Fact: The Vanity Fair party delivered 10x more beauty inspo than the Oscars

Crazy Rich Asian’s Gemma Chan has been this award season’s red carpet MVP and I love how she swapped her chic Oscars updo and nude lip for this casual wave and popping red lip.

And to accentuate her eyes with that little wing - *Italian chef kiss*

The renaissance of Miley continues. Her beauty looks of late have been excellent, but these mermaid waves paired with a strong eye look may be one of her best yet. And bravo for finding a way to find that balance between pretty and edgy.

Which is a good segue into Zoe Kravitz, whose ‘90s rock-n-roll beauty vibe is a refreshing addition to the red carpet. Not many people could pull off… everything… she has going on (least of all that hair), and yet I have a feeling there’ll be at least 730 YouTube video tutorials next week on how to recreate this look.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Lily Collins who couldn’t look daintier if she tried with an actual bouquet of flowers in her hair (courtesy of hair wizardess Mara Roszak). And what better way to top it off with pink EVERYTHING - eyes, cheeks, lips, the whole shebang.

Kate Bosworth, where have you been hiding and why have you kept this gold eye situation from us? Kate - in my eyes - has always been the poster girl for smooth, glowing skin and a natural makeup look, and I was obsessed with this look because she’s ticked all those boxes. But upon zooming in and discovering that sparkle was truly the icing on the already-delicious three-tiered cake.

I have no idea who Arlissa Ruppert is (Google says: singer-songwriter), but I’m OBSESSED with her wild curls and fresh, glowing skin. Maybe Alicia Keys paved the way for more natural, pared-back looks on the red carpet, maybe the time is just right for women to own it, but I’m living for it. I also would like to know what’s in her skin care routine/what foundation she’s using because DAMN.

Freida Pinto wore my gym hair to a Hollywood party and made it look like the most glam thing I’ve ever seen - and without adding all that much to the mix. Amazing what a polished red lip and some bronze eyeshadow can do for a messy ponytail. 10 out of 10 for both ease of nailing and maximum impact.

Taylor Hill did not come to Vanity Fair’s party to mess around. Between that fierce sparkling blue and black cat-eye, retro hairstyle and tuxedo ensemble, I think it’s safe to say Taylor doesn’t just pull off low-maintenance beauty like a pro.

Hey, remember when you were doing a smoky eye and you had to choose between grey/black tones and brown/copper ones? Well, Avengers and Men in Black: International star Tessa Thompson threw that rule out the window, didn’t she? She applied a beautiful deep brown all the way up to her brow bone, with a charcoal shade layered on her lid, then finished with soft flecks of gold over the top from the centre to the inner corner. And god, it looks glorious.

True, Rosie HW usually shows up to a red carpet in some version of the same glowing, natural makeup vibe (and she looks amazing), but she mainly made the shortlist here because I respect the comeback of poker-straight hair. Simple as it may be, paired with a sharp centre part, the whole vibe is pretty fierce. Maybe it’s time to put aside our curling wands and texturising sprays and break out our straightening irons and smoothing balms…

As far as I’m concerned, Shay Mitchell can do no wrong in the makeup department. Is this in any way an exciting makeup look? Probably not when compared to the others, but if that bronzy glow isn’t the most enviable one on the red carpet, I don’t know whose is. Also, the fact that it looks like she spent all of her time on her makeup and didn’t really bother with her hair speaks to me.

Georgia’s look is the epitome of ‘I spent an hour doing my hair and makeup but it looks like I woke up with amazing, radiant skin and just wrapped my hair in this topknot’. For anyone who’s tried to nail ‘no makeup’ makeup, they knows it’s truly the hardest kind of beauty look to master.

When was the last time you saw a ponytail-quiff and a glittery pink winged liner on the Oscars red carpet? Probably never because it’s far too cool. The unlikely combo is an absolute dream, and if you aren’t already considering a glitter winged liner look, you’re lying.

I haven’t seen If Beale Street Could Talk, so of course I had to look up who Kiki is, but now that she’s on my radar, I feel good things are coming from her in the beauty department - just look at that gorgeous red-brick lip and neutral smoky eye. Also, if someone could tell me what illuminator she’s used all over he body, I would like 100 of them, please.

If you haven’t seen all the Oscars 2019 looks yet, check them out here to see how they compare to these Vanity Fair Oscars Party looks.

What do you think - did the Vanity Fair red carpet trump the Oscars? Please let us know in the comments section below

Image credits: Getty