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THE VIOLET FILES
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VIOLET GREY spotlights the nominees of awards season and their biggest red-carpet hits.
Written By Evelyn Crowley
Amy Adams' Red Carpet Beauty | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

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.
This week 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. 
Amy Adams' Red Carpet Beauty | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

AMY ADAMS IN Big Eyes, IMAGE COURTESY OF WEINSTEIN COMPANY

VITALS
FULL NAME
Amy Lou Adams
BORN
Vicenza, Italy
CURRENT NOMINATIONS 
2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Big Eyes (won)
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.”
Amy Adams' Red Carpet Beauty | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

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.”
Amy Adams' Red Carpet Beauty | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

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.”
Amy Adams' Red Carpet Beauty | #VioletGrey, The Industry's Beauty Edit

2014 Palm Springs Film Festival, PHOTO by Jon Kopaloff FilmMagic / Getty Images

BEST LOOK OF 2014: GLOSSY LIPS & A FULL LASH
“Amy’s features are so perfect and fun to work with that it is hard to choose my favorite look; if I had to, I would say the Palm Springs Film Fest last year,” says Sollitto, who executed a glossy nude lip, abundant lashes and subtly flushed cheeks for the occasion.
Filed Under: Top Flight
NOMINATED
Best Pedicure Polish
by Stephanie Stone, Nail Artist
RGB NAIL COLOR CRÈME 106 Doll
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IN FOCUS:
EMMA STONE

The Oscar-nominated actress’s biggest red-carpet beauty moments.