Retro glam is in, and 28-year-old Cara Delevingne made a strong case for it at the 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday, November 22. The supermodel stunned on the socially distanced red carpet in a metallic silver Dolce & Gabbana suit. She paired the glitzy ensemble with an unexpected color combination: purple eyeshadow and coral lipstick.
“Cara is wearing a fabulous silver lamé suit that excited us to do a bold, colorful Debbie Harry-inspired eye after collaborating with her stylists, Rob and Mariel, and hairstylist Danielle Priano,” said celebrity makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan. Harry, the lead vocalist of Blondie, is no stranger to expressing herself through her makeup over the years.
To recreate Harry’s glam, the L.A.-based pro used a lust-worthy lineup of Dior cosmetics to bring the colorful look to life, along with skin-enhancing products from Alleven London. She worked alongside celeb hairstylist Danielle Priano and manicurist Thuy Nguyen.
Delevingne’s makeup channels Harry, but New York City-based makeup artist Kelli J. Bartlett says that purple eyeshadow is the perfect early aughts trend to bring back right now. “The eyes are having a moment due to mask-wearing,” she tells GRAZIA USA exclusively. “Purple is both regal, elevated, and festive — and a universally complementary color for all skin tones.”
That said, she, too, loved Delevingne’s red carpet glam. “Purple and orange-red is a classic makeup combo because the two colors are complementary to each other,” Barlett continues. “It is a bold look that is evocative of a cool ’80s vibe a la Robert Palmer’s girls in Addicted to Love or the stars of Dynasty.”
Keep scrolling to shop some of the exact products that Delevingne wore on the red carpet, along with tips from Deenihan if you want to recreate the look at home.
“For the eyes, I used the Dior 5 Couleurs Couture #159 Plum Tulle and #879 Rouge Trafalgar,” says Deenihan. “I started with a combination of the top left and bottom left colors from the #879 palette all over the lid and up to the brow bone, followed by center color from the #159 Plum Tulle palette in the crease and slightly outward to follow her natural eye shape. To add a bit more drama to the outer eye, I added the bottom right color from the #159 plum Tulle palette right at the top lash line and below the bottom lash line.”
“I lightly dusted the Dior Rouge Blush Golden Nights Collection Limited Edition #353 Rose Frisson along the apples of the cheeks and up toward the outer corners of the eyes to add a hint of color to her cheeks,” explains Deenihan. “To intensify the color, I used the bottom left color from the Dior 5 Couleurs Couture #879 Rouge Trafalgar.”
“I used the rouge Dior #548 Coral Mood to create a beautiful contrast from eye color to lip color,” says Deenihan.
“To finish the eyes, I added a couple generous coats of Diorshow Mascara #090 Pro Black.”
