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2020 BAFTAs: Zazie Beetz's Makeup Had a Nod to the Joker

Zazie Beetz's 2020 BAFTAs Look Gave a Quiet Nod to Joker in the Prettiest Way

As per usual, Zazie Beetz slayed on the red carpet at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) in London on Sunday night. Donning a custom Marina Moscone strapless dress, complete with a high leg slit, she made a beauty statement with side-swept braids and a vampy dark-purple lip. And, according to her makeup artist, Alex Babsky, Zazie's makeup look fittingly channelled Joker without even meaning to.

Working with the colour of Beetz's dress, Babsky swiped Lancôme's Drama Matte Lipstick in Purple Temptation (£25.50), a rich claret colour, over her lips and used a shimmery khaki-coloured shadow from a Lancôme eye-shadow palette. When he was done, he realised what he had done. "After putting the makeup brushes down," he wrote on Instagram, "we realised that we'd subconsciously channelled The Joker's colours; green & purple." Zazie, who played the titular character's neighbour, Sophie, in Joker, wore the colours proudly, albeit with the teensy bit of hesitation about such a dark lip shade, according to Babsky.

"I'm sure @zaziebeetz won't mind me telling you that she - understandably - had some concerns about the super deep lipstick we chose lasting the distance for the BAFTAs last night," Babsky wrote along with a post on his Instagram feed showing Beetz presenting an award on state. "But here she is, almost 2hrs after I applied it, presenting Best Film Not in the English Language with her lipstick still looking perfect!"

Babsky then goes on to explain how he ensured the deep hue stayed locked in place: "I leave a good, rich lip balm on the lips while I make up the face, blotting it off only when it's time to do lips. I then dust a tiny amount of powder around the lip line to prevent colour bleeding, before using a lip liner to line & fill in the lips completely, leaving a good base colour that's less likely wear off. I then blot this, before applying the first of between 3 & 5 THIN layers of lipstick (however many's required to give a good, opaque coverage) blotting with a tissue between each application, & occasionally adding extra definition with the lip liner. Once I'm happy with the lipstick coverage, I separate a single ply of tissue, place it over the lips, & press a fluffy brush loaded with loose powder through it onto the lips to really seal the coverage, before applying one final layer of lipstick."

While this may sound like a whole lot of work, Babsky promises it's worth all the effort. "This process may take a little longer, but it'll leave you're lipstick as close to bulletproof as you can get."

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