How A-Listers Actually Beauty-Prep for the Oscars

Let’s be real for a second. The glow you see on the red carpet didn’t happen in a day. Stars are locking in their routines weeks—sometimes a full two months—before they ever step in front of a camera. We’re talking lymphatic-draining sculpting facials, tweakments timed down to the day, brows shaped and tinted to absolute perfection and full-body rituals designed to make skin look like it was rendered in post.

We tapped the pros who are actually behind these transformations to get the full breakdown. “Timing is everything,” says Dr. Shawn Seit, founder and medical director of Rejuuv Medi Spa. “You want peak results but nothing that looks overdone.”

The end result? Skin that eats up the light, brows that do exactly what they’re supposed to do and that specific kind of confidence that you genuinely cannot Facetune onto someone.

The Industry’s Favourite Glow Hack

If there’s one treatment Seit swears by for that pre-carpet glow, it’s mesotherapy—micro-injections packed with skin-loving actives like platelet-rich plasma, hyaluronic acid, peptides and vitamins (including the K-pop-beloved New Cellular Treatment Factor). It’s been dubbed the “J.Lo glow” for a reason, and Hollywood A-listers have been quietly booking it every awards season. Sessions run $300 to $1,000, and you’ll want to schedule about two weeks out for peak results.

Want to dial it all the way up? Add a little Botox to the mix. “Incorporating micro-droplets of Botox into the hyaluronic acid mix can help minimize the appearance of pores and decrease oil production. The result is an incredible glow,” says Seit.

And if your timeline is tighter than you’d like, a HydraFacial is genuinely your best friend right now. Beyoncé is a fan. Erin Foster booked one before this year’s Golden Globes at the SkinCeuticals SkinLab in LA. In 45 minutes and starting at $150 a session, it deep cleans, exfoliates and floods skin with hydrating and brightening serums—with exactly zero downtime. Basically, the cheat code of red carpet prep.

The Art of the Background Tan

The era of suspiciously orange Oscar skin? Officially cancelled. Self-tanning has had a full redemption arc over the last decade. The spray-gun-gone-wrong aesthetic that once haunted red carpets has been replaced by something way more considered—softer, warmer and actually convincing.

Celebrities are still calling in experts for this, obviously. James Read has bronzed basically everyone worth mentioning—Ryan Reynolds, Rita Ora, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey—and his whole philosophy flips the script on what a faux tan is even supposed to do. It’s not about going darker. It’s about going smarter. A strategic wash of warmth, he says, blurs uneven tone and gives skin that lit-from-within thing that cameras are absolutely obsessed with.

“I call it a background tan,” says Read. “The tan should complement your look. It shouldn’t be the first thing you notice.”

Want to get that same barely-there golden moment at home? Prep is genuinely non-negotiable. Read’s protocol: exfoliate, shave and moisturize a full 24 hours before you apply anything. Right before tanning, hit the drier spots (knees, ankles, elbows, face) with an extra layer of moisture. “If your skin is super hydrated, it helps the tan develop better and last longer,” he says. “And it won’t cling to those dry patches.”

From there, it’s all about application. Mousse, spray, gel (choose your own adventure), but always use a mitt for an even finish. Then flip it to the clean side to lightly buff over wrists, hands and feet instead of layering on more product. The result is a seamless, sun-kissed situation that reads as effortless on camera.

The Top-Priority Face and Body Treatment

Amanda Jeppesen is the woman behind some of the most talked-about red carpet skin—and if you know, you know. The founder of Sous La, with studios in Toronto and Los Angeles, she’s also the creator of the cult-status RRR Face, a treatment so in-demand it’s basically booked solid the week before any major event.

Her client list? Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell, Kourtney Kardashian—and that’s just for starters. “For sculpted and glowing results, most celebs do a treatment the day before or day of the event,” she says. “The benefits of lymphatic drainage last for weeks but the wow factor, whether it’s face or body, is visible in the first few days.”

The RRR Face is a full progression: lymphatic drainage first to de-puff, then deep facial tension release, finishing with microcurrent for a lifted, sculpted effect that reads as completely natural. Buccal massage is woven in throughout, delivering instant jawline definition and that wide-awake brightness that no filter can actually replicate. “Lymphatic work helps regulate the nervous system, shifting the body out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest. When that happens, inflammation softens, circulation improves and the face visibly changes,” says Jeppesen.

“When inflammation drops and circulation improves, posture lifts, breathing opens and the face and body appear clearer and more defined,” she says. Her awards-season non-negotiables? Hydration, barrier support and gentle lymphatic activation. And her biggest warning: put down the aggressive last-minute treatments. “Calm, well-circulated skin will always photograph best.”

Don’t Overlook the Brows

“Brows should feel like you, just elevated—not like a new personality the week of your event,” says Haley Bogaert, owner of Toronto-based HBFace and her own namesake beauty brand. She has one rule, and it applies whether you’re walking a red carpet, getting married or just showing up somewhere a camera will definitely be pointed at you: timing.

For tinting, book two to three days out so the colour has a chance to soften into something that looks like it grew that way. For shaping—waxing, threading, whatever’s your thing—you want a five to seven-day buffer to let any redness fully settle before the big moment. If you’re doing both, either stagger them intentionally or book them together about a week ahead.

Thinking about lamination? Push that appointment to seven to ten days before. Fresh lamination can go a little intense. Give it time to mellow into its best self.

In the lead-up, keep it simple. No heavy creams or exfoliants near the brow area. Brush daily with a spoolie. Use a lightweight growth serum at night. “Healthy, hydrated brow hairs photograph far better than overly sculpted ones,” says Bogaert.

Day of, the whole vibe is refinement over reconstruction. A brow pencil matched to your root, a swipe of clear gel and you’re done. The goal was never to redraw your face—just to make sure what’s already there shows up exactly the way it should.