Alex Berliner
Glamour was on the menu in every way at The Hollywood Reporter and Instagram’s exclusive beauty dinner last Wednesday, October 25, in Los Angeles’ coveted Holloway House — where A-list celebs honored the talented beauty stylists behind their iconic looks. Taking place just hours after the launch of THR’s 2023 Beauty Issue, which spotlighted the hottest 40 hair, makeup, and nail pros in Hollywood right now, the event buzzed with energy as stars and their glam squads dished out the inside scoop on where they find their everyday inspiration to create their clients’ iconic looks.
Throughout the night, beauty creators covered the event on Threads, asking stylists to share their best tips and tricks. From a charming morning at the local farmer’s market to scrolling through Instagram to having a great, unexpected conversation with an old friend, little moments that spark our creativity are constantly around us — and those small but constant sources of inspiration are the key to leveling up one’s craft.
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Writer, producer, and beauty podcaster Kirbie Johnson kicked the night off with a brand-new look of her own: her first foray into curlers. Although her low-maintenance look relied on velcro rollers, celebrity hair stylist Clayton Hawkins recommends choosing foam over velcro when possible.
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Of course, for those who would prefer to stick to the classics, the tried-and-true curling iron and hairspray combo always works like a dream, as Hawkins showed off his work on Ashley Park’s gorgeous tresses that evening.
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Elsewhere on the hair front, Refinery29 beauty director and podcaster Sara Tan got word from Nikki Nelms, Janelle Monae’s longtime hair stylist, that Monae’s hair for the night only took a few minutes to put together! The duo have worked together over a decade, and the chemistry between the two is an unmistakable part of how easily they’re able to pull together special looks — something beauty creator and podcaster Brooke Devard definitely noticed during the night.
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Although hair was very heavily on display, the creator attendees also picked up makeup tips from the industry’s creme de la creme that can help you elevate your face game in a matter of moments. Multiple artists shared that a carefully lined eye — and equally carefully placed lashes! — can make all the difference in how people see your eye shape.
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Cream contour under the eye can also help pull your eye look together, as iconic artist Ash Holm points out in a stunning photo with her client Shay Mitchell.
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And for quick behind-the-scenes moments as your makeup wears throughout the day, Chanel makeup artist Kara Yoshimoto Bua suggested a quick fix if you don’t have any blotting papers nearby:
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Naturally, a totally glammed-out look wouldn’t be complete without the most essential beauty accessory of all these days — a white-hot set of killer nails — and there was no shortage of iconic nail artists in attendance.
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Tom Bachik, who’s worked on celebs like Selena Gomez and JLo, shares that shorter nails (in lighter shades, which is unusual for this time of year) may be making a comeback this winter.
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Ultimately, the beauty creators offered a behind-the-scenes look at how these top glam squads find quotidian ways to keep their creativity thriving. And the event provided a rare, one-of-a-kind moment to celebrate the glam squads that are always working tirelessly behind the scenes to make magical moments possible — a sentiment eloquently captured by Eva Chen, VP, Fashion Partnerships at Meta, as she toasted all the incredible beauty artists in attendance to wrap up the night.
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