Within the next month or so, there are a lot of new movies rolling out into theaters to look forward to.  And I mean A LOT.  This is the season when most Oscar contenders make their debut.  We also see many fan favorite heavy hitters show up at the box office like the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, the latest Marvel installment, a Disney movie, and whatever narrative Leonardo DiCaprio decides to use as his latest portrayal of a descent into madness.  Bear attacks!  Coke and money!  Matt Damon!  It’s always an adventure with Leo.

But truthfully, my favorite thing about all these movies isn’t actually the movies themselves- it’s the movie premieres and press circuits.  And when I say movie premieres and press circuits, I mean the hair and makeup that come with them.  We’ve got a Jackie O. biopic coming out starring Natalie Portman, along with a 1940s espionage flick with Marion Cotillard headlining.  Do you know how much I’m looking forward to these things just for the shades of Dior lipstick alone?  No, I don’t think you do.

That all being said, I love looking to the red carpet this time of year for some beauty inspiration.  People always seem to get a little more adventurous with fall hair and makeup because the trends are typically darker, moodier, and a bit fancier.  Movie premieres and photocalls, award shows, and press junkets are the perfect place to look if you’re in the market for some new beauty inspo.  Let’s peek at some of my favorite looks I’ve come across this season.

Rachel McAdams at the London and Los Angeles premieres of Dr. Strange

Did you know this woman is almost thirty-eight?!  Thirty-eight!!  I can scarcely believe my eyes.  I guess it probably helps when your sister (Kayleen McAdams) is a celebrity makeup artist.  And a gajillion dollars in the bank thanks to The Notebook alone can’t hurt either as far as booking a regular facial or two.  However, I do think one thing that keeps Rachel looking so fresh and young all the time is her willingness to experiment with color and a bit of funk in the hair/makeup department.  A purple smoky eye paired with pink lips- Aren’t you supposed to be “done” with that stuff when you start pushing forty?  And a segmented ponytail?  Too much when you’re thirty-eight, right?  No!  It’s exactly this kind of playfulness that keeps things exciting.  Mixing up your color palette with your makeup is never a bad thing at any age, and a segmented pony is an easy and unexpected thing to pull off at a holiday party.  Now, if only we could all wear that dress to our Christmas party at work.

Lupita Nyong’O at the Los Angeles and London Film Festival premieres of Queen of Katwe

No one does the bright lipstick-and-eyeshadow combo like Lupita.  No one.  In the second image, she’s even wearing bright blush just to kick up the temperature of her look that much more.  I love it.  One thing I’ve noticed about Lupita’s makeup is that she rarely wears noticeable false lashes.  There’s maybe some black liner on her waterline, but no big lashes.  Because she often wears bright makeup, I agree that it would be a mistake to add a pair of standout lashes because it would just be overkill and would detract from the modern, graphic feel of the makeup.  No crazy lashes necessary.  Makeup artist Nick Barose always seems to know when exercise restraint and yet keep things super playful with Lupita.  And it was so fun to see all of the amazing traditional headwraps Lupita wore on tour, too!

Jennifer Connelly at the Rome and San Sebastian International Film Festival premieres of American Pastoral

This past month, Jesus decided to graciously bless me with a Jennifer Connelly press tour.  Yes, I am passionate about these things and I am not ashamed.  Jennifer must’ve made about fifteen different appearances for this film all over North America and Europe, and it was one fabulous Louis Vuitton ensemble after another.  It was her chic and flattering hair and makeup that consistently knocked it out of the park for me, though.  I particularly love Jennifer’s hair sleeked back and left down in her second look as done by hairstylist Renato Campora; I often like trying to do this myself but it works so much better on hair that’s a single, dark shade like hers.

I asked Kay Montano, the makeup artist responsible for Jennifer’s cat eye pictured first, what products she used to create such a gorgeous look.  She said, “To be honest, it’s less about the products than what you do with them.  I could have achieved the same result with many different products.”  Coy, but true.  Gooseberry green eyes, immaculate eyebrows, and cheekbones that could cut glass can’t hurt either.

Mandy Moore at the 2016 Emmy Awards and Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic

So, these looks may not be from any movie premieres, but thanks to her new TV show This Is Us on NBC, Mandy Moore has been everywhere lately.  I’m not sure what she’s had going on career-wise outside of Tangled insanity the past couple years, so it’s been good to see her making the rounds again.  I will say though, I’ve been following her closely on social media for a long time because she’s a maayyyjor hair and makeup influence of mine.  I’ve definitely used her pictures as inspiration for my own hair (mostly for cut, though possibly for color in the next couple weeks).  The textured mid length shag-type-thingy with bangs has been a beloved thing of mine for a while, and Mandy’s is pretty much perfect.  It’s got that 70s vibe, you know?  She always parts her bangs in the center though, and I still can’t seem to get that right.

I also love that Mandy is always wearing coral makeup, as seen in both images.  It’s a shade that works so, so well on her.  She even wore coral lipstick to the 2011 Academy Awards when she sang her nominated song for Tangled.  It worked back then, and it’s still working now.

I’m sure there’s plenty more to look forward to on the red carpet this upcoming season, and I know there were lots of other looks that I just didn’t manage to squeeze in here.  I can’t wait for Jackie and Allied, and I’m sure Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence will be serving up their usual awesomeness with their upcoming premieres, too.  Let me know what you like best, and keep me posted when you see something amazing on the red carpet!  xo, MR

Photo credits in order of appearance: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic, Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, gotceleb.com, John Phillips/Getty Images Europe, gotceleb.com, gotceleb.com, Steve Granitz/WireImage, gotceleb.com