Once we calmed down after reading who'd be performing at the 2020 BRIT Awards [1] — a list that includes Lizzo [2], Stormzy, Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, and Billie Eilish [3] — we prepared ourselves to see some epic celebrity beauty moments on the red carpet. Like the Grammys in the States [4], the BRIT Awards offer an opportunity for our favourite stars to have more fun with their hair and makeup than they would at, say, the BAFTAs [5], where people tend to amp up the glamour but ultimately play it a bit safe.
Right from the beginning we realised that the beauty mantra for the night was go big or go home. Lizzo showed up in a full Hershey's-chocolate-bar look [6] complete with cocoa-coloured lips and nails, while Billie Eilish wore head-to-toe Burberry [7], making sure to incorporate the brand's classic check print onto her superlong nails — and this was all in the first 15 minutes of the red carpet.
Keep reading to see all of our favourite celebrity beauty looks from the 2020 BRIT Awards.
Lizzo's Monochromatic Chocolate Makeup at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Lizzo [8] took the phrase "looking like a snack" to an entirely new level with her look for the BRIT Awards, with her makeup artist, Alexx Mayo, matching the singer's lids, cheeks, and lips to her Hershey's-chocolate-bar Moschino dress [9]. And maybe it's just us, but her sky-high updo kind of makes us think of a chocolate fountain.
On the lips, Mayo went for a gorgeous glossy, burgundy-brown shade, which was Urban Decay Hi-Fi Lipgloss in Shadowheart [10] (£16) layered over the Urban Decay Comfort Matte Vice Lipstick in Disturbed [11] (£18). Mayo then contoured Lizzo [12]'s lids using brown and cocoa shades from the Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette [13] (£42), finishing the decadently rich, monochromatic look with a brick red blush.
Lizzo's Glittery Cocoa Nails at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Lizzo [14] also tied her nails into her dress, adding chocolate-brown polish on the top half of her long, square-shaped nails, and sprinkling some silver glitter on top for good measure.
Anne-Marie's Chunky Glitter Lids and Candy-Floss-Pink Hair at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Anne-Marie wore her signature candy-floss-pink hair in a wet-looking side part, accessorised with a jewelled tiara. Her makeup was equally as whimsical, featuring bronze smoked-out eye shadow with flat-back pink-and-clear crystals applied in a winged shape on the outer corners of her eye, plus a few dotted on the inner corners.
Mabel's '90s-Style Lob at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Mabel channeled '90s supermodels like Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista with her long, sleek bob with the ends curled gradually under. But the nods to the '90s didn't stop there: her makeup was ultra glamorous and ultra sculpted, with a pair of fluttery false lashes — Kiss Lash Couture So Wispy [15] (£5.50), which you can buy at Superdrug — and just a touch of shine on the lids and lips to make it feel modern.
Laura Whitmore's Side-Swept Beachy Waves
Whitmore looked like she just stepped off the Love Island villa [16] in Cape Town with her blonde hair styled in beachy waves and clipped back behind one ear.
To create the loose bends, hairstylist Sophie Sugarman [17] prepped Whitmore's hair with Ouai Wave Spray [18] (£22) and IGK Hair Rich Kid Coconut Oil Air-Dry Styler [19] (£25), then blow-drying it with the new GHD Helios Hairdryer [20], and adding the waves using the GHD Platinum+ Styler [21] (£189). A misting of Color Wow Style on Steroids Texturizing Spray [22] (£22) and a bit of Ouai Matte Pomade [23] (£16.50) spread throughout added that little extra boost of volume and texture.
Three gilded hair clips — one in the shape of the sun and two halfmoons — from Tilly Thomas Lux added just enough sparkle and glamour for the occasion.
Fleur East's Jewel-Toned Lids at the 2020 BAFTA Awards
The singer-songwriter wore a stunning ruby necklace-and-earring set, but she didn't stop there when it came to incorporating jewel tones into her look for the night. Peeking out from under her blunt bangs was a two-toned shadow moment, with a sparkly amethyst hue on top and a gorgeous emerald shade on the bottom.
Ellie Goulding’s Romantic Ponytail at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Goulding just gave us a lesson in how to dress up an easy low ponytail for a glamorous event. She kept the hairstyle relaxed, wavy, and romantic by adding waves throughout and strategically leaving pieces of her hair loose at the front.
FKA Twigs's Tangerine-Hued ’90s Tendrils at the 2020 BRIT Awards
FKA Twigs is the latest celebrity to wear '90s0-style tendrils, which we've seen everywhere this award season, except she dyed hers tangerine orange to contrast against her black hair. To complement the striking style and complete the nostalgic look, she wore brick-red-hued lip liner with a similar shade of winged eyeliner to match.
Charli XCX’s Smoked-Out Eye Shadow and Blunt Bob at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Charli XCX stepped out onto the red carpet with her bob slicked back with a side part. Her makeup was equally as sexy, with smoked-out charcoal eye shadow, strong, filled-in brows, and a sheer, pinky-beige lip colour.
Mollie King's Tiny Loose Plaits at the 2020 BRIT Awards
King looked like a ray of sunshine (you'd never know London is grey and freezing) when she walked the red carpet, wearing her signature beachy blonde waves. For the occasion, she added small plaits in the front sections of her hair, which were left loose on the ends, adding to the overall easy-breezy vibe.
Eva Apio's Fuchsia Shadow at the 2020 BRIT Awards
We love how striking the wash of hot-pink shadow looks on Apio against her otherwise very minimal makeup look, all of which is framed by her perfectly side-swept pixie cut.
Adwoa Aboah's Simple, Smudgy Shadow at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Echoing the minimalism of her white satin dress, Aboah kept her makeup super simple, with inky black shadow smudged at the outer corners of her eyes and smoked out along the creases. Per usual, her skin was left practically bare to allow for her radiant complexion and gorgeous freckles to shine through.
Vick Hope's Crystal-Studded Smoky Shadow at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Hope also went with jet-black shadow, but in a much more maximal way. Applied densely all over her lids, the inky pigment was then diffused into soft wings at the outer corners of her eyes. To spot our favourite part of the look, however, you have to look closely: she's got teeny-tiny crystals sprinkled across her brow bones.