Lady Gaga ditches the meat dress for understated beauty at the Emmys

Lady Gaga appeared almost unrecognizable on the Emmys red carpet Sunday, wearing an understated black gown and with her hair and makeup pared down considerably compared with her usual awards show entrances (wearing outlandish costumes or being carried in inside a frosted egg.)

Now that the pop star is poised to make her way as an actress, appearing in the upcoming “American Horror Story: Hotel,” she clearly means to showcase her range of talent and to try different characters and looks.

The gown by stylist Brandon Maxwell, who also recently debuted a collection during New York Fashion Week, had an asymmetrical neckline and was pronounced one of the night’s best looks by Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore.

FULL COVERAGE: Emmys 2015

Gaga’s hair was inspired by Grace Kelly. To get the look, hairstylist Frederic Aspiras combed Matrix StyleLink Volume Builder Volume Mousse through the hair to give it height, then sprayed Matrix StyleLink Turbo Dryer Blow Dry Spray over the head to tame frizz.

“I wanted to create something soft and touchable,” Aspiras said. “I was inspired by Grace Kelly’s effortless elegance.”

He said he blew the hair dry using a 2-inch round titanium brush and applied a molding paste to hold it in place and create waves and shapes through the front.

The makeup was just as flattering. Lady Gaga’s longtime makeup artist, Sarah Nicole Tanno, used products from Marc Jacobs Beauty to get a look she called “fresh but sexy and subtle yet glamorous.”

Tanno used Marc Jacobs Beauty Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate in Ivory 12 on Gaga’s complexion. A warm pink shade called Shameless Bold Blush in 204 Obsessed, was used to make her cheeks glow. For the eyes, the makeup artist used a milk chocolate shimmer shadow, called Three Shakes 404, all over Gaga’s eyelid for a light bronze, smoky-eye look. The lashes were coated with Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara, and Gaga’s lip color was courtesy a terracotta pink shade called Understudy 114.

“This was Lady Gaga’s first time at the Emmys, so we wanted her look to feel very classic,” Tanno said.

It’s a long way from a meat dress and if it’s any indication of her acting chops and ability to appear timeless and gorgeous on the red carpet, we should be prepared to continually be surprised. But since when have we expected anything less from Lady Gaga?

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