Style

Saoirse Ronan's Shimmery Highlight Deserved Its Own Golden Globe

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Saoirse Ronan's go-to beauty guru Kara Yoshimoto Bua wanted to create a dewy, glowing look for the actor's appearance at the 2020 Golden Globes, so she turned to a place that epitomizes the exact opposite: the desert.

"I was really feeling shimmery, crystalline vibes and red earth after coming back," explains the Chanel celebrity makeup artist of her recent trip to Sedona — and her unlikely beauty inspo for the Little Women star. The colorways in the Chanel Spring Summer 2020 Collection Desert Dream happened to capture those elements, and they also complemented the earthy, champagne hues in Ronan's Celine gown. "It all worked for the look, and Saoirse was in the mood for something soft, so we were all on the same page," Yoshimoto Bua says.

@WeLoveCoco/Chanel Beauty

The overall aesthetic was a monochromatic look "where not one thing stands out," says Yoshimoto Bua, who used Chanel Stylo Ombre et Contour in Contour Mauve and Chanel Ombre Première Laque in Rising Sun to create Ronan's mauve-y eyes. She blended Chanel Le Crayon Lèvres in Beige Innocent and Chanel Baume Essentiel in Golden Light to build a similar color on the actor's lips and, as a finishing touch, applied highlighter to give Ronan that signature glow.

"All the shimmery highlight on the cheekbone was Baume Essentiel in Sculpting," says Yoshimoto Bua, referring to the multi-use moisturizing and glow-enhancing balm that can be used on the face, eyes, and lips. "[I placed it] on her décolletage, her shoulders, and on her cheekbones." She says adding highlighter is an easy way to bring color and warmth to your look while also making you look super glowy — just be sure to blend it thoroughly and to be mindful where you apply it.

@WeLoveCoco/Chanel Beauty

"The trick with Baume Essentiel or with any highlighter is where you do the highlighting," Yoshimoto Bua says. "You never want to put it close to the nose — you want to keep it high on the cheekbones. And usually not on the chin or near the brow — avoid the T-zone." (Otherwise, you risk looking oily as opposed to dewy.)

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Oily, Ronan was not. And although her sequined Celine gown might be a little more difficult to get a hold of, you're only one Baume Essentiel away from her award-worthy glow.