Lupita Nyong'o Always Does These 5 Things & No One Has Noticed

At the beginning of Lupita Nyong'o's career, when she was working as an assistant in the fashion industry, her boss asked her what she planned to wear to an important meeting. "I said I had a red dress and she looked at me like, Ahhhh!," the actress told Refinery29. "She encouraged me to wear muter colours, so I ended up purchasing all these black and navy items that just weren't me."

Fast forward a few years and no one would dare steer the Academy Award-winning actress, who is set to produce and act in the film adaptation of Trevor Noah's autobiography Born A Crime, away from being bold. In fact, Nyong'o has become known for her risk-taking makeup and fashion choices. If she's on a red carpet, you can bet it won't be boring.

Given that the star has rocked pretty much every trend — from sculptural hair inspired by Nina Simone to futuristic blue lipstick — it might seem like her tastes are all over the map, but look closely and you'll find there are a few tried-and-true techniques she always falls back on. In honour of her birthday today, we're rounding up the five styles Nyong'o always goes back to.