Lupita Nyong'o Just Wore Red Contacts On The Red Carpet & Looks Nightmarishly Glam
Forget about fantastical hair colors or the most vibrant new makeup trends. Lupita Nyong'o's red contacts are the only colorful beauty statement that matters today and yes, they're as creepy-cool as they sound. The actress is known for bringing the fire to red carpets, consistently wearing elegant ground-grazing gowns that stun and the glowiest of makeup, but the heat she brought to a recent screening was on a whole other level.
Last night, the actress arrived to the London screening of Jordan Peele's new film, Us, looking all kinds of vampy, mysterious, and glam. In line with Peels' 2017 film, Get Out, the movie is a socially conscious thriller and has a stacked cast including Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss, and, of course, Nyong'o. Knowing the nightmarish genre of the film, it makes sense that she'd want to rock a striking yet appropriately spine-tingling look for the event. Wearing a sequined red wrap dress featuring an oversized plaid print along with strappy gold heels and diamond earrings, her sartorial choices were nothing short of arresting but also nothing out of the ordinary for a red carpet. Her entire beauty look, including the contacts, is where things got weirdly good. Along with her red contacts, Nyong'o also sported intensely smoky, plum-colored eyeshadow, a dark plum pout, and heavy berry-colored blush, giving the actress an otherworldly appeal. Can her makeup artist please be in charge of executing every film villain's look from now on?
Before arriving to the premiere, Nyong'o shared a photo of her beauty look on her Instagram account, commenting the photo "Seeing Red. # UsMovie." Created by Nick Barose, her longtime makeup artist, and Vernon François, her hairstylist, the look was unsurprisingly met with immense praise from her fans.
In an interview with Vogue, Barose revealed the surprising throwback inspiration behind the look. “We wanted to avoid pretty red carpet looks and be more experimental, taking wicked beauty ideas from fierce women in 80’s music videos who really played with makeup that echoed their strong powerful attitude,” he told the publication. Annie Lennox, Grace Jones, and Irving Penn’s iconic Vogue beauty shots were among his inspirations—Nyong'o is in excellent company, no?
Barose shared exactly which products he used to achieve the witchy look, so if you want to give it a try you're in luck. He applied Lancôme's Color Design Palette in Gris Fumee on her eyes as well as the brand's Le Monochromatique blush in the shade Haute Couture on her cheekbones. For her lips, he used the brand's Drama Liqui-Pencil eyeliner in Noir, which he topped off with matching dark gloss. Nyong'o became an official ambassador for Lancome in 2014, so it makes sense that the look would be fueled by the major beauty brand.
If you're into the look but are afraid to rock it in a normal setting, try toning down one or two of its elements or simply saying F it and doing you full-throttle. Nyong'o has proven that it doesn't need to be Halloween or a costume party to rock an intensely dramatic look, so go ahead and give in to your darkest beauty desires.
