Photo: Gavin Bond
Over 20 years in Hollywood, Zoe Saldaña has played an array of characters, but for PEOPLE’s 2023 Beautiful Issue, theGuardians of the Galaxystar paid homage to iconic roles she loves.
Helping the actress, 44, transform was makeup artistAlex Babsky, who tells PEOPLE she “was completely enthusiastic about the project.”
“Ilovedcollaborating with Zoe on recreating these iconic movie looks; we hadn’t worked together before so I wasn’t sure how far she’d be open to taking the makeup for each shot, but she actively embraced each character’s look.”
To set the tone throughout the day, every time, Babsky says, “Zoe would step onto set in character, [photographer] Gavin Bond would cue up music from the movie we were recreating.”
The makeup artist adds, “For me, the most exciting part of this project was adapting aspects of the original makeup in a way that worked for Zoe’s face and complexion, while retaining an overall feel of the original, iconic images.”
Below, Babsky shares the defining details — and how you can recreate — each look.
As Faye Dunaway inBonnie and Clyde
Gavin Bond
Bonnie and Clydewas set in the 1930s but released in 1967. “It’s the ’60s makeup—like a good, thick swipe of black eyeliner on the upper lash line—that gives the film its iconic look,” says Babsky.
As Anita inWest Side Story
To capture the 1961 film’s vibe, Babsky used black pencil liner along upper lashes, then smudged along the lower lashes. The finishing touch? “The most pigmented, bright matte lipstick you can lay your hands on,” he says.
As Billie Holiday inLady Sings the Blues
To help Saldaña re-create the scene, makeup artist Alex Babsky focused on her lashes: “Choosing long, spiky lashes, with plenty of gaps between them rather than thick, densely packed ones evoked the era of the film.”
As Mia Wallace inPulp Fiction
The defining feature on Thurman inPulpis “a structured but soft brow,” says Babsky. “And a neutral lip several shades deeper than her natural lip. On Zoe, this was a plummy brown.”
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source: people.com
