If Chappell Roan is attending a function, you can bet that she is going to go all out. Boring isn’t in her vocabulary! At the 2024 VMAs, Chappell did exactly that—she slayed, but not only in the way you’re thinking. For her performance and red carpet appearance, the artist seemed to go for “Joan of Arc if she had a Sephora account” and fully embodied a gothcore, medieval look (yes, sword nails, et al). And despite what it might look like, it’s actually surprisingly easy to recreate. Chappell’s glam was achieved using all MAC Cosmetics products, yep, even her ethereal eye makeup!!
Chappell Roan’s looks are always whimsically unexpected (remember her Statue of Liberty cosplay she wore at Gov Ball?!). And while she definitely brought the drama at this year’s VMAs, I’d argue that her makeup look is in line with the biggest fall beauty trends of the year. Dark academia vibes (with just a splash of the Dark Ages), anyone?
So how can you get the red carpet look at home? Makeup artist Andrew Dahling broke down the variety of MAC Cosmetics products used on the star, including viral favorites like the Studio Fix Fluid 24hr Matte Foundation and the viral MACXimal Silky Matte Lipsticks. Scroll down for the full tutorial to embody the Midwest Princess’ VMAs look.
EYES
The eyes tell all! Arguably the most important part of Chappell's look is her eye makeup. For the occasion, Dahling created a not-so-typical smokey eye, made up of gold, silver, and pink eyeshadow glitters blended right up to her brow bone. The contrast of the mixed metal shades helped give her eyes a nice pop with the gold eyeshadow applied on her bottom waterline and inner corner while the silver and pink shadows lived up top on the center of her eyelid, creating an icy—dare I say—full suit of armor-like look. As for her snow queen white mascara, this Macstack Mascara achieves the same bold look.
LIPS
MAC M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy
MAC M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Sin
Two shades of lipstick were used to make the magic happen: Velvet Teddy and Sin. These two were combined to create a deep wine-red stain look. Dahling also lined Chappell's lips with MAC's lip pencil in Auburn and topped it all off by applying the shade Nightmoth at the center of her lip, resulting in a dark ombre-like finish that is just so exquisitely medieval gothcore *chef's kiss!!!*.
FACE
MAC Studio Radiance 24HR Luminous Lift Concealer
MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 24HR Matte Foundation + Oil Control
MAC Studio Fix Pro Set + Blur Weightless Loose Powder
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation Makeup
It wouldn't be a Chappell Roan makeup tutorial without her signature porcelain-painted base. On top of her foundation and concealer, Dahling also blended the base products with MAC's paint stick in white (which is currently sold out but there are tons of similar artist shades available online like this one from Haus Labs). Since her eye and lip makeup are the center of the show, the focus here was dewy, glowy skin that tied it all together and made the contrast that much more apparent.
