The Biggest Makeup Trend At The VMAs Is Surprisingly Low-Key

This year, we’ve been clinging to major color when it comes to makeup — starting love-affairs with prismatic metallic lipsticks, sunshine-inspired eye looks, and unicorn makeup like it’s nobody’s business. So we expected much of the same with one of awards season’s most wild red carpets and a take-every-trend-to-the-max host like Katy Perry... but instead, we got the exact opposite.

Ghost were the robotic highlights, the glittery lips, the electric nail art. And in their place, we saw a major case for makeunder beauty. Nails were painted in various shades of beige. Dark roots were grown out to DGAF lengths. And forget about purple or green lip shades — red lipstick barely made an appearance, thanks to music’s penchant for barely-there nudes. Hardcore contour was also amiss, with demi-matte complexions and a hint of blush at most.

Makeunders were all over the place. See some of our favorites — worn by goth aficionados (Lorde), glitter queens (Kesha) and more — ahead.