The 2018 Golden Globe Awards red carpet was unlike any in recent memory. The vast majority of actors, actresses and their dates (many of them female activists) wore head-to-toe black in solidarity with the Time’s Up movement, calling for an end to sexual discrimination and harassment in Hollywood and beyond.
Not to detract from the weight of these matters but — as we suspected it would — this important cultural moment gave rise to many outstanding beauty moments. (How else does one stand out in a sea of black formalwear, if not through hair and makeup?) Hair whizzes got extra inventive, whipping out braids, pins, pony holders and hair cages (see above) to rival the Spring 2018 runways. Makeup artists favored bold lips and eyes in colors (red, purple, green) oft used to symbolize female power.
That said, the all-black red carpet was a bit like those of yore in that, occasionally, stylists and glam teams missed their mark. Click through the gallery below to see the most memorable — for better or worse — beauty looks of the politically charged evening.
[ Next: All the Must-See Looks From the 2018 Golden Globe Awards ‘Black’ Carpet ]
Golden Globes Beauty 2018
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Best: Millie Bobby Brown
And the award for best updo goes to...Millie Bobby Brown's slicked-back braided topknot. It was, in a word, bitchin'. (Also, kudos to makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan for that age-appropriate, standalone cat-eye.)
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Emilia Clarke
Blunt, icy blond chop, sleek center part, beautiful bright pink lip...slay Mother of Dragons, slay.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Issa Rae
Because skincare is the most important step in any beauty routine, makeup artist Joanna Simkin started by jade rolling the Insecure actress' face (to boost circulation). Then came lots of moisturizers and CoverGirl makeup (Rae is one of the brand's easy, breezy spokesmodels). You know what that means: you too can have perfectly plum-tinged smoky eyes (via CoverGirl's TruNaked Roses Palette and TruNaked Smoky Palette) and subtly shimmery lips (CoverGirl Melting Pouts Metallic Liquid Lipstick in Unplugged) for under $30.
Image: VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
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Worst: Lena Headey
If you thought Lena Headey's golden blond Game of Thrones wigs didn't quite suit her face, behold this over-layered, suburban soccer mom balayage horror.
Image: Venturelli/WireImage
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Best: Margot Robbie
We'll admit, we were kind of hoping Margot Robbie would kick off awards season with wet look hair, but been that, done that, we suppose. Still, the I, Tonya star's partially grown-in roots, wavy asymmetric lob and bold magenta smile didn't disappoint.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross had a Marc Jacobs moment. Her dramatic black turban was regal, but not retro and elegantly drew the attention to her face. Meanwhile, the Black-ish star’s makeup was on point: her kohl-lined eyes and energetic matte red lips (Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour) were arresting but not overwhelming.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Worst: Debra Messing
Speaking of overwhelming, Debra Messing's graphic blue cat eye — while, yes, perfectly executed and, by the laws of the color wheel, hazel-eye-highlighting – did way too much. Paired with flaming red hair, too-nude lips and a high-neck black collar, the overall effect was witchy and jarring.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Best: Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is known for having some of the most dazzling eyelashes in showbiz, and at this year's Golden Globes, her bright purple liner added an extra (but not extra) dose of glitz. Her side-swept, tousled waves and soft pink lips helped ground the slightly experimental look. And that is how you do a statement eye.
Image: George Pimentel/WireImage
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Best: Zuri Hall
Here's another winning formula, courtesy of E! News on-air correspondent Zuri Hall: shaggy bob plus piecey, brow-grazing bangs plus a frosty blue smoky eye and a nourished nude lip equals red carpet success.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Worst: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones was way. too. coiffed. It looked like she got caught in a bomb cyclone on her way to the Beverly Hilton.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Katherine Langford
Though difficult to spot from your typical red carpet angles, the 13 Reasons Why actress' star-studded Jennifer Behr clips added new verve to her Old Hollywood waves. (Hard-working, half-hidden hair accessories were a big theme of the evening.) That said, Langford's smoldering smoky eyes and rosy lips and cheeks more than held up their (front) end.
Image: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
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Best: Emma Stone
Per makeup artist Rachel Goodwin, Stone's tricolor Golden Globes beauty look paid homage to the Women's Suffrage Movement of the late 1800s/early 1900s. Green, purple and white were the Suffragettes' colors — and the only ones Goodwin used on the actress' face. "Her eyes are green, her lips and cheeks are purple, and there's white on the inside of her eyes and along her brows — and those are the only three colors in the makeup," Goodwin told Allure. Of course, with those emerald almond eyes, all makeup is kind of superfluous.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Worst: Samira Wiley
We think we get what Samira Wiley's hairstylist was trying to do here (soften up her dramatic updo by letting a few wisps fly free). Sadly, it just looks sloppy, not chic-undone. Still, her amazingly feathery lashes and high-gloss raspberry smile (kind of) saved the day.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Best: Susan Kelechi Watson
Oh, Susan Kelechi Watson. You're never not tugging at our heartstrings. Last night it was the This Is Us star's voluminous curly halo and soft, perfectly balanced makeup that brought tears to our eyes.
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Best: Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse (phonetically, Sear-sha) Ronan — 2017's Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and the latest to take the peroxide-pixie plunge — wore her newly icy 'do slicked back, with strong brows and a soft-edged pink lip. Cue the applause.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz, having recently transitioned back to black, paired her signature feline flick with berry-red lips and outsize emerald earrings. (Side note: green jewelry was another breakout red carpet trend.) Her baubles and pout added some welcome color to her otherwise forgettable ensemble. (That's not a slight — given that the point of the all-black dress code was to keep the focus off fashion, Kravitz's look was a total win.)
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Best: Kate Hudson
We conclude our pixie-appreciation segment with Kate Hudson, who, like Cara Delevingne before her, dressed up her newly grown-in strands with a chic, understated black headband. She kept her makeup (smoky eyes, soft red lip) classic so as not to overpower her heavily accessorized look. (A wise decision.)
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Worst: Halle Berry
Maybe it's just because we know what she's capable of — talk about your great pixies — but we cannot stand Halle Berry's hair choices as of late. (Remember those excessively hot-rolled curls? Yikes.) Last night, it was a straightened balayage ponytail with center-parted bangs that somehow made her forehead seem bigger. Her mini dress, like her hair, seemed off-brand and oddly informal. (Though it highlighted her killer figure, so we get the rationale.)
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Best: Viola Davis
Though, in our humble opinion, her false lashes needed some adjusting — particularly the lower set — Viola Davis' free-flying natural curls were a sight to behold. Longer, larger and more eye-catching than ever, Davis' voluminous Afro was a helpful reminder (especially to African American women) to shrug away the beauty ideals imposed upon you by society and embrace/highlight your natural gifts.
Image: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon
