Award season may be fast approaching a standstill, but we’re still thinking about the red carpet beauty looks that have captured our attention. Throughout the years, we’ve witnessed the sudden rise of many beauty icons as they’ve stepped onto star-studded red carpets, but there’s always one standout individual who keeps us on our toes. Since making her first viral award-show appearance last year at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, actress Greta Lee has continued to wow with showstopping beauty looks, ranging from modern-day takes on Old Hollywood makeup to high-fashion haircuts, and we can’t get enough.
With so many great looks from Lee to fall in love with, it was challenging—but not entirely impossible—to decide which ones we’ll be copying at the earliest opportunity. Keep reading to discover the nine best beauty looks from Lee that we love along with the exact products used. Plus, learn the tips, tricks, and original visions behind each of them from the beauty team that brought these looks to life.
1. Vanity Fair Oscar Party, March 2023
(Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
For her first appearance on the Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet in 2023, Lee was pictured with a dewy-looking complexion, ultra-bronzed cheekbones, and full eyebrows groomed to perfection. For us, the unsung star of the look was her mauve pout. Lee looked undeniably chic in a short pixie cut with a side part that frames the face to perfection.
2. CFDA Fashion Awards, November 2023
(Image credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Once again, Lee’s freckles were on full display while posing for the cameras during the CFDA Fashion Awards. This time, the Russian Doll and Morning Show actress wore brown winged eyeliner with a pink frosted lip and pearlescent highlighter on the high points of her face—most notably, the nose bridge. For hair, Lee wore a messy bun with loose, face-framing strands.
3. 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, January 2024
(Image credit: Monica Schipper/Golden Globes)
The next time she stepped onto a red carpet, Lee was spotted in a makeup look by Naoko Scintu that paired Sisley-Paris’s Phyto-Blush Twist in Passion and L’Orchidee with the Phyto-Lip Twist in Nut for a rosy lip. Celebrity hairstylist Jenny Cho created waves and sculpted curls with the Olivia Garden thermal hair brush and curling iron before pinning them into place for an Old Hollywood–inspired look.
4. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards, January 2024
(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Clearly, Lee has sky-high cheekbones on lock! Here, the actress wore a makeup look that showed off one of her best features with a glowy base, a dusty-rose matte lip, and stunning copper eye shadow. Her slicked-back hair was reminiscent of her first red carpet appearance but offered the edginess we’ve come to expect from the star.
5. Critics Choice Awards, January 2024
(Image credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Gone are the days of the clean girl aesthetic. Scintu accentuated the strong planes of Lee’s face using a full face of Merit products, including its Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil in Bel Air for added shine. Lee’s wet and shiny hair, created by celebrity hairstylist Takuya Yamaguchi, was achieved with multiple products by award-winning J-beauty brand NatureLab Tokyo.
6. Screen Actors Guild Awards, February 2024
(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Dewy makeup has been dominating the red carpet for years, but Lee’s Screen Actors Guild Awards look is second to none when paired with peachy cheeks and lips. Once again, we see Lee sporting a slicked-back style. This time, it’s an elegant ponytail. According to Cho, the inspiration behind the hair was to create a minimal, clean style that looks effortless.
7. Film Independent Spirit Awards, February 2024
(Image credit: JC Olivera/Getty Images)
If you’ve been on the hunt for a source of inspiration to create picture-perfect diffused lips, look no further than Lee’s makeup at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards. Above, Lee wears hers with a just-pinched shade of pink across the cheeks and nose bridge as well as winged eyeliner and full brows. The actress’s hair is tucked behind the ear and features an eye-catching side part for a minimalistic style that pairs perfectly with her dress.
8. Academy Awards, March 2024
(Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
For the 96th Academy Awards, Lee’s stunning makeup look was a nod to the ’70s and based loosely on Martha Plimpton. Her dewy complexion was created using Ilia’s Base Face Milk and more before Scintu created a bronzed makeup look using products such as the brand’s Color Block Lipstick and Necessary Eyeshadow Palette for a wash of color on the eyelids.
9. The Met Gala, May 2024
(Image credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
The Met Gala is notorious for bold beauty moments, but Lee’s soft and dewy makeup look and choppy haircut will forever be one of our favorites. According to celebrity makeup artist Nina Park, the thoughtful placement of color was used to evoke springtime and enhance the floral appliques of the dress. By layering moisture in Lee’s strands, Cho was able to create a ’90s-inspired wet look with products by Fekkai, most notably the Super Strength+ Everstrong Bonding Oil.
Shop the Products Behind the Looks
Addiction Tokyo
The Eyeshadow Pearl in Aura Dawn
For Lee’s ethereal Met Gala eye makeup, Park applied the Eyeshadow Pearl in the shades Aurora Dawn, Shell Garden, and Ever Mine for a pearlescent shimmer with a satin finish. It’s easy to blend and build for your desired look.
Merit
Shade Slick Classics Tinted Lip Oil in Bel Air
With Merit’s line of versatile products, it’s no surprise its Shade Slick Classic Tinted Lip Oil was used to create one of Lee’s most memorable red carpet beauty looks. Adding a swipe of this added the perfect touch of shine.
Ilia
Color Block Lipstick in Marsala
In case you missed it, ’70s makeup looks are set to make a triumphant return this year. Lee wore the ideal brown lip combo to this year’s Academy Awards by combining Ilia’s Color Block Lipstick in Marsala (a universal brown nude) and Rosewood (soft oxblood with neutral undertones).
Sisley-Paris
L’Orchidée Highlighter Blush in Corail
We just ID’d the perfect coral blush shade, and it’s this one worn by the actress on the red carpet. This multitasking product is composed of three shades that enhance the complexion with a luminous, light-diffusing finish.
Fekkai
Brilliant Gloss Glass Hair Anti-Frizz Serum
Cho also used the brand’s Brilliant Gloss Glass Hair Anti-Frizz Serum to add shine and luster to Lee’s Met Gala hair. The end result was a style that achieved a strong, edgy look with a short, choppy cut that stands out against Lee’s delicate Loewe dress.
NatureLab Tokyo
Perfect Shine Oil Mist
To create the effortless, wet look Lee wore to the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, Yamaguchi used the Perfect Shine Oil Mist after blowing out the actress’s hair and adding texture with a curling iron. Its formula features Platinum Fiber, which works by coating the strands with shine and boosting its natural reflective properties.
Olivia Garden
Ceramic + Ion Thermal Hairbrush
Cho used this Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Thermal Hairbrush to blow-dry Lee’s hair prior to her appearance on the Golden Globes red carpet. Starting from the nape, she worked through the front to create rounded and beveled ends for a classic Old Hollywood feel.
