It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for La Lopez — just read the cover story I penned for GIANT magazine’s October 2007 issue. It’s a sometimes tumultuous relationship, I admit (I was infuriated when I read that a screen double, not Lopez, had been the one driving through the Bronx in the Fiat 500 commercial) but, in the end, I always go back to the basics: Jennifer Lopez has worked her way to the top, reinvented herself a million times, and always waved the Puerto Rican flag with enormous pride. She’s smart, determined, beautiful, and she exudes sex appeal without even trying to play the role of seductress. And, on the fashion front, Lopez never disappoints, a fact she reminded us of once again during the 2012 Academy Awards, when she dazzled in a custom-made Zuhair Murad gown with a plunging neckline.
While so many stars opted for minimal hair and makeup looks, Lopez delivered the smoldering type of glamour we so crave when watching actresses walk the red carpet at the Oscars. In fact, her beauty look was inspired by another film icon and timeless bombshell: Faye Dunaway. Specifically, her hair, makeup, and nail looks nodded to Dunaway circa 1968′s The Thomas Crown Affair.
Hair stylist Lorenzo Martin created Lopez’s voluminous bun, which was tightly pulled back and positioned at the very top of the crown. To create the look, Martin relied in an assortment of L’Oréal Paris products.
First, he sprayed the L’Oréal Paris EverStyle Volume Root Lifting Spray at the roots of damp hair, then blow-dried her hair using a round, medium-sized boar bristle brush. Once her hair was dry, Martin applied a dime-sized drop of L’Oréal Paris EverStyle Strong Hold Defining Gel evenly throughout the entire head. Next, he pulled the hair into a high ponytail and secured it with an elastic band. Once the tight ponytail was secure, Martin split it into four sections, teasing each individually and spraying them with L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Unscented Hairspray. Next, he took each teased section of hair and looped it into the ponytail, securing each piece using bobby pins and having each section face a different direction so as to create the voluminous bun shape. To make the pulled-back hair appear sleek and avoid any stray hairs, he then added a tad of the L’Oréal Paris EverStyle Smooth & Shine Serum along the top of the head and the sides. The final touch: L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Unscented Hairspray sprayed over the entire head.
Lopez’s makeup, meanwhile, was the handiwork of Mary Phillips, who designed a look that prioritized dewy skin and winged cat eyes. To create the look, Phillips started by mixing the L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Makeup in Sun Beige with LaMer’s Reparative Body Lotion, giving her skin the necessary coverage to create a smooth canvas while also infusing it with a glistening luminosity. To give her face a rosy flush, she dabbed the L’Oréal Paris Magic Smooth Soufflé Blush in Cherubic , a dusty rose shade, onto the apples of cheeks and along the cheekbones.
Lopez’s shimmering smoky eye, meanwhile, incorporates two L’Oréal Paris Infallible 24H Eye Shadow shades: Eternal Black, which resembles a starry black sky, and Iced Latte, a watered-down, café-con-leche shade with ice-like shimmer. To add the desired retro effect, Phillips lined eyes with the richly pigmented, kajal-based L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Brown, winging the liner out at the outer corners of eyes. Last, she brushed on two coats of L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara in Carbon Black.
Last, Phillips coated Lopez’s pout with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 8HR Le Gloss in Coral Sands, a nude-tinged peach pink shade with a vinyl-like sheen.
Even Lopez’s manicure channeled Hollywood glamour thanks to celebrity manicurist Tom Bachik who coated her nails with a sheer coat of the L’Oréal Paris Colour Rich Nail Color in Because You’re Worth It, a champagne gold shade, and then gilded the tips of her almond-shaped nails with the L’Oréal Paris Colour Rich Nail Color in Haute Couture Red, a burgundy wine hue worthy of a screen siren like Lopez.
