(Beauty)
How Kate Bosworth Channeled Audrey Hepburn With Help From Chanel Beauty — EXCLUSIVE
Kate Bosworth is no stranger to spinning referential sartorial cues in an unexpected way. The self-styled actor and fashion plate, who stars alongside Mel Gibson and Emile Hirsch in the forthcoming Force of Nature, was a force of nature all her own at last night's Vanity Fair Oscar Party. While channeling a modern-day Audrey Hepburn, Bosworth conjured old Hollywood without being old fashioned and cliché.
Bosworth has long built a red-carpet reputation that has solidified her as a modern-day fashion icon. While her off-duty style tends to be more relaxed and straightforward, she has a keen ability to wear direct-from-the-runway high fashion with correlating and thoughtful beauty looks, all with the same ease as if she's rocking a worn-in hoodie and some lip balm. Simply put, the dress and lipstick are never wearing her. "I remember in my early twenties, I walked out the door once feeling uncomfortable, and I truly detested that feeling because I felt it the whole night. I remember thinking to myself, 'don't ever walk out the door feeling uncomfortable again!'" the 37-year-old bathrobe-clad star told me last night while eating a bowl of room service chili before starting glam. "I really consider how I want to feel at the event itself. The Vanity Fair Oscar Party is the ultimate level of a Hollywood event."
With her eye on her showstopping archival crystal-and-glass-encrusted Ralph and Russo couture gown, Bosworth instinctually knew what direction she wanted for hair and makeup. "If Audrey Hepburn lived today, this is something she would wear. But you have to modernize that feeling," she explains, sitting on the ground amongst printouts of reference photos. "I love styling myself. I love fashion. I spend time pulling references in the same way a photographer or fashion editor would. Anything from an old Steven Meisel shoot to a nineties Prada runway show. I love the creative process. It's a different appendage from acting, but it's the same creative impulse or itch. It's just a different part of my brain."
Her favorite longtime glam collaborators, hairstylist Bridget Brager and makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, helped to amplify the tone of Bosworth's winning retro look. "I love a woman who knows what she likes. Kate is a makeup artist's dream,” says Dedivanovic, who is best known for helping create Kim Kardashian's signature countered look as well as his impressive client list of superstars like Salma Hayek, Priyanka Chopra, and Ariana Grande.
Dedivanovic allows his intuition to guide him and tends to avoid trends for a more timeless approach, just like Bosworth. He starts by prepping the starlet’s face with CHANEL's Hydra Beauty Micro Serum, followed by CHANEL Hydra Beauty Micro Crème as the perfect base for her makeup. Under Bosworth's eyes, he mixed and applied the CHANEL Le Lift Crème Yeux and a bit of CHANEL Sublimage Crème Yeux to add extra hydration.
To create a bit of natural warmth and depth to Bosworth's face, Dedivanovic lightly tapped and blended Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base along the hollows of her cheeks and applied the CHANEL Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick in Golden Light to give a subtle and natural glow.
"With Kate, she doesn't like a lot of dark on the eyes, and Audrey Hepburn did have quite a bit of black around the eyes with heavy lashes and liner. So, instead of the black, I took a soft brown and did a line on the outer corners of her eye and sponged it with a cue tip. It's very subtle," he explains, using CHANEL Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow in Elemental as a base before applying the CHANEL Stylo Ombre et Contour Eyeshadow Liner in Contour Brun as a liner. "I further defined the eye using individual false lashes to give it that Hepburn look in a less obvious way."
The look was topped off with CHANEL Rouge Allure Ink Fusion Lip Colour in Fleur de Lotus and two coats of Le Volume De Chanel Mascara. “I like to apply mascara as one of the final steps after lining and curling your lashes. It makes the overall application and look a lot cleaner," he reveals. "When using powder, it tends to get onto the lashes a bit and can coat them with powder — I find that it's best to avoid reapplying more mascara and prefer to wait until the end to apply."
Dedivanovic's handiwork seems to always keep Bosworth on her toes. "For someone like me who is such a controlling and such a type-A person, with a vision, I 100% trust him," she says. "Mario, as a makeup artist, is someone who always delightfully surprises and wows me."
To create Bosworth's updo, Brager started by using Herbal Essences bio:Renew Aloe and Hemp Shampoo and Conditioner, to offer a punch of moisture and balance. Christophe Robin's Instant Volume Hair Mist with Rose Water helped add some shine.
Next, Brager made a parting from ear to ear, gathered the hair, and used Oribe gel and a small toothbrush to smooth away all flyaways. Once the first section was secured with an elastic, she moved on to the lengths of the hair and smoothed those with a GHD flat iron and added another spritz of aloe oil for shine. To add an unexpected touch, Brager French braided the hair on both sides, starting at the top of the ear into the middle and through the lengths. Next, she crisscrossed the French braids and secured them tight to the bottom of her neck, mimicking Bosworth's hairline. The look was completed with a vintage Beladora bracelet placed at the top of Bosworth's head.
Once in her final look, Bosworth gave herself a quick once over in the mirror before stepping out the door. "It's not just about what hairstyle or makeup story I like, it's what is pleasing in the balance of the entirety of look. It's also about understanding what your reference is and being able to translate it to your own face and what will work with the look you're wearing," she says. "I could go with a dark lip or eye with this dress, but I think it becomes a bit vampy on me. Whereas, this softer color with a nice brow is a beautiful lighter and youthful combination—It's that balance of old school with the new school."
