Cardi B's Pearl-Covered Updo for the 2019 Grammys Is a Work of Art
The saying goes, "The higher the hair, the closer to God," and Cardi B is getting very close to the Lord at the Grammys.
If anyone is going to walk the Grammys red carpet rocking an updo accessorized with pearls, it's Cardi B. With five nominations under her (Fendi) belt, she had no choice but to turn a major look. And thanks to hairstylist Tokyo Stylez and a bit of Renaissance inspiration, Cardi's managed to give us an art history lesson and a beauty master class all in one. Her outfit, a vintage 1995 Mugler Couture piece, was inspired by Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. She's taking it old school...all the way back to the 1400s.
Cardi's wearing her hair piled atop her head in a retro-looking updo, modernized with a few well-slicked baby hairs. According to a press release, Stylez was inspired by '90s-era updos to "play up her couture ensemble." The updo alone would have been a work of art, but Cardi quite literally took it to the next level with cascading pearls. Picture the top tier of a wedding cake at the most expensive black tie affair you've ever been to and then picture the whole thing in the Louvre.
With all that luxury, you'd think Cardi would have used a super-fancy product to keep it all in place...but Stylez held it down with Suave Professionals Firm Control Finishing Hairspray. To balance the ultra-affordable drugstore spray, Stylez finished locking the pearls in place with the Dyson Supersonic Pro Hair Dryer.
61st Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals
Cardi complimented the museum-worthy hair with a baby-pink beat, courtesy of makeup artist Erika La' Pearl. To match the Renaissance-inspired dress, La' Pearl created a pink cut-crease eye look, crisp-as-hell brows, and a soft pink lip. "I wanted her makeup not to be overpowering, but to be subtle. I wanted a softer, sexier look," she explained on Instagram.
La' Pearl started by prepping the skin, a step she describes as "vital." Before applying any makeup, La' Pearl started with a canvas of Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Cream, Balancing Force Oil Control Toner, and C-Rush Brightening Gel Créme on Cardi...and one more as-yet-unannounced Ole Henriksen product that she and Cardi nabbed early.
As for makeup, the entire look was created using Pat McGrath products, and La' Pearl even took to Instagram to show off an engraved palette from Mother herself. For the smoky-pink eyes, La' Pearl blended shades from the Mothership Subversive La Vie En Rose Eye Palette and used two types of liquid eyeliner. She finished the eye with Lily Lashes topped with black crystals "just so her eyes can sparkle more."
Cardi started Grammys night looking like a work of art and she left with a trophy for Best Rap Album. Congrats to Cardi, her glam team, and us, for getting to witness it all.
More awards-show beauty:
Lucy Boynton's Glam Squad Shares the Secrets Behind Her Jaw-Dropping Red-Carpet Beauty Looks
The Most Creative, Unique, and Daring Celebrity Makeup Looks of 2019
Now, watch Chris Pratt and Will Arnett navigate a makeup tutorial:
