Beauty / Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks

Beauty Mar 27, 2026

by Meena Khan | Beauty Editor

Discover how to recreate South Asian red carpet beauty looks with glowing skin, cocoa lips, sleek hair, and metallic eyes.

Awards season drew to close at the end of the Oscars but what remains is the gleaming beauty looks of South Asians who shined at various award shows. Their looks were breathtaking and achievable, and interpreted beauty trends for 2026 that will always look modern.

The operating concepts for 2026 glamourous beauty are shine and glow!

Red Carpet Inspired Hair – Our Sleek Crown

The straight, sleek, slicked back bun was everywhere, and Charithra Chandran’s interpretation at the Oscars was stunning because:

She demonstrated that a slicked back bun must work with the face shape; and
When done correctly, it makes the cheekbones and clavicles stand out.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Photo Credit: IG @charithra17

Regarding point 1, one error that is commonly committed in achieving the look is that the hair is simply pulled back from the hairline, gelled down and then held by a tight clip, without assessing the forehead shape and size. If your forehead is smaller or narrow, combing back the hair to expose maximum forehead is a great approach. However, if you have a more oval shape, like Chandran, it is better to separate the hair centre part and then style into a sleek bun. For round faced beauties, it is key to add volume at the crown and to create a higher placed, sleek bun look, so that the bun adds dimension and lift to the face.

A fantastic gel that sets the hair strongly and gives none of the flaky crunch is the Aveda Flax Seed Aloe Strong Sculpturing Gel, because it is designed for coarse hair types, which is common for South Asian beauties. The flax seed and aloe add shine, which adds dimension to the style.

Shine and Glow like SA Stars on the Red Carpet — Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Aveda Flax Seed Aloe Strong Hold Sculpturing Gel. Photo Credit: www.aveda.ca

PRO TIP: As you go through the day, some hairs are bound to become unruly, so to maintain the look, slick on a setting product such as the JVN Stylefix Stick. I love this product because i) it is smaller than the palm of your hand, so it occupies minimal space in a purse; ii) you can twist up the exact amount of product you need so there is no mess; and it leaves a finished look, so your sleekness remains flawless.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. JVN Stylefix Stick. Photo Credit: www.sephora.com

The Best Red Carpet Inspired Cocoa Pout

Lara Raj is one fifth of the Grammy nominated music group Katseye, and her sultry brown lip on the Grammys red carpet reminded me that cocoa lips are perfect for brown beauties. The tricks to a successful brown lip look for spring is to pick a lip gloss in a tone that is slightly darker than the rest of your face and to use a matching liner. I recommend a glossy product because as we approach spring, a classic brown lipstick will likely look too autumnal and drain your complexion.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Photo Credit: IG @lararajj

MAC is a goldmine of lipliner shades, and as a club kid of the nineties, I will always be drawn to Chestnut. The trick is to define the contour of the lips with slightly nubby tipped lip liner, so the look is not excessively precise. Once the liner is applied, apply a thin layer of a shiny balm, so that the pout looks lush.

A universally flattering brown shade for South Asian beauties is Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Hot Cocoa, as it delivers a hint of tint that complements pink and mauve coloured lips.

PRO-TIP: This is somewhat of a naked lip look, so always exfoliate the lips the night before so that the bits of dead skin will not dull the sensuality of the look.

Red Carpet Inspired Fresh Skin

One trend that has continued into 2026 is the emphasis on celebrating healthy skin. This trend has manifested itself in beauty products that also treat the skin and is now focussing on how to simplify steps, making the exercise of obtaining fresh skin simpler. Farhan Akhtar is a handsome man, and while he was onstage at the BAFTAS accepting the award for Best Children’s & Family Film for Boong, I was drawn to his perfect complexion which looked smooth and real.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. IG @faroutakhtar

Even though we have a come a long way in encouraging men to take care of their skin, it can still be an uphill battle to get them to adopt healthy skin care routines, but Glow Recipe may have found a solution which can be best summed up as pat and glow. The new Vitamin C Brightening Toner Pads™ is quick and easy to use. Each pad is soaked in 5 types of Vitamin C, caffeine, niacinamide, guava and glutathione, which address the trifecta of South Asian beauty banes: dark circles, dark spots and dullness. You just lift a pad using the tweezers that come with the jar and then apply it the area that needs TLC for 5 minutes. I suggest introducing the habit on the weekend while he enjoys his morning coffee, and as he sees the results, he will likely use it more often.

PRO-TIP: On days that he shaves, do not use the pads because there may be some sensitivity. Start slowly and integrate the application into other activities, e.g. drinking coffee, chopping vegetables… etc. and then have him pull off the pads, tap the skin and continue with another activity.

Smooth Curves

The theme of glowing skin is not strictly reserved for the complexion; it also applies to the body. Our emphasis on facial beauty sometimes results in our forgetting that people also see our shoulders, arms and legs. Priyanka Chopra’s elegance at the Golden Globes reminds us that shoulders are a sensual body part, and that the body should be cared for.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Photo Credit: IG @priyankachopra

A quick way to achieve a glowing body complexion is to moisturise daily bit after a harsh winter, coupled by the delayed arrival of spring temperatures, I suggest switching out your regular body lotion for the shoulders, arms and legs with a multi-tasker such as the ColorStay™ Face + Body Glow Lotion (4 shades available), which hydrates the skin but also adds the glow of a bronzer to create a sun-kissed look.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Photo Credit: www.revlon.com

PRO-TIP: After several months of hiding the limbs under sweaters and tights the body, you should consider a deeper exfoliation than usual to reveal fresh skin. If you shave your legs, you reveal fresh skin but for the arms and torso consider adding an exfoliation ritual on a once or twice a week basis. A nice soft scrub that feels like a sweet treat on the skin is the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Vanilla. The texture is more of a slightly gooey paste that glides easily along the skin as you rub it in using circular motions. The granules rinse away quickly and your skin is ready to receive the glow!

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Photo Credit: www.treehutshea.com

Red Carpet Inspired Metallic Gaze

Continuing with the theme of glow in 2026, metallic touches are on point for 2026. Kriti Sanon’s hypnotic, bronze gaze at the 2026 Zee Awards, demonstrated that neutrals are every bit as sensual as dark, smoky shades. The advantage of this trend is that coppers and bronzes are always flattering on brown skin tones, so you can use these shades year-round and look on point.

Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Kriti Sanon. Photo Credit: Instagram — Your Ultimate Guide To Recreating South Asian Red Carpet Beauty Looks. Kriti Sanon. Photo Credit: IG @kritisanon

The look can be achieved using three products: a black liner, a creamy metallic eyeshadow and a metallic eyeliner. I use the black eyeliner to tightline the eyes. From this starting point the work switches to gradations of metallics. For the mobile lid, I prefer to use creamy shadow such as Kulfi Zari Eyes Eyeshadow in Bronze Brocade because I can apply it intensely on the mobile lid without risk of looking cakey and it is easy to blend into the crease using my pinky finger.

For the lower lash line, it is tricky because I am wary of disturbing my concealer application by using a powder eye shadow, as the mix of the two is always an unsightly paste. For this reason, I prefer to use a liner such as the Quo Bold Stroke Gel Liner in Rose Gold. The colour is metallic bit not intense so it opens the eye area, and the gel formula ensures that I can easily glide along the delicate skin, and deposit colour that will not migrate.

PRO TIP: Sanon’s look is enhanced by a complementary lipstick and nails that are neutral but with matte finishes. The beauty story of the sensual metallic gaze and looks polished and unforgettable with supporting shades on the lips and hands.

Glamourous Thoughts

I love that across continents the twin themes of shine and glow have emerged as the guiding adjectives for glamour. Intrinsic to the themes is that when we decide to “put on the glam” we need to reach within ourselves to literally shine and glow. This type of glamour is sensual because we are not striving for a look, we are bathing features in metallics and luminescence–and my inner diva loves that!

Meena Khan | Beauty Editor

Author

Meena (@meenalaregina) always loved the idea of exploring the non-conventional idea of beauty. Having grown up as a pimply chubby teenager, she wanted to see the change in the world that best reflected your uniqueness as well. Her well-received collection of blogs where she tries on various beauty p...

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