The glamour girls of music rocked the Grammy red carpet Sunday night. The big winners were retro eyeliner, classic red lips and glowing skin.

My top five makeup masterpieces:

Lady Gaga – In a silver Brandon Maxwell gown, the newly minted jazz singer glammed it up as my style sensation of the night. Long known for her over-the-top makeup looks, the six-time Grammy winner toned it down, but still maintained a comic edge with a campy ode to the 1960s (or was it Mae West) with sharp winged eyeliner, loads of faux lashes and a bold greenish sliver eye shadow. To top it off, the lace front wig was utter perfection.

Katy Perry – I have not always been a fan of the “I’ve Kissed a Girl” singer’s cheesy cheerleader meets party girl image, but at the Grammy’s, she merged the two seamlessly. In a Zuhair Murad flapper dress, she looked sexy and fun in soft makeup paired with a winged eyeliner and blue mascara - the perfect complement to her deliberately unkempt purple bob.

 

Madonna – The ageless pop icon – she’s 56 – paid homage to 1940s Hollywood screen sirens with gorgeous retro red lips, groomed brows and dewy milky skin. I was mad for her ratty retro pin curl set with black bobby pins still intact, which she let down into soft waves for her stage performance. Bravo. And her mad-as-a-hatter Givenchy matador getup was perfect for the fun night.

 

Jennifer Hudson – The Oscar and Grammy winner walked the carpet in bright purple lips, sexy long lashes and winged liner - classy and flashy and fun - just what the Grammy’s should be about. The sassy shaggy faux hawk created by Kiyah Wright topped off her youthful look.

 

Beyoncé – Young and girlish are not words I would normally use to describe Queen Bee, so it was refreshing to see her in soft and muted earth toned shades that gave her a surprisingly fresh glow. No over-the-top lashes, no crazy contour and no dark lips added up to a new Beyoncé. More please.

 

 

 

Honorable mention to Sia for adding a touch of fabulosity to the festivities.  The wacky songstress that refuses to show her face in public or videos wore a huge platinum wig with the only visible facial feature being bright red lips. Oh, the power of lipstick.

 

Now for the ladies that could use a little style help.

Jesse J – The “Bang Bang” British pop star simply had on too much of everything – thick foundation, goth-like dark eyes, lips and brows and a severe side-parted slicked-down hairstyle that added up to a catastrophe.  To the rescue: a make-under.

Ariana Grande – Yes, an amazing voice, but she’s only 21 years of age, so why the thick Cleopatra eyeliner and coral lips that aged her onto the cast of The Beverly Hills Housewives. Next time, take a cue from Miley and have some fun with your makeup.

Gwen Stefani – Her Versace jumpsuit was stunning, but her plain Jane face was more mall than Grammys. I mean, when did she move to the Upper East Side? A red or fuchsia lip would have added some much needed spunk to the look.

Follow me on instagram and twitter @davidmaderich.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.