Colour Eyeshadow Made Its Great Return at the Oscars 2026

From lilac to cobalt blue, bright hues swept the red carpet

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Marie Claire UK reported live on the 98th Academy Awards' red carpet, and one beauty trend had us stop in our tracks; colour was everywhere, especially on the lids. Signalling a break from the "clean girl" era, stars sported some of the more dramatic hair and make-up looks we've seen in years, with lashings of graphic liner and dramatic side parts.

Bugonia star Emma Stone sported a bright white glittery eyeshadow with a thin line of black eyeliner, while Chase Infiniti, of One Battle After Another, sported a soft, smudgy lilac shadow that perfectly matched her Louis Vuitton gown.

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Zoe Saldana also wore a rosy-nude shade swept across the lid.

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It wasn't just eyeshadow that made a great return. Sinners' Jayme Lawson sported a bright cobalt blue on and around her bottom waterline. On the other end of the spectrum, Teyana Taylor, from One Battle After Another, wore lashings of graphic eyeliner that extended past her bottom lid to look like extra lashes.

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Bright lips also made a return. Sentimental Value star, Renate Reinsve, wore a coral-red lip, while Hamnet's Jessie Buckley wore a softer, warm-toned red.

renate reinsve

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Nessa Humayun
Nessa Humayun
Beauty Editor

Nessa Humayun is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over eight years of editorial experience across lifestyle sectors, Nessa was previously the Editorial Lead of HUNGER Magazine, and has bylines in British Vogue, Dazed, and Cosmopolitan. A self-confessed human guinea pig, Nessa covers everything from product must-haves to long-reads about the industry writ large. Her beauty ethos is all about using products that work hard, so you don't have to.