Is there anything Celia Imrie can’t do? At 73, she’s an acclaimed actress, an esteemed author – and now, we’re giving her the title of beauty rebel, too. Often, women in their 50s, 60s and 70s are told that ‘less is more’, but Celia has debunked that for good – confidently pairing a statement lip and eye.
Last night, Celia Imrie graced the star-studded BAFTAs red carpet looking sensational. Stepping out in a floor-skimming green gown, she proved that great style only gets better with age. But what really caught the GH beauty team’s attention was Celia’s smokey eye and red lip pairing. It’s a bold combination, but it works beautifully on the actress.
‘She’s totally open to different ideas and different hairstyles and different types of makeup,’ Celia Imrie’s makeup artist, Mira Parmar, tells us. ‘We wanted to create a look that felt versatile and cool,’ she says – and we’d say she nailed the brief.
Mira is a firm believer that there are no rules when it comes to makeup, and Celia’s look proves exactly that. ‘Makeup is about expression,’ she says. ‘Some people might say you can’t wear a dark eye and a red lip together because it looks vampy, but the rules are made up.’
For the star of the show (the red lip) Mira reveals she used Lisa Eldridge’s ‘Dragon’ Lip Pencil alongside By Terry’s ‘My Red’ Liquid Lipstick. ‘Celia is a red-lip person, but we didn’t want to go too red and take away the emphasis of the green dress,’ she explains. ‘So, we went for an orange-toned red, rather than blue-toned.’
Balance was key to this look, enabling the combination of red lip and smokey eye to look ageless and modern.
‘We wanted to keep the eyes clean, but a little bit smokey,’ she explains. ‘I opted for kohl because it lasts.’ Mira namechecks Charlotte Tilbury’s Rock ‘n’ Kohl in Barbarella Brown as the key product behind Celia’s look. ‘I also used Bobbi Brown’s Longwear Cream Liner, which is amazing as you can basically just rub it across the eyelid and blend out.’
Of course, no smokey eye is complete without a generous coating of mascara. ‘I used Armani’s mascara – it separates, it lengthens and it really defines the lashes,’ says Mira. In fact, Celia’s reaction alone is enough to have us sold. ‘Celia actually asked if I had put false lashes on her,’ Mira adds.
The products were also chosen to last. ‘She was going to be out from 2:30pm and onwards to the afterparty, so we wanted something that would be sturdy throughout the night,’ Mira explains. ‘Celia isn’t one to top up makeup, she just goes out and has a good time.’
Naturally, an invite to the BAFTAs calls for a little beauty maintenance – and Celia also opted for a shorter haircut ahead of the event. ‘She had her hair cut the day before, so more of her face was on show,’ says Mira. ‘When you get your hair cut, you’ll want to amp up your makeup in certain areas. For Celia, I took her blush higher on the cheekbones, and I was able to get away with more contouring.’ To create Celia’s perfectly flushed and sculpted look, Mira relied on YSL’s Make Me Blush and Armani’s Luminous Silk Glow Contour.
Of course, with more of her face on show, creating a flawless complexion became even more important. ‘Again, I went for something with longevity – but also something lightweight,’ says Mira. ‘I used Armani’s Luminous Glow foundation, it’s brilliant for all-day wear and her skin looked amazing.’
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Foundation
Safe to say, our beauty wish list is piling high.
