Adir Abergel

Hairstylist

Adir Abergel has been setting trends since he was a 16-year-old working under the iconic hairdresser Arthur Johns. Though he’s created major moments — his favorites include a bowl cut sculpted on Charlize Theron, Jane Birkin bangs snipped for Anne Hathaway and his recent work with Kristen Stewart for Chanel — Abergel considers the longstanding relationships with clients the highlight of career. “The women sitting in my chair have always been a huge inspiration,” he says. Beyond the salon, he serves as creative director of the biotech hair repair brand Virtue Labs.

CLIENTS Jessica Biel, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Garner, Ariana DeBose, Vanessa Kirby, Jared Leto

TOP 2023 MOMENT Stewart’s “progressive” androgynous spiky mullet for the Met Gala. “This look was special because it was authentic,” he says. “It embodied exactly what she was feeling, and it clearly resonated with many people around the world.”

Chris Appleton

Hairstylist

Thanks to his well-honed ability to work with wigs, extensions and color, Chris Appleton has become an essential glam squad member to those who require variety and visibility. You don’t book Appleton if you want understated. Aside from posting photos of his uber-famous clientele for his 4 million Instagram followers, Appleton is the creative director for Color Wow, an ambassador for Shark Beauty and does Drew Barrymore’s hair for her eponymous show. He’s also a newlywed: loyal client Kim Kardashian officiated his April nuptials to The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage.

CLIENTS Kim Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa

TOP 2023 MOMENT His two TikTok tutorials on how to get Kim Kardashian’s curtain bangs for the Met Gala racked up more than 1 million views.

Tom Bachik

Nail Artist

In the early ’90s, Tom Bachik was an aspiring airbrush artist with a pregnant wife when a family member told him he could segue his artistic talent into making six figures doing manicures. In the decades since, this unexpected career change has far exceeded his initial expectations. His American Manicure, a reimagining of the French classic, went viral this year on the high-profile digits of clients Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez. One of his career highlights, he recalls, was the 2020 Super Bowl when Lopez performed. “Getting to walk onto the field with J. Lo for the Super Bowl — just that energy and excitement was amazing,” says Bachik. “I got to be on the field next to the stage while she was performing.”

CLIENTS Camila Mendes, Hailee Steinfeld, Margot Robbie (Barbie’s L.A. premiere)

TOP 2023 MOMENT The chrome nails he designed for Charlize Theron’s Paris Fashion Week appearances, which he describes as a look he pioneered before chrome polishes existed. “I used to go to the art store and pull pigments from car paints,” he says. “Now we’re seeing chrome come back, and Charlize loved it [so much] we just took [the polish] off last week!”

Dana Boyer

Hairstylist (Rising Star)

“Technically my career began in 2006, but my mom will tell you I’ve been cutting hair off dolls since I was a kid!” says Dana Boyer, who worked assisting hairstylist Rudi Lewis when she was starting out. Boyer tells THR that the ongoing actors’ strike has had an impact on work this year: “There are less opportunities for work. I have been very, very fortunate to have regular clients who are either promoting music right now or attending non-promotional events. I have always maintained a fair number of ad clients and that also keeps me going in between personal clients.”

CLIENTS The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Lola Tung, Mean Girls‘ Reneé Rapp

TOP 2023 MOMENT Hitting New York Fashion Week with Tung. “It felt like we were really inspired to elevate each look every day,” says Boyer. “I think last season we got such positive feedback, so we felt really inspired to up the ante this time!” Adds Tung, “Dana is able to go with the flow so well and create something so beautiful on the spot.  Even when we are deciding at the last minute what the look will be, she will always crush it.”

Renato Campora

Hairstylist

Renato Campora honed his craft on the ’90s Paris fashion scene — then he met Liv Tyler in 2004. “She asked me to do her hair for the Lord of the Rings press junket,” he recalls. “I had no idea about the celebrity world.” Campora, now one of the most in-demand hair pros in L.A., first learned to cut hair in his father’s salon in Palermo, Italy.

CLIENTS Jessica Chastain (who created a sensation at the Met Gala with her platinum blonde hair), Gal Gadot, Kathryn Newton

TOP 2023 MOMENT Amanda Seyfried’s ’70s disco curls at the Met Gala. “The look was very unexpected,” he says. “Amanda loved it; I could see it in her face.”

Jenny Cho

Hairstylist

Known for her versatility and preternaturally calm demeanor, Jenny Cho — who grew up in Seoul before moving to L.A. when she was 10 — calls her top career moment scoring “my first American Vogue cover with Jennifer Lawrence” in October 2022. For the Met Gala, she styled two clients, Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Stephanie Hsu (with Fekkai hair products) and Vanessa Kirby (using Superzero’s Hair Treatment Serum Bar).

CLIENTS Greta Lee, Gal Gadot, Jenna Ortega, Emilia Clarke

TOP 2023 MOMENT Ana de Armas’ ponytail updo for the SAG Awards. “The look was simple, elegant and playful,” says Cho. “It was a ponytail updo with a black velvet ribbon draping down along with a slight wave in the hair. She absolutely loved it and told me how beautiful it was.”

Tracey Cunningham

Hairstylist

It’s an L.A. story: Three decades ago, Tracey Cunningham started as Bette Midler’s nanny and is now considered the town’s top colorist with the roster to prove it (new clients are via referral only). The self-professed workaholic co-owns Beverly Hills salon Mèche, flies globally for touch-ups, is ambassador for Olaplex and Redken, and authored 2021’s True Color: The Essential Hair Color Handbook, which features her famous clientele. Dakota Johnson — who met Cunningham as a girl when her mother Melanie Griffith “started seeing Tracey for hair color in 1996” — tells THR that “Tracey’s talent and expertise will forever confound me. She’s really a magical artist scientist. I will show her a photo, or I will use descriptions that make no sense like ‘dusty roasted milk’ or something ridiculous and she absolutely nails it every time with really no confusion, stress, or fuss.”

CLIENTS Johnson, Emma Stone, Riley Keough, Halle Berry, Zoey Deutch, Maya Rudolph

TOP 2023 MOMENT Taking Aubrey Plaza blond for Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming Megalopolis. The director requested “a very specific butter golden hue,” recalls Cunningham. “You really have to pinch yourself when Francis Ford Coppola approves of your work.”

Sheika Daley

Makeup Artist

Sheika Daley, an International Makeup Artist for Lancôme artist, has an A-list roster of clients, but it’s a fellow beauty pro who left her the most starstruck. After working on fashion shows with Pat McGrath, Daley got a call to do the iconic makeup artist’s face. “At that point is when I really felt like, ‘OK, bitch, you really have made it,’” says Daley, “because it’s one thing to work alongside her and for her to think that you’re good to be on the team, but for her to handpick you to touch her face and make her look pretty and make her look good, that for me was a milestone in my career.”

CLIENTS Zendaya, Issa Rae, Kelly Rowland, Letitia Wright

TOP 2023 MOMENT Keke Palmer’s nude lips and sultry smoky eye for the Met Gala. “Keke did something that was really funny during Met Gala,” recalls Daley. “Everybody was kind of really serious, gotta hurry up and get everything done. We had ordered some food and everybody had kind of eaten, but I couldn’t get to my food so I was talking about being hungry. And I’m really focusing on getting her lip liner in and and she goes ‘Are you hungry?’ And before I could even say, like, ‘Yeah, I could possibly eat,’ she said, ‘Because girl you came to eat this time’ — meaning the makeup — but the whole room burst out in laughter.”

Mario Dedivanovic

Makeup Artist

With 13.8 million Instagram followers and another 1.5 million on TikTok, Mario Dedivanovic says that “social media is a very important tool for myself as an artist and my brand. I find it’s a great way to not only connect to followers and the beauty community — but also an amazing way to express my passion in educating.” After starting out in the biz with a job working at Sephora in 2000 at age 17, Dedivanovic found fame as Kim Kardashian’s go-to makeup artist, leading him to start his Makeup by Mario brand (which recently launched its SurrealSkin Awakening Concealer).

CLIENTS Kim Kardashian, Salma Hayek

TOP 2023 MOMENT Kardashian’s cheeks at the Met Gala, with a rosy glow courtesy of his Soft Pop Powder Blush.

Pati Dubroff

Makeup Artist

Chanel ambassador Pati Dubroff is renowned for a skin-care-centric, light-touch approach to makeup honed over the course of a decades-long career. The makeup artist — who began at the age of 19 at the Bergdorf Goodman counter, apprenticed with Bobbi Brown and François Nars, and now collaborates with every big name in the business — was responsible for Margot Robbie’s cheeky Barbie makeover on the film’s press tour. “Margot is a dream client and so collaborative with the whole team,” Dubroff says. “We had a lot of fun with all the looks.”

CLIENTS Elizabeth Olsen, Sofia Richie Grainge, Kirsten Dunst

TOP 2023 MOMENT Robbie’s look for Barbie’s Mexico City premiere. “She wore a Pucci minidress, and in true Barbie-core fashion, I matched the clothes using shades of pink, coral and lilac eyeliner,” says Dubroff.

Georgie Eisdell

Makeup Artist

Georgie Eisdell‘s jam-packed year included a global press tour (No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence); awards season looks (Melissa McCarthy, Claire Foy); and ad campaigns with Dakota Johnson (Gucci) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Tiffany & Co.). To showcase her work on social media, “I prefer Instagram as it’s so visual,” says Eisdell. “It’s nice to be able to take behind the scenes images and videos and show different angles of my work that may not be captured on the red carpet.

CLIENTS Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Camila Morrone

TOP 2023 MOMENT A striking icy eye and chiseled cheek on her client of 10 years, Sophie Turner, at Vanity Fair’s Oscars party. “She is one of my favorite people,” says. Eisdell. “I have a lot of fun creating with her.”

Neal Farinah

Hairstylist

Neal Farinah, who has more than 200k followers on Instagram, is Beyoncé’s longtime hairstylist, having worked with her on the world tours for The Mrs. Carter Show, On The Run and Renaissance, as well as various cover shoots. Originally from Trinidad before moving to Brooklyn as a teen, he also operates a self-titled NYC salon, which he opened in 2001.

CLIENTS Beyoncé

TOP 2023 MOMENT Farinah also worked with Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy when she appeared onstage for a dance number cameo during tour stops. “History: What amazing moments slaying mother and daughter hair,” he wrote on Instagram.

Betina Goldstein

Nail Artist

Betina Goldstein’s playful 3D designs have garnered her more than 400,000 Instagram followers. “Nail art is more than just a profession to me; it’s a form of therapy that allows me to express myself,” says Goldstein (who’s also the founder of jewelry brand Doublemoss). “Each design is a reflection of my individuality.” This year, the Chanel nail artist’s unique talent achieved even greater visibility through her work with 2023’s “It” girl Margot Robbie, including a viral Pucci-inspired manicure for a Barbie photo call in Mexico.

CLIENTS Jodie Comer, Julia Garner, Lily James, Camila Morrone, Zoë Kravitz

TOP 2023 MOMENT To complement Gossip Girl star Whitney Peak’s pearl-adorned Chanel dress at the Met Gala, Goldstein created a peekaboo design that featured 10 real pearls. “[It] looked like a classic, polished nail when viewed from the top,” she says, “but when she turned her hand, the pearls were beautifully nestled under each nail. She loved it so much she kept it for the entire month.”

Jesus Guerrero

Hairstylist

Texas native Jesus Guerrero, who has more than 590k followers on Instagram, has made a name for himself as Kylie Jenner’s hairstylist and scored an ambassadorship with OGX. He calls styling Jenner and Rosalía for the front row at Schiaparelli’s Paris show in September a highlight of his year: “I’m still processing that moment.” Khloé Kardashian responded to Guerrero’s Instagram post about her sister’s look in Paris: “Best look ever.”

CLIENTS Rosalía, Dua Lipa, Anitta, Katy Perry, Shay Mitchell, Jennifer Lopez

TOP 2023 MOMENT Anitta’s bun and swooped wavelike bangs at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party. He says, “We pushed the limits and created something beautiful together.”

Ash K. Holm

Makeup Artist

Relative newcomer Ash K. Holm (a celebrity makeup artist since 2015) has taken a page out of the entrepreneurial playbook of her Kardashian clients. Currently, she has deals with Ipsy, Buxom, KISS Lashes, Sculpt by Spectrum and Kosas (all of which she promotes to her 1.2 million Instagram followers). Yet it’s her talent for creating glowing, youthful complexions that keep her constantly booked.

CLIENTS Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian, Shay Mitchell, Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello

TOP 2023 MOMENT Jennifer Lopez at the Paris screening of The Mother. The star glowed with “juicy, hydrated” skin and a smoldering eye that felt “sexy but not overdone,” says Holm, adding that Lopez “absolutely loved this glam and felt like the bombshell that we know her to be.”

Clayton Hawkins

Hairstylist

Hair maestro Clayton Hawkins got his start in the beauty business by assisting editorial hairstylists shortly after graduating from beauty school in 2014. Known for his comedic wig-wearing posts on Reels and TikTok, the Living Proof ambassador says his top career moment to date was going with high-profile client Olivia Rodrigo to the White House in 2021 “to promote vaccine awareness. Doing her hair during such a unique moment in time felt like I was a tiny part of history.”

CLIENTS Melissa Barrera (a chignon for the premiere of Scream VI), Rachel Zegler, Jennifer Coolidge

TOP 2023 MOMENT Highlights of his year include creating Ashley Park’s gorgeous wavy locks for the Joy Ride premiere. “It just felt like such a classic, timeless moment,” he says.

Amy Komorowski

Hairstylist

“As a men’s groomer, we don’t get a lot of recognition — it feels nice to be included,” says Amy Komorowski, who does both hair and makeup and is a co-founder of skin-care company Circa 1970. “Our first product is a luxury face oil that is the key to creating the perfect red-carpet glow.”

CLIENTS Austin Butler, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace

TOP 2023 MOMENT The Burberry fragrance shoot with client Adam Driver (who she’s worked with since 2014) on the beach in the Canary Islands. “It felt like a ‘big’ moment from the outset,” she says. “Working on the beach, the elements can be super challenging, but it all came together beautifully in the end.” Says Driver of working with Komorowski, “Not only does Amy have the hardest job in the business of making me look presentable, but she’s the great equalizer of every room she walks into. The consummate professional, easy temperament, great taste, extremely talented, and unflappable.”

Kate Lee

Makeup Artist

Though Kate Lee has worked with the biggest names in the biz biz on red carpets, editorial, ads and film sets and holds a coveted Chanel ambassadorship, Lee says she still has “pinch-me moments.” This year, they were: “Seeing a picture of my work displayed on the front of the Louvre” and a Chanel campaign with Kristen Stewart, shot by legends Inez and Vinoodh.

CLIENTS Charlize Theron, Keira Knightley, Rooney Mara, Marion Cotillard, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Emilia Clarke, Phoebe Waller-Bridge

TOP 2023 MOMENT Stewart at the Berlinale with strong brows and deep pinks on the eyes, which Stewart called “fresh but slightly aggressive.” Of the moment, Lee says: “Working with Kristen on her vision was as inspiring and unique as she is.” Among the Chanel products Lee used for the look were Rouge Coco Flash in Easy and Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner in Easy and Prune Intense.

Chaun Legend

Nail Artist

Chaun Legend, who has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, has a very “L.A.” origin story: In 2016, Kylie Jenner happened upon a salon at which the then-unknown manicurist worked and subsequently “liked” the photo he posted on Instagram of her nails, catapulting him into the spotlight. This year, Legend’s high-profile work, including partnerships with Lottie London and Aprés Nail, enabled him to achieve something once unimaginable for a “poor immigrant kid” who was born in a refugee camp in Cambodia: the purchase of his first home. “My parents serve as my role models,” he says. “Despite a modest upbringing, their work ethic inspired me to never give up on my dreams.”

CLIENTS Christina Aguilera, Lori Harvey, H.E.R., Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Khloé Kardashian

TOP 2023 MOMENT The “strawberry milk” nails he created for Colombian singer Karol G that swept the internet in August. “I never thought I would create such an iconic look in the time period I had to do her nails — we had about an hour to do a full set,” he says. “She loved it, which I was very relieved to hear because we had no time to do anything more!”

Peter Lux

Hairstylist

Peter Lux has just come off a busy month prepping stars for fashion-show front rows (Scarlett Johansson, Simone Ashley, Nicola Coughlan) and an even busier year creating a myriad of hairstyles for Florence Pugh. “There has been such a vast variety in her length, from buzz cut to shoulder, there’s always a new way to interpret the material,” he says.

CLIENTS Dua Lipa (for her “Dance the Night” video), Jodie Comer, Meghann Fahy, Emily Ratajkowski, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts, The White Lotus‘ Simona Tabasco (at Cannes)

TOP 2023 MOMENT Pugh at the Oscars, where he pulled half her ponytail forward to create the illusion of bangs. He calls the prep time “a spiritual experience. Even though I knew millions of people would see my work on the biggest red carpet of the year, it felt so zen.”

Daniel Martin

Makeup Artist

NYC-based Daniel Martin’s top two career moments in his two decades as a pro are doing Meghan Markle’s wedding makeup in 2018 and becoming the first Asian American global director of artistry at a beauty brand (Tatcha). Highlights of his 2023 include an invitation from Vice President Kamala Harris to visit the White House to celebrate Pride Month. “I recently had the opportunity to work with supermodel con Cindy Crawford for the Albie Awards in New York,” adds Martin. “Ironically enough, it was her show House Of Style in the early 1990’s that introduced me to the world of backstage runway makeup! My time with her was both momentous and nostalgic and I was so grateful for the opportunity.”

CLIENTS Greta Gerwig, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ali Wong, Cindy Crawford, Dakota Johnson (at the Toronto International Film Festival), Instagram’s Eva Chen (Met Gala)

TOP 2023 MOMENT Michelle Yeoh’s winged liner look at the Met Gala, which Martin says was the actress’ idea. “I was thrilled we went a bit editorial with her beauty.”

Chris McMillan

Hairstylist

Decades have passed since Chris McMillan created “The Rachel” for Jennifer Aniston, but he’s still quick to credit her as his perpetual inspiration, professionally and personally. “I mimic everything she does,” he says. This year, he describes his proudest achievement as helping his fellow stylists supplement their income with opportunities at Beverly Hills’ Chris McMillan Salon in a tough strike environment. “Esteemable acts create self-esteem,” he says.

CLIENTS Selma Blair, Mariska Hargitay, Michelle Pfeiffer

TOP 2023 MOMENT He calls Michelle Williams’ “boy cut” for the Oscars an example of “no-hair hair,” inspired by his current obsession with relatable aesthetics and his enduring belief that “everyone can be sexy and cute.”

Keita Moore

Makeup Artist

Keita Moore not only works with some of the most iconic faces in the world, but also partners with Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, Armani, and Maybelline. This year he won the Sergio Lopez-Rivera Makeup Award at the 2023 Hollywood Beauty Awards and credits one person for inspiring his success. “My mother has always been my role model,” he says. “She’d wear makeup and become confident and empowered.”

CLIENTS Laverne Cox, Iman, Tessa Thompson, Kelly Rowland

TOP 2023 MOMENT For Janelle Monáe at the Met Gala, Moore says his goal was to honor Karl Lagerfield with every aspect of the design. “We went with clean, beautiful skin, fluffed brows and black liner, and then the theme ‘A Line of Beauty’ gave us the idea for a white line going across both eyes,” he says. “When it was all done, [Monáe] said, ‘Glamily, I love it!’ ”

Nikki Nelms

Hairstylist

Nikki Nelms‘ range goes from super-creative looks that go viral (see: Janelle Monáe with googly eyes set in space buns a few years back) to big-screen standouts, including Yara Shahidi in this year’s Peter Pan & Wendy; Zoë Kravitz in 2022’s The Batman and Jurnee Smollett in 2020’s Birds of Prey, for which she received a Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award. ” I don’t know if there is a specific year that I became a hairstylist. I’ve always been a hair stylist,” Nelms tells THR. “I remember doing my friends’, family and even teachers’ hair in grade school. I even skipped my senior prom to do girls’ hair for the night. I always felt like I never really chose hairstyling, it chose me.”

CLIENTS Yara Shahidi, Zoë Kravitz, Tems

TOP 2023 MOMENT Monáe’s “super tall top knot” at the Met Gala. As a nod to the Karl Lagerfeld theme, “I made it resemble tweed fabric.”

Jenna Nicole

Makeup Artist

Jenna Nicole, who celebrated a decade in the business this year, says, “I’ve had so many amazing moments that leave me feeling so grateful to be able to wake up every day and do what I love.” Those include doing Selena Gomez’s makeup for her birthday in July. “We went with a soft smoky eye with gray tones, which she doesn’t normally do, so it got us both out of our comfort zones and that made it special,” says Nicole. “From the selfie glam photo I posted, Selena is radiating joy so I think her fans love to see that.”

CLIENTS The Stallone family, Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper

TOP 2023 MOMENT Ashley Park’s “bronzed sultry” SAG Awards look using Jouer Cosmetics. Says Park, who first started working with Nicole a year ago, “The way that Jenna is able to curate a makeup look that perfectly complements and harmonizes an outfit and an entire look is impeccable.”

Vincent Oquendo

Makeup Artist

Like his role model, Pat McGrath, Vincent Oquendo is known for seamlessly floating between celebrity and fashion realms. The Lumify Eye Drops ambassador recently used his signature bold-meets-elegant touch during September fashion month on Ariana DeBose, Jurnee Smollett and Gugu Mbatha-Raw among others.

CLIENTS Florence Pugh, Rachel Zegler, Patina Miller, Nicole Ari Parker, Jurnee Smollett

TOP 2023 MOMENT Jenna Ortega’s Sophia Loren-inspired Golden Globes look. After Oquendo finished one shimmering eye, his client “glanced up with an excited look and said, ‘I love it,’ with a twinkle in her eye.” Fans agreed, taking the look viral with fan art and tutorials.

Etienne Ortega

Makeup Artist & Hairstylist

Makeup artist and hairstylist Etienne Ortega credits Instagram for his success, noting that high-profile clients such as Kim Kardashian might not have discovered him were it not for the platform. This year, he leveraged his more than 549,000 followers to help launch a beauty school called the Maestro Workshop and discovered a new passion in the process. “The way I’ve been able to connect with students has made me realize how much I love teaching,” he says. Ortega also has a freshly minted partnership with Givenchy Beauty.

CLIENTS Mariah Carey, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Kris Jenner, Demi Lovato, Kali Uchis

TOP 2023 MOMENT Two magazine cover looks he designed this year: Christina Aguilera for Galore and Lana Del Rey (in blue eye shadow) for Interview. 

Nina Park

Makeup Artist

Raised in Chicago and now based in New York, Nina Park picked up paintbrushes as an art student before switching to makeup brushes. This year, Park, who graduated from L’école de Maquillage Fleurimon in Paris, returned to France for the Cannes Film Festival, where she was part of jury member Brie Larson’s beauty team.

CLIENTS Saoirse Ronan, Zoë Kravitz, Olivia Rodrigo, Jung Hoyeon, Sadie Sink, Blackpink’s Jennie (for The Idol at Cannes), Laura Harrier

TOP 2023 MOMENT “Being a part of Brie Larson’s team during Cannes was such a surreal experience, as I’ve never worked with a jury member before for such an iconic festival,” she says. “We were able to achieve so many incredible looks together every day over the course of two weeks. The creative process to map them out and experience such significantly regarded events in our industry were moments I’ll never forget.” For the opening night of Cannes, Larson wore makeup by Decorté including the brand’s Eye Glow Gem, Lasting Gel Eyeliner, Loose Powder in Lucent Beige and Zen Wear Multi-Proof Foundation.

Mary Phillips

Makeup Artist

Known for her “underpainting” technique of applying contour and highlighter before foundation, Mary Phillips first first started taking cosmetology classes in high school. She’s since amassed more than 2 million followers on Instagram, propelled by such high-profile events as the Met Gala, where she worked this year with clients Kendall Jenner and Camila Morrone (using YSL Beauty products including Lash Clash Volume Extreme Mascara). 

CLIENTS Jennifer Lopez, Hailey Bieber, Hailee Steinfeld

TOP 2023 MOMENT At the Met Gala for Jenner, Phillips went for a “’70s mod makeup” moment using L’Oreal Paris.

Tasha Reiko Brown

Makeup Artist & Groomer

Chanel makeup artist and groomer Tasha Reiko Brown is a former graffiti artist who switched her canvases from “walls to faces” in the late 1990s. She describes longtime client Michael B. Jordan as “a master class in dedication and grace” and says that “we both share a belief in … the relationship between skin care and wellness. This includes red-light therapy and lymphatic drainage.” Jordan tells THR that he treasures working with Brown because of “her approach to self-care — she gives me my time to get ready for the day. When I sit in her chair, it’s peace. I can get my mind right for whatever’s next whether a photoshoot or press tour.”

CLIENTS Gabrielle Union, Lupita Nyong’o, Alicia Keys, Logan Browning

TOP 2023 MOMENT DeWanda Wise at The Night Before party. “It was 15-minute makeup and a five-product face. Not every red carpet moment needs to be ‘a look’ — sometimes just you are enough,” she says.

Rokael

Makeup Artist

The makeup artist was right alongside Beyoncé as her Renaissance Tour took over the world this year. In 2020, he launched his own line of Rokael Beauty lashes and will soon add cosmetics. Rokael tells THR that his career started to take off back in 2009 when he “left a job working at a cosmetics counter and decided to work full time as a freelance makeup artist.” As for his role model? “My most important role model was my mother who recently passed away from COVID,” he says. “She really taught me hard work, dedication and most of all to do whatever you do with love. She still continues to guide me and I feel like she’s always with me in all my successes and failures.”

CLIENTS Beyoncé, Normani

TOP 2023 MOMENT Beyoncé’s Dallas concert. “I knew it was special for her to be back in her home state, so the love was flowing and inspired me to use pinks.” He recalls that after the show, the superstar (who wore his extra-long Auroras lashes) messaged him “saying it was her favorite makeup. It made my whole year! It’s such an incredible feeling to have someone you respect and admire for their work ethic and dedication to detail reach out and give you your flowers.”

Mara Roszak

Hairstylist

“I was called to do Sarah Michelle Gellar for an event. I had my mom drop me off around the corner from her home; I was 17 years old. I had a cosmetology license but not a driver’s license,” recalls Mare Salon co-founder Mara Roszak of her first gig out of beauty school. In July, Roszak debuted a French bob for Zoe Saldaña, posting a video on Instagram in which she chopped 10 inches off the actress’ hair. In 2021, Roszak debuted her vegan, organic and sustainably sourced hair-care line, Rōz. Saldaña praises Roszak for her “exceptional taste in music” as well as her prowess with hair: “She is a sculptor,” says the actress. “She has such complete control of her craft, there is not a type of hair that she doesn’t know how to style or work with.”

CLIENTS Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman

TOP 2023 MOMENT Styling Michelle Yeoh’s beautiful waves at the Oscars: “She was so goddess-like. I’m thrilled with how it turned out — so is she.”

Gregory Russell

Hairstylist

Gregory Russell has gone from assisting the likes of Jen Atkin at the Andy LeCompte Salon to being one of its top stylists. He’s also a Pureology global artistic ambassador and does red carpet, editorial and advertising. This year, campaigns included Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Jaeger-LeCoultre, all with Anya Taylor-Joy, and Longines with Jennifer Lawrence.

CLIENTS Lily Collins, Kate Hudson, Kendall Jenner, Hari Nef, Sophie Turner, Demi Moore, Chloë Grace Moretz (from age 11)

TOP 2023 MOMENT He created a myriad of looks for Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings global tour, but he names her high ponytail for the London premiere his favorite, calling it, “Strong, timeless, elegant.”

Bryce Scarlett

Hairstylist

Bryce Scarlett demonstrated his versatility (beachy waves to ultra-femme updos) throughout Brie Larson’s stint as Cannes juror as well as for Margot Robbie’s Barbie tour, which he calls a highlight of his 16-year career in hairstyling. Scarlett — who was photographed with Robbie and makeup artist Pati Dubroff for THR‘s 2019 Beauty Issue — said then, “We always have a mood board put together for [a] press tour, or phase that we’re going through.”

CLIENTS Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Jung Ho-yeon, Kirsten Dunst

TOP 2023 MOMENT A sculptural ponytail for Robbie for the L.A. premiere of Barbie in July. “It was a sculptural ponytail styled after the same Barbie as her Schiaparelli gown, [a Barbie doll] called Solo in the Spotlight,” explains Scarlett.

Misha Shahzada

Makeup Artist (Rising Star)

“The best moment of my career was when I was able to quit my full-time job in finance and transition from doing makeup part time to full time [in 2011],” says Misha Shahzada, who calls the late makeup artist Allan Snyder an inspiration. “Not only because of the beautiful and iconic work he did with Marilyn Monroe but also because of the incredibly trusting relationship they had.” Her client Lola Tung (star of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty) tells THR that she first saw Shahzada’s work on Instagram: “I [was] immediately was drawn to her beautiful, fresh, elegant makeup looks — so many looks, so simple yet so beautiful.”

CLIENTS Lola Tung, Emma Stone, Havana Rose Liu, Mia Goth

TOP 2023 MOMENT Creating a recent magazine cover with Tung. “The theme was mod, and since ’60s/’70s glam has been making such a comeback, we created our version of a mod graphic eye.”

Larry Sims

Hairstylist

For Larry Sims — a co-founder of hair-care line Flawless by Gabrielle Union with his longtime client/BFF — a career highlight was creating the actress’ voluminous, gravity-defying updo for the 2021 British Fashion Awards. “It was so over-the-top and grand. I just loved the audacity of it,” he says, adding of his client, “She has been my muse, and I play dress-up with my real-life Barbie doll.” For her part, Union tells THR that her working relationship with Sims is “all about collaboration – because we are friends. We have a good-ass time. If it’s not fun, it doesn’t feel creative.”

CLIENTS Kerry Washington, Janet Jackson, Cassie

TOP 2023 MOMENT “The Oscars with Danai Gurira was pretty epic!” he says of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actress’ towering updo. “This is my African self coming out here,” noted Gurira.

Vera Steimberg

Makeup Artist

Vera Steimberg has had a busy year with Zoe Saldaña on everything from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 press tour to the Academy Awards. “Zoe loves to play with makeup and different looks, so it gives me the freedom and challenge to change it up all the time,” says Steimberg, who also takes on feature film projects (Dolemite Is My Name, Coming 2 America).

CLIENTS Saldaña, Eddie Murphy

TOP 2023 MOMENT Saldaña’s “natural look” for the cover of Vogue Thailand. Says the actress of working with Steimberg, “She has a deep understanding of skin undertones. As a woman, she understands that women’s skin can change by the week. She has such deep consideration for skin, but her specialty, really, is understanding and working with women of color. So within that tonal rainbow of BIPOC women, Vera has made it her passion to complement each of those skin tones she works with in a way that’s always so beautiful.”

Hung Vanngo

Makeup Artist

Hung Vanngo‘s skill in creating glam bombshell looks with pouty lips and intense eyes keep him in demand with Hollywood’s A-list. And his behind-the-scenes pics and video tutorials keep his 4.1 million Instagram followers tuned in. For this year’s Met Gala, he prepped no less than four clients: Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Devon Aoki and Julia Garner (in Gucci Beauty products including the Palette de Beauté Quatuor Eyeshadow Palette in Summerina Brown.

CLIENTS Jennifer Lawrence, Selena Gomez, Shailene Woodley, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Katie Holmes, Elsa Hosk

TOP 2023 MOMENT Gomez’s va-va-voom red-dress moment at the MTV VMAs in Septemer. ““She let me create the look without discussing what I was going to do in much detail. Most people thought I should do a red lip for the dress, but I went in a different direction and Selena loved it,” says Vanngo, who did her pout in a rosy mauve from Gomez’s Rare Beauty line.

Kara Yoshimoto Bua

Makeup Artist

Kara Yoshimoto Bua, a native of Santa Cruz, California, wasted no time exploring varied interests during childhood as she studied animals, nature, spirituality, music and art before getting “deeply inspired” in the height of the goth, punk, acid jazz and new wave music scenes during the ‘80s. Gigs after high school graduation working behind the makeup counter in department stores led to collaborations with local photographers which in turn led to doing glam for commercial and theatrical headshots. Soon she was studying under high fashion makeup artist Frank Armstrong, and after she outgrew the San Francisco scene, she moved to Los Angeles, where one of her first celebrity jobs was doing makeup for Friends superstars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox for the Fire & Ice Ball in 2000. “They were the loveliest intro to the celebrity world,” says Yoshimoto Bua, who is now a Chanel ambassador.

CLIENTS Marion Cotillard, Elizabeth Banks, Saoirse Ronan, Leonardo DiCaprio

TOP 2023 MOMENT Cotillard’s Met Gala look “was inspired by [her] vintage silver shimmery dress and her tussled lilac pink bowl cut. I created a fresh and bright glowing pastel palette of glistening pink and a silvery slightly smoky eye.”

Yusef

Hairstylist

Since 2009, Yusef has kept Rihanna’s hair in the headlines. This year was no different, with awards shows, the Super Bowl, Louis Vuitton and Fenty x Puma campaigns as well as a March British Vogue cover. (He’s the first Black hairstylist to have more than 10 Vogue covers.) Yusef continues to expand his The Y by Yusef styling tools line and has a partnership with haircare brand K18.

CLIENTS Rihanna, Issa Rae, Duckie Thot

TOP 2023 MOMENT Rihanna at the Golden Globes. “We wanted to have something super strong to play off the Wakanda theme of the night,” he says. “It was very graphic with a soft touch — the pin curl in the front. That was the icing.”

A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.