How movie stars prep for Oscar night
LOS ANGELES — Like prom for movie stars, the Academy Awards is Hollywood’s most glamorous night. It’s also the most photographed celebrity event of the year, its starry images beamed instantly around the world and endlessly reproduced in fashion magazines.
That’s why it takes about a month and a team of specialists to get an A-list actress red-carpet ready — and the resulting photos can propel a thousand brands.
Here’s a look at some of the elements contributing to celebrity red-carpet perfection.
BODY
Because the look begins with the outfit, preparations often start with the body. Most stars borrow designer gowns, which are only available in “sample size,” somewhere between 2 and 4, Hollywood stylist Tara Swennen said: “If you don’t want to pay for it, you have to fit into it.”
Hence the scramble to slim down. Enter fitness and nutrition specialists, who say they need about four weeks to achieve optimum results.
Enrollment in mealdelivery services spikes during awards season, said Danielle DuBoise, co-founder of Sakara, which delivers ready-to-eat, organic vegetarian meals to such clients as Chrissy Teigen and Gwyneth Paltrow. The company’s fourweek program is designed to yield the plant-based diet’s maximum beauty benefits: a leaner shape, vibrant skin and hair and the energy to power through the busy season, DuBoise said.
SKIN
Stars also need about a month of lead time if Botox or fillers are part of their beauty plan, said Dr. Behrooz Torkian, a facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, Calif. Those treatments need three to four weeks “to kick in and properly settle,” he said: Botox takes about a week to relax wrinkles; fillers work immediately but can cause swelling or bruising for a week or two after.
Torkian estimates that “probably 60 or 70 percent” of men and women rely on injections to perfect their red-carpet look, adding, “I think that 100 percent of them would be in the category of doing something, at least some kind of skin treatment.”
HAIR
Hair doesn’t need too much advance prep, said Michael Shaun Corby of Living Proof. He recommends a cut three weeks in advance and a color treatment three days before the red carpet.
“The last thing you want is dark roots,” he said.
He consults with the wardrobe stylist about the overall look before spending an hour or two to execute the style.