Lupita Nyong'o's Makeup Artist Reveals the Secret to Her Otherworldly Head-to-Toe Glow
Three products contributed to her Paris red carpet glam.
As The Odyssey press tour finally wraps up (the highly-anticipated Christopher Nolan film hits theaters on July 17, 2026) we'll sadly have to bid adieu to the cast's unbelievable red carpet looks. I mean, Zendaya! Charlize! Anne! And, of course, Lupita! Take your pick from any of these leading ladies and you'll be blessed with endless hair and makeup inspiration. But the glam didn't stop at the neck, especially for the Oscar-winning actress and Black Panther alum. Lupita Nyong'o's body glow reached lens-cracking proportions by the time she hit the Paris photocall on July 8th, wearing a Chanel Resort 2027 red gown, and I, for one, was desperate to know the secret to her head-to-toe luminosity. Don't worry, fellow beauty obsessives. I uncovered the answer, and it's a totally achievable combination of skincare and makeup.
"[The glow is from] a combination of things," her makeup artist, Nick Barose, tells me, adding that he usually starts this full glam process by scrubbing down Nyong'o's arms with a warm washcloth. This provides a gentle exfoliation to remove any lingering rough or dry patches, which in turn preps the skin for hydrating and glow-boosting products. "Then I applied Hume Dry Body Oil, [which] she actually turned me on to. I love it because it adds shine and hydration minus the grease." You gotta love a Hollywood star who is just as entrenched in finding great skincare products as the regular beauty fans!
Lupita and her enviable total-body glow in Paris for The Odyssey premiere on July 8, 2026.
Barose reveals that to enhance the highlight on the actress's collarbones, upper shoulders, and the center of her arms even further, he added the Chanel Baune Essential Stick in Golden Light (a favorite of this editor as well, but a color that is sadly only available in Europe at the moment). For the Paris premiere, however, he took it a step further and reached for coppery glitter from Ben Nye, a true if you know, you know brand beloved by theater performers and celebrity makeup artists for its long-lasting formulas that can withstand hours of sweat and heat.
With the summer wedding season still in full swing, I know that this is one makeup-meets-skincare combo that I'll be using to enhance my seasonal radiance. If you're also in the market for Nyong'o's red carpet glow, keep scrolling to snag everything her glam team used to prep her for the Paris premiere.
Start with a bit of relaxation exfoliation, only warm water requires.
Add a few spritzes of Nyong'o's favorite body oil.
If your skin has deeper undertones, try this pinky-gold color of the editor-beloved highlighting stick.
This universal champagne shade has been a mainstay in my beauty routine for years.
In search of a bit of extra shimmer? Use a large fluffy makeup brush to dust a bit of this loose glitter on your collarbones and the high points of your shoulders.
