Instep Desk

There’s one striking difference between what one sees at fashion weeks as compared to the coveted Cannes Film Festival that takes place every year in France and attracts a bevy of glamourous stars looking their finest.  Fashion week red carpets are always filled with loud and bold statements in terms of beauty; celebrities aren’t afraid of wearing bright blue eyeliner with kitsch, pink hair, for instance. But the red carpet at Cannes is always the exact opposite; it is calm, elegant and classic. Our favourite stars try to keep it simple and sophisticated and that’s exactly what happened on the red carpet this year as well. With the exception of a few odd balls, most celebs opted for a safe and minimal look and we’re glad that they did.

Bella Hadid

For one of her red carpet appearances at the screening of Tilda Swinton’s Okja, supermodel Bella Hadid opted for a classic look to compliment that gorgeous serpent-shaped necklace wrapped around her neck. She swept her hair back in a slick ponytail and created a dramatic cat eye using a graphic liquid eye liner. The cherry red lip colour went really well with her red Dior couture gown, reminding us a little of style icon Audrey Hepburn.

Kendall Jenner

After being in the news for one controversy after another since her Pepsi advert, normalcy has finally re-entered Kendall Jenner’s life and she is back to delivering memorable red carpet appearances, one after another. Seen here at the 120 Beats Per Minute premiere, Jenner kept it simple with a glossy nude lip and radiant, dewy skin.  While her makeup was classic, her modern up-do struck the right balance between old-school class and contemporary glamour.

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone bore the brunt of several red carpet disasters prior to the festival till she finally got it right with her second appearance in a Brandon Maxwell gown. Padukone brought one-tone dressing to the red carpet as her entire look from head to toe was constructed using the same shade of emerald green. She slicked her back into an up-do to draw attention to her dramatic green smoky eyes which looked really phenomenal against her olive skin.

Sofia Sampaio

Not many people can pull off an almost black vampy lip-colour but it’s a different story for a Victoria’s Secret model who will probably look good in just about anything. Case in point: Sofia Sampaio, who was in no mood to play it safe or be predictable at the Chopard Space Party, co-hosted by style icon Rihanna. Much like other celebrities, Sampaio also followed the old-school charm meets modern glamour look by styling her hair in loose waves but upping the glamour quotient by rocking a dark, glossy lip.

Emily Ratajkowksi

It seems as though the cat eye was everyone’s go-to look this year at the film festival. A lot of celebrities such as Aishwarya Rai, Elle Fanning and Bella Hadid (as mentioned above) opted to try the winged look and paired it with different lip colours to complement their outfits. Emily Ratajkowksi already turned heads with her daring, barely-there black lace Peter Dundas dress but she further sets hearts ablaze with her nude lip and perfectly winged black eye liner. To top it off, Ratajkowski wore her hair in a loosely tied braid, finishing it off with a charming bow at the bottom.