The Queen of Katwe actress’ makeup pro Nick Barose opted for pink instead of classic red-carpet red lips. Here’s how he chose just the right shade for the film’s Los Angeles premiere to complement Nyong’o’s lilac Elie Saab gown and traditional African head wrap (No. 4 on THR‘s Top 25 Beauty Moments of 2016).
How did you choose Lupita’s pink lip shade?
I always knew that I wanted something in the pink, purple, fuchsia, magenta or lilac range, so I preselected four to five shades to try and see what we loved most. One option was Lancome’s new Lance L’Absolu Rouge in a pink hue — I thought about going more purple-y, which looked good on but felt too funky and edgy. I wanted something more feminine, so we tried deep pinks. The winner was L’Absolu Rouge in Rose (shade 378) — it’s bright, creamy and not too matte.
How did you apply it?
For a bold color such as this one, always apply product directly from the lipstick tube — you will get a much better pigment that way. I started from the center and swiped outward, toward the outer corners of Lupita’s lips, to keep it symmetrical since a bold color can look lopsided if you’re not careful. Then, for extra precision, I used a lip brush to clean up around the edges and hard-to-reach places, like her Cupid’s bow and inner corners. Lastly, I used Lancome Le Crayon in Cherub, a soft gel lip pencil in a similar shade, to draw along the edges and clean it up.
Why’d you choose pink instead of red?
Red can feel traditional and serious — sort of like wearing all black — so I prefer alternate bold colors, like fuchsia, that are still glamorous, but fresh.
