Let’s be real — the looks at this year’s VMAs had us quaking. It was easily the hottest red carpet of 2022 with celebrities going bold with their beauty looks, incorporating some of the biggest trends we’ve seen this year.
Break Out 2022 Beauty Trends at the VMAs
Some celebrities double and even triple dipped, and you can check their looks below.
We saw the wet-look, ‘oil-slick’ hair with its distinctive soft, rather than glassy finish, on Ashley Graham, Shenseea, Lizzo and Dove Cameron. This look was spotted all the way back at AAFW at Bec + Bridge. Another surprising trend for 2022 was emo-beauty, which we first spotted at the 2022 Grammys in April. We’re close to September, and it’s still going strong with Dove Cameron and Lizzo relishing deeper, darker beauty looks.
The very viral siren eye was modelled by Dove Cameron, while the floating liner trend was given a Swarovski twist by Taylor Swift. Meanwhile, the classic duo-toned, nude ’90s supermodel lip was rocked by Ashley Graham, Shenseea and Dove Cameron.
Get a breakdown of the best looks below.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s triumphant arrival at the VMAs was a surprise — she’s been MIA since Red dropped November 2021, and her arrival meant we were all expecting a big announcement (spoiler alert: we were correct).
The star made sure all eyes were on her, pairing her nude, body con Oscar de la Renta mini dress with a floating crystal cut crease to match her crystal naked dress. Her signature red lip was firmly in place, showing not much has changed since Red.
Dove Cameron
Ever the gothic princess, Dove Cameron served up sexy Wednesday Adams with sculpted, exaggerated siren eyes and an overlined cut lip. Cameron has stuck with the trending-but-tricky slender brow, demoing how the look can work with dramatic makeup.
Lizzo
Lizzo ditched Barbiecore and 1950s glam to dip her toe in the emo trend, a look totally in line with the middle finger she served critics while accepting her Video for Good award. Her deep navy matte lip was accented with a gold lower lip ring, while aubergine blush was subtly blended up and through the crease of her jet-black smokey eye. We love a dramatic turn.
Shenseea
Shenseea looked nothing short of snatched with airbrushed skin, copper eyes and the requisite supermodel lip to the VMA carpet. Face-framing, slicked baby hair curls kept the look idiosyncratic.
Ashley Graham
There’s nothing wrong with just… looking really hot. Ashley Graham channelled the 90s supermodel trend with wet-look soft waves, sculpted cheeks, a dramatic charcoal and silver smokey eye and a matte, nude pout.
