Cannes Film Festival 2017: Starry beauty looks that we hope make a comeback this year

From statement brows to experimental eye makeup — here are some beauty trends we would love to see on the Cannes red carpet, which rolls out on May 17.

Every year, Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) rolls out the red carpet not only for the biggest cinema talent, but also for elaborate ballgowns, dramatic trains and beauty looks that in time, have the potential to become iconic. While we can’t say that experimental makeup is championed at the festival (It ain’t the MET Gala), some do go the extra mile to create a beauty statement. In the run up to this year’s edition, which gets underway starting May 17, here’s a beauty #throwback.

LINING THE LID WITH COLOUR

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also made a case for colour-coded eyeliner at the amfAR Gala during the 68th Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

An exaggerated eyeliner here and a curled wing there — the eyeliner can make or break your look. And, while nudes and monochromes continue to be star favourites, we are rooting for our Bollywood-inspired coloured eyeliner to add some fun. Remember Sonam’s blue version last year or Aishwarya Rai’s lilac romance from 2015? Both of these ladies off-set their red-carpet ensembles with similar hued eyeliner without setting off the matchey-matchey alarm. Do you love it too?

Makeup artist Kate Lee declared red as the new black when she came up with berry-hued (wait for it) eyes for actor Kristen Stewart at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Some called it futuristic, while the not-so-impressed termed the look ‘demonic’. Let’s just say, in a flurry of perfect red pouts and highlights that could cut glass, the experimental look came as a surprise. Would we do it at home? Maybe. Would we love to see it this year? Definitely!

THE HEADWRAP, RIVIERA STYLE

Russian TV presenter and model Victoria Bonya at the screening of a film at the film festival in Cannes, in 2015.

The location is beautiful, the old-Hollywood vibes are in place, and the French Riviera feels, on point. No
wonder then, that the Elizabeth Taylor style old-school headwrap makes for a compelling presence on the Cannes red carpet. In 2015, we saw Russian TV presenter and model Victoria Bonya rocking the style, and we fell in love, immediately. Now this is one trend we hope makes a mark this time around too.

CLASSIC, WITH A BRAIDED TWIST

This 2015 look of Sonam Kapoor played with neutrals, with a braided bun completing the look.

Remember this wispy look from Sonam Kapoor’s Cannes appearance back in 2015? Between the ear cuff, the pink lip and the glitter-dust on the lids, this look could have seemed crowded. But for us, the braided bun saved the day. While retro, cascading waves and side-swept hair seems to be a star favourite, why not play it classic? Who’s going to do this look again...will one of our Bollywood beauties revive it? We’ll have to wait to find out!

BROW DOWN TO IT

Actor Rachel Weisz during a photocall for the film The Lobster, which was in competition at the festival in 2015. Loving the bold brows!

The pencil-thin eyebrow has seen a silent demise, and celebrities like model-actor Cara Delevingne have been the harbingers of the brow revolution. And, when your beauty look has your eye brows as the centre of attraction, you better work on them, just like the stars do. Back in 2015, actor Rachel Weisz gave a new meaning to brows on fleek, and we would love to see someone replicate the simple, yet statement-making look.

SOME ICONIC INSPIRATION
And, if you’d just like to see some iconic looks revamped on the red carpet, we’ll hope the stars are looking at these: