Amy Adams | Red Carpet Beauty
RED CARPET BEAUTY:
AMY ADAMS
VIOLET GREY spotlights the nominees of awards season and their biggest red-carpet hits.
- Written By
- EVELYN CROWLEY
AMY ADAMS AT THE 2014 COSTUME INSTITUTE GALA AT THE MET / PHOTO BY BILLY FARRELL / BFA.NYC.COM
Throughout awards season, VIOLET GREY will be deconstructing the nominees’ most memorable red-carpet beauty moments of the year. On hand for commentary (and the occasional insider tip) will be the actresses’ makeup artist, hairstylist or both.
We turn our attention to Amy Adams, whose depiction of ’60s painter Margaret Keane in the biopic Big Eyes has earned her a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress. With her long dancer’s limbs and delicate features like a perky, upturned nose and ponderous doe eyes, Adams’ characters often display a girlish vulnerability. On the red carpet, however, the actress looks every inch the lady, exuding grace and a self-assuredness that’s more in keeping with her age (a hard-to-believe 40) and accomplishments (41 major award nominations and counting).
Below, VIOLET GREY talks with Adams’ longtime makeup artist, Stephen Sollitto, about her best looks, essential products and biggest beauty gambles of the year.
RED CARPET BEAUTY DOSSIER
Amy Adams’ makeup artist, Stephen Sollitto, talks shop.
FULL NAME
Amy Lou Adams
BORN
Vicenza, Italy
CURRENT NOMINATIONS
2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Big Eyes
2015 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Big Eyes
MAKEUP ESSENTIALS
“I love Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Foundation. It’s creamy, pliable and I use a shade lighter for concealer,” says Sollitto. “To create a blank canvas and lighten up her lids, I'm partial to Jouer Buttercream shadow. A MAC eye kohl pencil in Teddy and a tube of Benefit BADgal Lash mascara are always close by as well.”
THE BIG EYES NEW YORK PREMIERE / PHOTO BY BRAD BARKET / GETTY IMAGES
SIGNATURE LOOK: EFFORTLESSLY POLISHED
For her iconic auburn tresses, Adams favors a side part with a soft cascade of Veronica Lake–esque curls. Her makeup is sophisticated and subdued (but never minimal) and tends toward a natural palette. “She’s not big on trends,” says Sollitto. “She prefers to just stay true to who she is.”
THE 2014 BAFTAS / PHOTO BY RUNE HELLESTAD / CORBIS
BIGGEST RISK OF THE YEAR: BERRY PERSUASION
“Most of the time I focus on Amy’s eyes,” says Sollitto. “But for the BAFTA’s last year I proposed a berry lip, and she loved it. I used a metallic rose on her lids and enough mascara so that her eyes weren't lost compared to her lips. The end result is strong and beautiful without the makeup screaming at us.”
2014 PALM SPRINGS FILM FESTIVAL / PHOTO BY JON KOPALOFF FILMMAGIC / GETTY IMAGES