Modern Muse | Zendaya’s goddess look ignites red carpet beauty trend

The inspiration: Zendaya, Greek goddesses, Grecian-inspired beauty, Mediterranean sunkissed skin, Greek mythology

As seen at: Ermanno Scervino, Antonio Marras

If Helen of Troy possessed a beauty that launched a thousand ships then Zendaya’s makeup from The Odyssey press tour, who plays Athena in the film, is coming in at a close second as her sunkissed, blushy look launches one of the season’s most exciting, emerging trends — goddess beauty.

It’s often said that Zendaya’s best look is her next one but in the case of her Odyssey glam, makeup artist Ernesto Casillas did not miss a beat. For the New York leg of the press tour, Casillas created the most angelic, goddess-inspired makeup look that truly went viral. Although this trend is not new and has been popping up as various iterations over the years, it steps away from the metallic ‘golden goddess’ bronzed version of the 2000s and moves into a more restrained, ethereal, fresh-faced territory. The Odyssey has only accelerated its revival and evolution.

Celebrity makeup artists and beauty aficionados alike were eagerly camped out on Casillas’s Instagram page for six minutes as he shared an in-depth tutorial on how to get Zendaya’s viral look. According to Casillas, the look was all about sunkissed, barely-there, minimal, no-makeup makeup but with an emphasis on super blushed skin across the cheeks, nose and temples.

It also focused on a lot of glow, hydration and skin prep, and included the blush stars of the look, the Prada Beauty Touch Cream-to-Powder Blushes in Caffe, a warm, terracotta brown shade, and Cherry, a bright red hue. Just when we thought we were laying the clean-girl, minimal makeup aesthetic to rest in favour of colourful, maximalist looks; The Odyssey press tour made us fall in love with barely-there sunkissed makeup all over again. The perfect makeup to accompany the sweltering heat waves happening abroad and one that would work equally well for our winter due to its focus on hydration and creating the illusion of sunkissed, flushed skin — goddess beauty may just be the all-year-round, trans-seasonal look we didn’t know we needed.

Casillas’s How To Recreate Zendaya’s Goddess Makeup:

1. Start with great skincare prep that focuses on hydration to drench the skin and create a lit-from-within-glow.
2. Mix 1-2 pumps of a foundation of your choice with 1-2 pumps of serum to sheer out the foundation and apply with a beauty blender sponge, making sure to press product into the skin. The key is to keep coverage light and focus application only where needed.
3. Apply a small amount of brightening concealer around nostrils, between the brows and along the under-eye area, making sure to not bring the concealer up to the lower lash line.
4. As an optional step, apply a cream or liquid bronzer around the perimeter of the face to add additional warmth to the skin.
5. Apply a generous amount of a terracotta brown cream blush on the apples of the cheeks, dragging it down low in a boyfriend-blush placement, as well as across the nose and temples. Layer a bright, cherry red cream blush on the high points of the cheeks and nose bridge and blend into the skin.
6. Soften out any harsh edges or excessive blush by using the sponge previously used for the foundation to sheer out blush.
7. Apply a colour-enhancing lip balm to the lips and tap some blush onto the lips with the fingers to create a soft, stain effect.
8. Finish off with a light tapping of serum or liquid highlighter over the cheeks to sheer out the base and amplify the glow.

Get The Look

• Goddess Flush: Blush blindness does not exist on Mount Olympus, so feel free to be quite liberal with blush application. As seen at Ermanno Scervino and on Zendaya, apply a generous sweeping of a warm, terracotta brown cream blush on the cheeks, dragging it down low into the jawline, across the nose and temples. Layer a red cream blush on the high points of the cheeks and nose bridge and blend into skin.

• Angelic Haze: Channel another Casillas makeup creation for an angelic take on eyeshadow. As seen on Zendaya, the inner eye corner was given a much-deserved moment when lids were swept with a neutral wash and then highlighted with white eyeshadow diffused into the inner eye corners, creating a soft, stark, heavenly haze.

• Grecian Glaze: At Antonio Marras, models were sent out with an interpretation of goddess-like eyes that still kept them in neutral territory but added subtle opulence. Sweep a warm, brown eyeshadow across the lid to add dimension and depth, and then layer with iridescent, multi-dimensional shimmers with silver, gold and aquatic undertones that almost look wet and emollient on the lids.

Wear With: Goddess Hair

From Grecian waves to romantic braids; rule with strands fit for a queen

• Athena Braid: Zendaya’s hair was a case of ‘how did they do that?’, as hairstylist Coree Moreno transformed her short bixie cut into a butt-grazing braid that looked romantic and lived-in with a natural texture. Add extra-long length with the help of tape-in or clip-in hair extensions and create an undone, sculptural braid with loose, face-framing pieces.

• Halo Braids: Nothing says “goddess” quite like a halo braid that was a staple on The Odyssey red carpet. From Zendaya to Anne Hathaway, tousled, lived-in waves were paired with braids wrapped around the crown of the head, like a headband. Alternatively, hair was styled as an updo, and braided into two sections, like pigtails, and then wrapped around the head as a halo braid.

• Sculptural Afros: Actress Lupita Nyong’o was a masterclass in how to do goddess hair on natural, Afro-textured hair. Instead of longer, voluminous lengths, Nyong’o opted for shorter Afro lengths that looked regal and powerful when styled in sculptural twists, soft hi-top fades, and beehive bouffants that added height, romance and architecture.

The Kit

1. Stila Convertible Colour Lip & Cheek Cream in Chocolate Orchid R515
2. Burberry Goddess Intense EDP 100ml R3,480
3. MAC Eye Shadow in Gesso R430
4. NARS Natural Matte Longwear Foundation in Macao R1,205
5. Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Souffle Pressed Mousse Blurring Cream Bronzer in Maple Glaze R860
6. Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm in Red Camellia R1,095
7. Benefit Play Daze Airy Liquid Blush in Chili R640