The Only Beauty Looks You (Really) Need to See From Cannes So Far
The Met Gala is a hard act to follow in terms of showstopping beauty and fashion moments, but if any red carpet is up to the challenge, it's the Cannes Film Festival. Heavily steeped in glamour, the event has been a historic focus point within the industry since 1939 (its birth year), and the film, fashion, and beauty momentum has only marinated in intensity over the past 80 years. (Lucky us, right?)
Considering its robust, Old Hollywood heritage, we're not surprised to see modernized riffs on some of the most iconic stars and beauty moments from history, with this year's Cannes red carpet studded with Audrey Hepburn–esque updos (Penélope Cruz, we're looking at you) and other guilty pleasures à la disco-era doses of glitter, curls, and high hair height. Of course, the festival has only just begun, and we'll be paying homage to the brightest beauty looks until this coming Saturday when the French Riviera event concludes. Here, the most breathtaking hair and makeup moments attendees have wowed us with thus far. Keep scrolling!
Rita Ora's platinum pony
Xin Zhilei's piecey bangs
Madison Beer's romantic half-up
Penélope Cruz's Audrey Hepburn–esque updo
Bella Hadid's curls
Selena Gomez's cherry-painted lips
Elle Fanning's floral-embellished braids
Gelila Bekele's dramatic side part
Deepika Padukone's high-wattage ponytail and upside-down cat eye
Eva Longoria's glossy waves and gilded eyelids
Araya Hargate's immaculate feathered brows
Daria Strokous's teal-lined lashline and sleek slick-back
Maria Borges's textured pixie
Sara Sampaio's coiled bun
Izabel Goulart's Farrah Fawcett curls and glitter-dusted eyelids
Li Yuchun's lavender-dipped strands
Priyanka Chopra's graphic liner
Dita Von Teese's glossy red lips and sculptural strands
Bella Hadid's sun-kissed contour
Maimouna N'Diaye's accessorized braids
Aishwarya Rai's ink- and chrome-rimmed eyes
Fernanda Liz pink tourmaline–washed gaze
Want more Cannes inspiration? Here's what everyone is wearing on the red carpet.
Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.
-
Gigi Hadid on Her Fave Fragrance, Her Earliest Beauty Memory, and Why She's a "Classic Taurus"
She's the new face of *this* new scent.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
Demi Moore Won a Golden Globe and the Award for Best Eye Makeup IMO—Here's the 411
It's so timeless.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
I'm a Pop Culture–Obsessed Beauty Editor—7 Icons Inspiring My 2025 Makeup Aesthetic
From Drew to Aaliyah.
By Marie Lodi
-
Megan Fox's Makeup Artist Uses This Genius Trick to Create the Glowiest Red Carpet Skin
I'm trying it ASAP.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
I Tested So Many Celeb Beauty Brands This Year—These 24 Items Earned My Stamp of Approval
I'm picky.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
Clinique's Black Honey Was *the* Lipstick for '90s Starlets and Supermodels—Don't Miss the Rest of the Collection
Each product is as good as the original.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
Nicole Kidman Just Cosigned the Romantic Color Trend That's Taking Over 2025
So elegant.
By Jamie Schneider
-
I Found Out Meghan Markle Uses This Highlighter—Now I'm Stocking Up Ahead of Holiday Parties
Glassy skin is right this way.
By Kaitlyn McLintock