
In the old Hollywood studio system, when a star would be “caught” canoodling, the pap-fueled publicity would draw attention to whatever movie said star needed to promote. These days, social media’s extremely online connect the dots themselves. Hours before a smooch session with Harry Styles at intimate London restaurant Rita’s in August, Zoë Kravitz, 36, hit the red carpet to promote Darren Aronofsky’s crime caper Caught Stealing. Between the two instances, YSL Beauty spokesperson Kravitz was pulled from post-Blink Twice quasi-hiatus into the spotlight again as one half of one of 2025’s most intriguing couples. In homage to the film’s vibe, her glam squad channeled the ’90s for her look: “It’s a little grunge and not too perfect,” Nina Park explains. With #90saesthetic racking up 2.8 million tags on Instagram, Kravitz helped Nirvana, vamp nails and Pulp Fiction reign on the platform in 2025.
THE PROS Makeup artist Nina Park, hairstylist Nikki Nelms
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER Nelms gave Kravitz’s hair a damp, slightly scraggly style as an ode to grunge. Likewise, Park subtly contoured her client’s chiseled cheekbones and gave the eyes a slight feline flick at the sides. “We speak the same language when it comes to beauty,” says Park, who has worked with Kravitz for nearly nine years. As a recent change of pace, Nelms has lopped off the actress-director’s long tresses, with Kravitz debuting a chic bob and bangs at the Academy Museum Gala in October.
A Buzz Cut Gets the Buzz
Ask Charlize Theron (Monster) and Nicole Kidman (The Hours), who won Oscars for those movies: Sometimes de-prettying has its payoffs. It could have the same effect for Emma Stone, 37, already an Oscar winner who’s garnering early awards chatter for her star turn in Bugonia as a CEO who gets her head shaved while being held captive. Also driving buzz: Stone’s hair-volution following the film wrapping, from her newly grown-out pixie at the Golden Globes to being able to pull her hair into a chic updo in the fall. Her trusted hairstylist of 20 years, Mara Roszak, has overseen the progress: “We focused on honoring each grow-out stage — working the texture and encouraging movement.” For the Golden Globes reveal, color queen Tracey Cunningham infused the short crop with nutmeg hues to revive Stone’s signature color.
THE PROS Hairstylist Mara Roszak, colorist Tracey Cunningham
HOW THE LOOKS CAME TOGETHER Roszak’s term for the shaggier stage Stone sported in June, “the whimsy pixie,” went viral: “The key was paying attention to what it wanted to do, where we could add softness or structure.”
Looking Good as a Political Act
Take that, transphobes: Hunter Schafer may no longer wish to be held up as Hollywood’s trans poster child, but surely winning the Emmy red carpet in September must have provided some satisfaction. In sensational red Alexander McQueen, the Euphoria star, 26, channeled a “Hollywood ingenue; a young Jodie Foster or Claire Danes,” according to hair pro Rena Calhoun, complete with a hairstyle that wasn’t parted in the center, a Gen Z mandate in recent years. Media outlets announced that, thanks to Schafer, side parts are back.
THE PROS Makeup artist Carolina Dalí-Trites, hairstylist Rena Calhoun
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER “My goal for that night was for people to first notice Hunter’s natural beauty and secondly the makeup,” says Schafer’s pro of five years. They noticed. “It got best of beauty from all the top publications, fans loved it,” she adds, “but, most importantly, Hunter loved it.”
A Character Arc on the Red Carpet
For your consideration: Tessa Thompson’s beauty campaign, as part of Amazon/MGM’s push for the Hedda star this awards season. Thompson, 42, has been channeling the multiple layers of her character by way of a melange of hairstyles, including full natural curls, a braided ponytail and a bouncy blowout at Toronto in September. Strong makeup looks with on-trend mauves, seen at the Academy’s Women’s Luncheon presented by Chanel in November, subtly chime with Thompson’s willful Hedda Gabler interpretation. Thompson say her pros “bring so deep knowledge of beauty and fashion; they treat every moment like a story and a chance to transport ourselves through a portal with a look.” With favorable reviews since TIFF for Thompson and director Nia DaCosta’s innovative take on Henrik Ibsen, this squad’s work may be just beginning.
THE PROS Makeup artist Alex Babsky, hairstylist Lacy Redway
HOW THE LOOKS CAME TOGETHER Babsky, who also works with Florence Pugh, Simone Ashley, Jodie Comer and Nicola Coughlan, starts his prep routine sans products. If time allows, he says he gives clients a lymphatic facial massage: “Some people’s faces take longer to drain and sculpt than others, but by the time I’ve finished makeup, I can always see the effect of the massage I began with,” he says.
Blonde Transformation
Olaplex ambassador Tracey Cunningham was the go-to colorist for character blondification in 2025. She flew to set in Thailand to give The White Lotus season three trio of friends played by Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon and Leslie Bibb coordinating blondes to help enhance the idea of their superficial cohesion. For Zoey Deutch, she went platinum to transform into Jean Seberg for director Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, which bowed on Netflix on Nov. 14 to rhapsodic reviews. Says hairstylist Bridget Brager of the metamorphosis: “Zoey was committed to becoming Jean. She had reference photos of Jean from every angle and wanted the cut to be exact, down to the way Jean parted her hair.”
THE PROS Colorist Tracey Cunningham, hairstylist Bridget Brager
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER Before picking up the scissors, Brager studied “the softness around Jean’s face, the feathering, the way the hair tucked, and how it all laid so delicately.” The challenge was her client’s tresses: “Zoey’s hair is thick, high density and naturally curly, so I suggested a gentle keratin treatment to slim it down and smooth it. It allowed the shape to fall beautifully.”
Maximalism as Movie-Star Strategy
With opera gloves pulled up and Veronica Lake waves spritzed into place, old Hollywood maximalism is again taking center stage. Current iterations of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Dandridge and Sophia Loren are crowding the town’s red carpets, from the Globes to the Academy Museum Gala. Leading the charge are Renato Campora and Hung Vanngo, who notably used their old-school touch on Scarlett Johansson and Selena Gomez this year. (Kirsten Dunst’s screen-siren looks for Roofman, courtesy of Owen Gould, are another great example of vintage allure.) Think total glamour, not trad-wife, though Gomez, 33, did reference the latter for her September wedding to music producer Benny Blanco. Says hairstylist Campora, it’s about “emphasizing strength and sophistication.” Adds Campora of Johansson’s retro aesthetic at the Jurassic World Rebirth London premiere, and for Gomez at her nuptials: “In this industry, trends come and go, but timeless beauty always endures.”
THE PROS Makeup artist Hung Vanngo, hairstylist Renato Campora
Brown Is Beautiful
Earth tones grounded an otherwise chaotic year. Fashion designers sent models at Off White, Fforme and Elena Velez down runways with mocha makeup, Ariana Grande relinquished Glinda blond for her natural brunette locks during Wicked: For Good promos, and Kate Middleton reverted to brown in the fall after a stint with blond streaks. Makeup maestros responded by whipping up a chocolate-box assortment of brown tones for gobbled-up tutorial videos and red carpet looks. And, according to trend forecaster Spate’s popularity index, brown mascara mentions spiked 62 percent year-over-year, while brown lipliner sales jumped 45 percent since 2024, per TheIndustry.beauty. After Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 43, sported a blend of cappuccino colors for Ralph Lauren’s New York Fashion Week presentation in September, the Heads of State actor (and founder of her best-selling Anomaly hair care brand) posted a photo from the event on Instagram, racking up more than 700,000 likes.
THE PROS Makeup artist Morgane Martini
HOW THE LOOK CAME TOGETHER “We decided to lean into a ’90s-inspired minimal glam — clean, effortless and chic with luminous skin and soft brown tones,” says Martini, global makeup artist at Christian Louboutin Beauty.