Zoe Saldaña Wore “Invisible” Eyeliner to the ‘Emilia Pérez’ Premiere

This fall’s red carpet trends are unexpected, to say the least. Surprise blonde transformations and prom updos are everywhere, and it seems like the less-is-more approach to glam is taking over. When it comes to mastering chic makeup that still feels minimal, Zoe Saldaña and her team are leading the pack. At the Emilia Pérez premiere in Los Angeles, the actor’s look was a masterclass in the pared-back makeup trend.

On October 21, the Emilia Pérez cast gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate the West Coast premiere of the film. Selena Gomez arrived in all-black with a vampy manicure and Saldaña opted for a bubble-hemmed Saint Laurent dress with glam inspired by her chic gown.

 Makeup artist Vera Steimberg exclusively tells Byrdie that the actor’s outfit is a key player in deciding on what approach to take with glam. “I always want to see the dress, whether it’s a photo or going to the fitting, I just want to see it because then that inspires me,” she says. For Saldaña’s latest appearance, Steimberg shares that she wanted to let the gown’s bright fuschia color and textured style have its moment, pairing it with an understated eye look.

“I am really into nude color lately,” Steimberg tells Byrdie. “I just feel like less is better. And there’s been a recent red carpet trend of celebrities wearing less makeup on the red carpet…It’s just very soft makeup that enhances the beauty of the person.”

To prep her skin, Steimberg used the Beau Domaine The Cream for a dose of moisture and an all-over glow. Next, she mixed the Beau Domaine The Fluid Cream, a lighter moisturizer, with the complexion products for a custom color and lightweight finish which she applied with a brush and blended out with a sponge.

Steimberg focused on “definition over color” for Saldaña’s eyes using neutral colors to create “a unique feline shape.” She lined the lash line using La Bomme Beauty’s Angle Baby Liquid Liner, opting for the product because “the angled head is so unique and allowed me to get very close to the lash line, almost like an invisible line.” Next, she applied eyeshadow by taking brown and pink shades to contour the eye, placing light beiges and browns on the center of her lid to craft the subtly smoky eyeshadow. Using a fine brush, she blended the hues into the lower lash line for a soft cat-eye effect.

“Usually when you say to people a cat-eye, they always go to the black eyeliner. And I love eyeliner but I also get a bit tired of that. This is very sexy, elegant, sophisticated, and it doesn’t clash with the dress,” says Steimberg.

The finishing touch was a pop of highlighter across Saldaña’s cheeks, nose, and temples paired with soft pink blush and a matching satin lip color. Steimberg used La Bomme Beauty’s Highlighter in a bronzy shade, Honey Quartz, and a translucent shimmer, Gold Nugget. “We wanted to keep it as clean as possible because I thought that between the eyes and just having this translucent, beautiful highlighting nothing else was needed,” she said.