Lupita Nyong'o's Makeup Artist Nick Barose Shares His Genius Dark Lipstick Tips

Dark lipstick season is here, and Lupita Nyong'o just gave us major makeup inspiration to keep in mind as we're reaching for our favorite burgundies, oxbloods, and bordeauxs. For the 11th Annual Governors Awards, makeup artist Nick Barose proved the classic fall makeup look doesn't have to stand alone. He paired a deep plum lip color with shimmery teal liner on the actress' eyes to match her fun, floral Givenchy gown.

"Playing up both eyes and lips reminded me of early Hollywood makeup in silent movies, like one of my fave WOC beauty and cinema icons, Dolores del Rio," Barose explains to Allure.

Luckily, he broke down the steps for creating bold autumnal makeup moment for us, including a genius tip for making your dark lipstick look more dimensional. Just a heads up: Nyong'o is a brand ambassador for Lancôme, so Barose only used products from the brand.

Acing Nyong'o's Teal Eyes

To ensure the metallic peacock hue on Nyong'o's lids was as intense as possible, Barose started off by drawing the Drama Liqui-Pencil Eyeliner in Pacifique (a grassy green shade) along her upper lashline and winged it out at the outer corners. Next, he layered the emerald green shade from the Hypnôse 5-Color Eyeshadow Palette in Kaki Électrique on top with a wet small eyeliner brush.

Then, Barose swept the darkest shade, a deep khaki, from the palette along Nyong'o's creases to "add depth and create a backdrop for the green liner," he says. Finally, he finished off her eye makeup with the Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black on upper lashes.

In case you were wondering what Barose did for her brows, he set their shape first with the Sourcils Styler in Transparent, which is a clear brow gel. Then, he filled in the shape with the Brow Define Pencil in 14 Black, "drawing them out a bit longer for an extra glam effect," he adds.

Perfecting Nyong'o's Plum Lips

When deciding which dark lipstick to swipe onto Nyong'o's lips, Barose looked at Irving Penn images of lips with various colors of lipsticks and his iconic flower images. "When you look at colors from nature, they always have more layers and depth — even when they look like one color, but they always have different tones to it," he explain. "So I applied a few colors of lipstick and lip liner to create depth."

Along the edges of Nyong'o's lips, Barose etched on the Le Lip Liner in Amandelle (a black cherry color). Then, he painted on the L'Absolu Rouge Ruby Cream Lipstick in 481 Pigeon Blood Ruby (a deep burgundy) as the base shade. In the center, he added the L'Absolu Rouge Ruby Cream Lipstick in 364 Hot Pink Ruby (a bright berry).

Barose didn't create an ombré effect, though. Instead, "It's actually a classic technique used by classic Hollywood stars," he clarifies. "It's a great way to make sure darker lipstick doesn't turn too flat or have no dimension. It's similar to the colors of flower petals, too. They are never just one flat color." I'm definitely keeping that tip in mind for my dark lip looks going forward.

Read more about Lupita Nyong'o's best makeup moments:

• Lupita Nyong’o Wore the Most Futuristic Hair and Makeup at SXSW

• Lupita Nyong'o Wore Makeup Inspired by Drag Icon Divine to the Met Gala

• This Is the Highlighter Lupita Nyong'o's Makeup Artist Uses on Her

Now, learn about 100 years of goth, punk, and vamp beauty:

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Originally Appeared on Allure