FINAL 2024 Oscar Predictions: MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING

A year ago this was the easiest category to call. That image of Bradley Cooper in Maestro in old Leonard Bernstein came out and we all said, ‘well, ok we can lock in Best Actor and Makeup’ but as the season got into festival season things turned a bit. Both Maestro and Poor Things premiered at Venice with Poor Things not only earning better reviews but the Golden Lion for Best Film. It catapulted Emma Stone into the top tier of the Best Actress race and the makeup on Willem Dafoe’s ‘God’ character looked enough to challenge that crown.

Now we’re here, where the non-Oscar-nominated Barbie won Critics Choice, Poor Things won BAFTA (against Maestro) and Maestro won two crucial MUAH awards (Special Effect Makeup, Period Makeup, beating Poor Things for both) that have shaped this race before. In thinking about how winners of this race have played our recent and often, if it’s not directly connected to a lead acting winner like Jessica Chastain or Brendan Fraser, another lead nominee with significant makeup effects takes it, like Vice or Bombshell. In keeping with that line of thinking, Maestro should be able to win here without Cooper winning, more so than Poor Things winning for makeup that isn’t focused on its lead.

Here are my final 2024 Oscar predictions for Makeup and Hairstyling.