Lucy Boynton's Award Season Beauty Is My Entire 2019 Mood

Truth be told, I've never been one for awards season. The makeup and hair are always gorgeous, sure, but more often than not, the whole thing lacks a certain playfulness. I crave whimsy and a little weird, you know? I had all but written off this year's red carpets when Lucy Boynton, an American-born English actress who starred in Bohemian Rhapsody, took over my Instagram feed. Look after artistic look she melted my cold, black heart and made tuning in fun again. Soon enough, her makeup became my entire 2019 mood and I realized I had to try them on for myself. 

Think about it this way: celebrity makeup artist Jo Baker and hairstylist Halley Brisker have done with Boynton what Bryce Scarlett and Pati Dubroff did with Margot Robbie last year—created the exciting and ever-elusive beauty darling. A red carpet icon, if you will. As such, her hair and makeup are just as arresting, if not more so, than her dress. In a twist of glorious fate, Baker, the mastermind behind Boynton's looks (and subsequently, my entire new aesthetic) posted her inspiration for each one, detailing where the ideas came from and how to recreate them. Because I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to applying and blending properly (I try, but it's usually a disaster), I enlisted our resident makeup artist, Lindsey. Below, we go through each of my four favorite looks with thoughts from Baker herself. Keep scrolling to see the photos.

The Look:

The Inspiration:

Coined "red snapper flare-shaped shadow," Baker used actual fishtails—a lunate tail, to be specific—as her inspiration for the shape of the eye. For the color palette, she mixed a coppery, gold (that's the red snapper) with an '80s power-girl vibe. Think: Debby Harry and Joan Collins in all their powerful, boss-y glory. She used Weleda's Skin Food ($19) to prep the skin, then Lancôme's Le Monochromatique Eye Tint ($25), and Hypnôse Doll Lashes Fiber Mascara ($27).

My Interpretation:

Lindsey really turned it out with this one—I fell absolutely in love with the look. As someone who frequents more natural-looking makeup, I was surprised with my affinity for the results. It felt cool, unique, and artistic all at once and I never wanted to take it off. For the lids, we used Tom Ford's Lip Lacquer Luxe in Pussycat Matte ($57) and Kylie Cosmetics' Pressed Bronzing Powder ($18) on the outer corners of my lids (Lindsey used a MetroCard to make sure the lines were straight). Then, we went in with Too Faced x Erika Jayne Money Honey High Impact Highlighter ($30) on the center of my lids and inner eyes. We used Joah Brow Down To Me Precision Brow Pencil in Taupe ($9) and smudged the pigment from the outer corner of my eye downward to create the bottom "fishtail."

The Look:

The Inspiration:

According to Baker, she and Boynton found themselves daydreaming of England all its funny quirks. She recalls, "On a rainy day in England, it seems every school serves pink custard with basic sponge cake. She laments how it's such a lovely, happy memory for those who grew up there—and created this look based on the nostalgia of it all. Inspired by her youth, Baker incorporated school dinners, pillar boxes (a large, red public mailbox they have on the streets in the U.K), pink afternoon tea cookies, and those iconic telephone booths. Then, she took a look at the dress, Gucci to be specific, which had patterns and tones like iconic stained glass windows—with lots of bold colors to add dimension, depth, and intensity.

So, to create a wet-looking pink (to mirror the pink custard), Baker used Glossier's Cloud Paint in Puff ($18) around Boynton's outer eye, brow, and cheekbone. This, according to Baker, creates that soft, milky-pink, watercolor finish. The final touch was a matte red lip, one that Baker used two different shades of Anastasia Beverly Hills' Liquid Lipstick ($20) to create a 3D, graphic look.

My Interpretation:

This has been a look I've been dying to try for a while now—the combination of pink and and red is so unexpected and striking. Plus, I'm currently obsessed with all things draped. Lindsey used Flower Beauty's Pop Fanatic Eye Pigment in Wham ($9) and buffed it out along my entire lid and outer eye area. Then, all we needed to do is apply the matte red lip, we went with Milk Makeup's Lip Color in O.G. Red ($17), and swipe on some mascara. For each look, Baker has consistently applied a lengthening, volumizing formula to Boynton's top and bottom lashes—so, we did just that with Revlon's Volumizing Mascara ($9).

The Look:

The Inspiration:

One of the most talked about looks of the season (so simple, yet so damn cool), Baker's "power surge precision punk liner" was inspired by the sheer polka dot veil of Boynton's Erdem dress. "I wanted to play up a modern and simple vampy, goth-inspired liner vibe," Baker said of the look. She was influenced by the strong, powerful, intense, and precise black lines of electrical wires and ear buds, mixed with a nod to a punk-y attitude and moodiness. Baker used Victoria's Secret Major Lashes Full Volume Mascara ($15) and Chanel's Calligraphie de Chanel Longwear Intense Cream Eyeliner ($35) to create the stark, yet striking, look.

My Interpretation:

Lindsey drew thin, fine lines using Blinc's Ultrathin Liquid Eyeliner Pen ($26) arched just above my crease and along the inner corners of each eye. It seemed simple, but certainly took some precise work on her part (props to Lindsey for this one). Then, we mixed together two pink and berry shades of Tom Ford's Lip Lacquer Luxe ($57) to get the perfect matching lip.

The Look:

The Inspiration:

For the final look, Baker pulled inspiration from a few different things. First, she contemplated the best way to show off and bring attention to Boynton's insane lashes. She thought of fire works, sunbeams, and chandeliers. Ultimately, she wanted to create an eye look that felt as magical and lightweight as fireworks, but enhanced and illuminated Boynton's doll-like lashes. This led her to silver sparkles—an ode to Ziggy Stardust. She created an extension of Boynton's lashes using thin, precise lines above her lid. Then, with the cool-tone, sparkly eyes, she wanted to bring warmth to Boynton's lips. Baker went with a sun-kissed, '70s-inspired, juicy, sheer gloss. She used two shades of Nars' Lip Gloss ($24) with a golden-pink finish to bring on the perfect balance.

My Interpretation:

Though it's the most subtle, I found this was my favorite look of the bunch. It felt like something I could really wear and recreate for something special. Lindsey used Stila's Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Diamond Dust ($17) and applied Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick in 15 ($38) underneath Dior's Lip Glow in Pink ($34).