Did They or Didn't They? The Best (Faux) Tans of the Red Carpet
Many stars were positively radiant during award season. And by positively, we mean that we actually know they had faux tans. Many haven't been confirmed, but if working in beauty has taught us anything, it's that getting ready for a red carpet means pulling out all the stops — including getting an airbrush tan — and these stars worked the bronze! Whether it was real or not is TBD.
We also consulted celebrity airbrush artist and The Bronzing Boutique owner Katrina Brown to share what makes a tan the most natural, as well as tips for getting the best glow for your skin tone.
Sofia Vergara
The Colombian beauty always has her natural glow, but rumor has it that she used Vita Liberata self-tanning products to add some extra oomph to her look. (It's probably why she's ageless!)
Reese Witherspoon
Reese might not look like she has any faux tan, but her subtle, even glow has us thinking she got a light-coverage airbrush tan the night before the show.
Katie Cassidy
Katie's natural look was created by using Vita Liberata Trystal Minerals ($55), which tan the skin in powder form.
Brittany Snow
Brittany's complexion usually lives up to her last name — a gorgeous, porcelain snow shade — but was aglow on the Vanity Fair red carpet.
Laura Dern
Fiona Locke, Skin Finishing Expert for Vita Liberata, sprayed Laura for the Academy Awards.
Allison Williams
One girl we know got her glow on? Allison Williams. Makeup artist Gianpaolo Ceciliato used St. Tropez's One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion ($18) to create a faux tan. It dries quickly and is waterproof, so Allison didn't have to worry about getting it on her Armani Privé dress.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Channing was sporting quite the tan, as was his beautiful wife, Jenna. Given the couple does like to vacation over the holidays, this could very well be the real deal, but given the perfect color, our instincts say faux tan was involved.
Jennifer Aniston
Jen is known for her California-girl bronze. The way her shoulders and legs were accentuated by her tan has us thinking she probably got a spray a few days before the show. "For award season, stars have pre-award press or luncheons to attend, so they usually tan two days before so they are glowing for all their events," says Brown. For last-minute house calls, Brown uses an express two-hour tanning formula.
Alessandra Ambrosio
Victoria's Secret Angels are no strangers to faux tans.
Nina Dobrev
Nina's natural olive complexion could have been enhanced with tinted body creams or an airbrush tan.
Khloé Kardashian
The Kardashians love to be bronzed — and there's a good chance Khloé was sporting Kardashian Sun Kissed Instant Sunless Lotion ($20).
Lorde and Taylor Swift
The two fair-skinned besties, Lorde & Taylor (if you will), looked positively radiant on InStyle's red carpet. Because they're both light-complected, it's safe to say they had a little help from sunless tanner. (Notice that Taylor's hand was slightly lighter than her arm.) "Everyone's skin tones vary. . . . I think no more than two shades darker than your natural skin tone is a great rule to go by," says Brown. "The misconception with fake tanning is that you need to be brown; however, it's just about taking the white edge off and giving a slight glow."
In our opinion, they nailed it.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is synonymous with two things: that booty and her J Lo glow. Jennifer's Hispanic background means she's golden year-round, but it appeared as though her skin was enhanced to help contour her arms and legs.
Anna Faris
Anna's Winter-white hair meant treading lightly when it came to a faux tan so it wouldn't end up looking orange. A dead giveaway is the face, says Brown: "When the face is overly bronzed, or makeup artists try to match the face makeup to the shade of your tan . . . it's a dead giveaway." Anna's glow looked natural and not overdone.
Taylor Schilling
Taylor Schilling was prepped by makeup artist Tina Turnbow with pHenomenal Mousse in Fair by Vita Liberata ($54). The formula is odorless and helped to brighten up Taylor's skin for the red carpet.
Jamie Chung
Jamie's glow looked more like highlighter than tanner — check out those glistening shoulders.
Cara Delevingne and Selena Gomez
Selena is darker-complected than Cara; both seemed to be sporting similar coloring on the red carpet, which leads us to believe their skin was enhanced with a little bit of tanner.
Lea Michele
Lea tans fairly easy in the sun — and we know she loves her bikinis — but the even tone of her tan seems like she got a few touch-ups before hitting the red carpet.
Joanne Froggatt
Golden Globe winner Joanne Froggatt was a vision at the show, and her pristine complexion had a subtle sun-kissed look. Keep scrolling to see more celebrity glows from the Globes!
Allison Janney
We confirmed that Allison was bronzed up prior to the Globes with Vita Liberata products. First, her skin was exfoliated with the Super Fine Skin Polish ($20), then used the Moisture Boost Body Treatment ($20) on dry areas to keep the tan even. For the tan, the Rapid Fast Acting 4-7 Day Tan Mousse ($43) was applied with a mitt.