This Was the #1 Makeup Trend on the Golden Globes Red Carpet

During the 2019 Golden Globes, we saw a lot of inspiring beauty looks. As such, we had a lot of favorites (19 favorites, to be specific). These looks ranged from monochrome and moody à la Rosamund Pike to vivid and colorful à la Camilla Belle.

There was one thing that many of these makeup looks had in common, however: a velvety-matte finish. Gone were the ultra-dewy complexions of years past, at least in scale. In fact, highlighter had a noticeably smaller role on the red carpet any other year in recent memory. If you're a fan of matte products, this might be refreshing news. If you're a fan of a high-shine sheen, this might sound vaguely disappointing. Whatever your initial reaction may be, we're confident you'll appreciate this matte re-emergence, since it's far from dry, flat, or chalky. All of the matte makeup we saw grace the Golden Globes red carpet was bright, radiant, and velvety. Keep scrolling to see the 2019 way to wear matte makeup.

Thandie Newton

Thandie Newton's complexion was flawless. It was that creamy, lit-from-within type of matte finish that we're always going for when we reach for our own matte foundations. Shout out to her matte charcoal eye shadow, which was just bold and '70s-inspired enough to pair with her mirrored disco dress.

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan paired her sunshine yellow gown with a full face of matte makeup. Everything from her base makeup to her taupe eye shadow and peachy pink lip had a creamy matte finish. To us, that lip color looks a lot like Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Sexy Sienna ($34). 

Camilla Belle

Camilla Belle's complexion seemed to have a satin finish—somewhere between full matte and dewy. Her stunning eye makeup, however, was fully matte (albeit with a thin line of shimmery turquoise shadow in the inner corners). The flat finish and monochrome color made it one of our favorite looks of the entire night.

Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae won the award for most matte complexion of the whole night (that's an award Team Byrdie would like to give out). Her matte foundation, eye shadow, liner, and bronzer were also monochrome. So, she gets bonus points for that.

Lucy Boynton

Lucy Boynton's '60s makeup was original and inspiring. Her cut-crease eye shadow and spiky, Twiggy-esque lashes left us speechless (as did her flawless complexion). It's almost inspiration enough to go without our trusty highlighter. Well, at least for a week or two.

Sandra Oh

Except for her super-shiny red lipstick—which was a combination of Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Matte 301 ($38) and Lip Magnet 506 ($38), by the way—Sandra Oh's matte complexion proves that matte doesn't have to be synonymous with dull or chalky. Instead, it can be velvety and radiant without the extra shine and sheen. It was all thanks to a combination of two different foundations, which celebrity makeup artist Danielle Vincent applied to her skin. First she used Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation ($64), blending from the center of her face outwards. For her T-zone, Vincent layered Armani Power Fabric Foundation ($64) atop in order to prevent shine from peeking through. 

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's periwinkle blue hair may have stolen the show (she did tint her hair to match her showstopping gown, after all), but that doesn't mean we didn't notice her matte blue-black eye shadow or angelic skin.

Lili Reinhart

In an exclusive interview early last year, Lili Reinhart mentioned she prefers a smoky eye over a cat eye. This red carpet look is a clear indication as to why. The fiery matte finish of her shadow kept the overall look simultaneously standout and subdued.

Gemma Chan

Gemma Chan's matte skin can be replicated with Dior Capture Totale Dreamskin Advanced ($85), a priming product that blurs imperfections and provides a radiant matte finish. Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation ($52) was layered on top of the primer, offering coverage and radiance without any semblance of an oily sheen. 

Constance Wu

Even though Constance Wu's makeup was created for the red carpet, we think it would be perfect for wearing to the office as well, thanks to a soft matte complexion, rosy tones on her lips and cheeks, and smudged brown liner to define the eyes.

Check out a few of our favorite matte makeup picks, below.