Lady Gaga's Pro Reveals Exactly How She Applied — and Removed — the Star's 'Risky' Oscars Makeup
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Kayla Oaddams/Getty, Rich Pol/Variety via Getty Images Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga's stripped-down performance of her nominated hit "Hold My Hand" at the 2023 Oscars was one of the most talked about moments of the night.
After walking the red carpet in full glam — and a hot-off-the-runway, butt-baring Versace gown — the superstar then went makeup-free in ripped jeans and a tee for her big stage moment. As striking as her vocals were, it was Gaga's completely barefaced appearance that also stole the show.
Now her longtime makeup artist and collaborator, Sarah Tanno, is giving some behind-the-scenes scoop at how she created Gaga's polar opposite beauty looks.
"I like the juxtaposition of the red carpet vs performance," Tanno tells PEOPLE. "They were both risky. The red carpet makeup isn't something I would usually do for the Oscars but Gaga wanted to have fun on the carpet and wanted a major makeup look."
"For her performance look, she had absolutely nothing on her face," Tanno adds. "Gaga wanted it to be as raw and real as possible."
RELATED: Lady Gaga's Makeup Artist Shares 'Aftermath' of Oscars Makeup Removal from Barefaced Performance
Gaga's glam look on the red carpet was heavily influenced by the iconic 1985 "Addicted to Love" music video by Robert Palmer.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Lady Gaga
To create the look, Tanno used products from Gaga's beauty brand, Haus Labs. She started with Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush.
"I immediately grabbed shades Dragon Fruit Daze and Watermelon Bliss. I used Dragon Fruit Daze first which served as the base, and then we layered with Watermelon Bliss to add depth," Tanno tells PEOPLE.
Haus Labs Lady Gaga's Haus Lab Products
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For Gaga's red glossy lip, Tanno used Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer in shade Cherry Shine. "It was the first time I've used it on the red carpet — It deserved a moment!" Tanno also used the Lip Lacquer on Gaga during her Chromatic Ball tour.
"My favorite part about creating this look was collaborating with the Haus of Gaga team and coming up with the Palmer Girl reference together," Tanno tells PEOPLE. "For the performance, my favorite part was how honest it was. Everything about it was authentically her. She wasn't afraid of seeing any imperfections, she actually welcomed them."
Getty Images Lady Gaga
The celebrity makeup artist also reveals the reason why Gaga's skin wasn't flush after removing so much makeup before she got on stage, crediting the Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation, which she wore on the carpet, for being very gentle and soothing on the skin.
"Because our foundation contains fermented arnica it calms and soothes the skin while you are wearing it — I believe this is why I didn't have to worry about any skin irritation after such a fast removal," Tanno explains.
RELATED VIDEO: Lady Gaga Surprises on Oscars 2023 Red Carpet in Fresh-Off-the-Runway Gown with Butt-Exposing Rear View
The day after the Oscars, Tanno offered a glimpse at what went behind the 360 transformation — a photo shared to her Instagram Story shows a collection of dirty makeup wipes, cotton swabs and circular pads that were used to remove Gaga's full beat.
"The Aftermath…" she wrote alongside the pic.
Sarah Tanno/instagram
She tells PEOPLE that she has "a number of secrets" for removing performance makeup, but there is one product she swears by — argan oil!
"It's a dry oil, you don't have to worry about your face feeling or being greasy," she shares. "It effortlessly removes makeup and has moisturizing benefits as well."
