18 of the Best Oscars Beauty Looks of All Time

With the 2021 Oscars coming up, these women prove you don’t have to take home a statue to go down in awards-show history.

18 of the Best Oscars Beauty Looks of All Time

While all eyes will be on the dresses that nominees such as Amanda Seyfried and Andra Day wear for the 2021 Oscars, history has shown that an actor’s beauty look carries equal importance. It’s that finishing touch that can take a look from beautiful to unforgettable, overworked to ineffably effortless. For example, it’s nearly impossible to remember Michelle Williams’s canary yellow Vera Wang gown without recalling just how perfectly it contrasted with her crimson lip. Or how Marion Cotillard’s shimmering, scalloped Jean Paul Gaultier dress shone brighter against her glossy, side-parted waves.

Dakota Johnson made her Academy Awards debut with a bold red single-strap Saint Laurent gown offset by a youthful ponytail, a smudged smoky eye, and a simple wash of lip stain. Both Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o found timeless winning looks via a glowing décolletage echoed by a thin, shimmering headband. Gwyneth Paltrow was ever the minimalist with a simple, side-slicked chignon. And Lauren Hutton’s golden glow and laid-back waves were the stuff of naturalist dreams. From Elizabeth Taylor’s bold brows and expertly delineated lipstick to Winona Ryder’s ’20s-inspired pixie, here, 18 beauty moments to inspire this year’s Academy Awards attendees—and proof that you don’t have to take home an Oscar to go down in red carpet history.

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Patricia Garcia,Mackenzie Wagoner