How Regina King Paid Tribute to Breonna Taylor at the 2020 Emmys
For the Emmys 2020, Regina King was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role in Watchmen. HBO's take on the classic comic book centers around racism in the modern-day South — and for her appearance at the award show, King took cues from current events for her outfit. Underneath her fuchsia suit, the actor wore a touching tribute to Breonna Taylor on her T-shirt with the words "Say Her Name." The 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in March 2020. In King's pre-show interview with E!, the actor alluded to her surprise that many people were just discovering the history of racism in the U.S. when watching Watchmen, remarking, "It's amazing that it's a new conversation, right?" (You can find more information about Breonna Taylor on justiceforbreonna.org.)
The Watchmen star's makeup, on the other hand, had retro vibes with an unexpected twist. Before topping King's lips with the usual products — lipstick and gloss — makeup artist Tym Buacharern reached for something unusual: the Shiseido Kajal Ink Artist Shadow in a milk-chocolate brown called Tea House 01.
"I love using eye pencils as lip liner," he tells Allure. "The Kajal Ink Artist Shadow is fantastic. Honestly, you can use it for eyes, lips, all. It is so soft, and the colors are so versatile. I thought it was just as good if not better than the lip liner I planned to use." The liner was followed by a beige-nude lipstick and the brand's Shimmer GelGloss Lip Gloss in Kurumi Beige.
King paired glossy lips with stunning purple smoky eye makeup. Buacharern says he was going for "a cross between the classic of Brigitte Bardot and the fun of Donna Summers during the 70s disco era." He built up shades of amethyst shadow with a purple-focused palette, like the Juvia's Place The Violets Eyeshadow Palette.
Lighter lilacs were blended onto the inner corners of King's eyes, and the shadows got gradually darker toward the outer corners. Buacharern made sure to use mattes instead of shimmers to adjust to the digital, remote format of the Emmys 2020. (Also, all of her makeup was brand-new to keep everything safe and hygienic.) "I have to be aware of how much the color can shift while Regina is on camera and look at her on the monitor and adjust it before she goes live," He explains. "And I can't really use too much shimmer due to the kickback from the lights.”
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Originally Appeared on Allure
